Fashion Industry

It's London Fashion Week here in the UK, and the designer Mark Fast has caused a storm by--gasp--using normal-sized women to showcase his knitwear range.

Fast's stylist has allegedly walked out in a huff because of the use of three UK size 12 -14 (US size 10-12) models. And, the reporter Alice Fisher, whilst applauding the move, mentioned how odd it seemed to see these models on the catwalk:

Poster boy for positive self-image - or are speedos a fashion crime?

What are the unwritten rules about fashion and body shape?

Finally men... forget about concentrating on diet and exercise -- just get some new underwear.

Some call it shapewear, bodywear, support boxers, or compression shorts - but really we're talking about a girdle.

Health authorities in Spain are recommending a major overhaul of clothes sizing. They will use the results of a fascinating study that laser-mapped over 10,000 women aged 12-70.

The research identified three main body types: cylinder (similar measurements for bust, waist and hips), diábolo (or hourglass), and bell (pear-shaped).

Winner of a UK modeling show has put the catwalk modeling industry to the test.

Jen Hunter (5' 11", 154 lbs) won the "Make Me a Supermodel" show in 2006 - despite being criticized for being too fat.

Many people applauded her win. Last year a magazine writer asked:

Answer: No.

Most writing about models and diet tends to be negative - focusing on skinnyness, starvation diets, and eating disorders. I must also confess that the image-obsession and vanity that goes with celebrity culture leaves me cold - so I'm reluctant to devote too much space to how "celebrity-x got rid of her cellulite".

However - in the interests of fairness and balance - I recently sent a few questions to Nic Bezuska, a male model and personal trainer. Nic helped Mauricio Padilha of MaoPR lose over 180lbs. MaoPR is successful a NY public relations firm that has produced over 100 fashion shows.

As with other advice - take what you can and leave the rest.

The quotes from these vintage ads (from the 1940s) proclaim: “Every woman has a figure problem!”

These old-fashioned ads (from Corsietere) show great similarities to today's marketing mix. This advertising brainwashing (complete with ludicrous before and after images) assured women that they were not thin enough or appealing enough for the world . Sound familiar?

Old Navy is a clothing brand own by Gap Inc. Up until very recently, Old Navy offered the "Women's Plus" line of clothing in 175 stores.

Old Navy have now decided to remove the clothes from the shelves - and make them available online only.

How has body shape changed during the last century? What were the popular and glamorized body shapes of the day?

Karl Lagerfeld is a fashion designer. He is currently the chief executive of design at the House of Chanel.

The world of diets is a strange one, and Lagerfeld added his contribution in 2002. After a massive weight loss of 92 pounds he decided to write his own diet book: The Karl Lagerfeld Diet.

He has managed to keep the weight off: "I eat next to nothing," he says. (from the New Yorker)

Last year during Fashion Week, Spain banned models with a BMI under 18 from participating. This year, the Health Ministry in Spain is charging ahead with a new program that will prevent mannequins under a size 6 (a Spanish 38) from being displayed in store windows.

Womens' sizes are also being standardized. 85,000 women across Spain, ages 12 to 70, will be measured in a special laser booth that can take up to 130 measurements in 30 seconds.

This study will help get a better idea of the shapes of women in Spain.

New York Magazine has listed the 7-day food diaries of four people in the fashion industry; two models, fashion editor, and producer.

Here are a few examples (enlightening to say the least):

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is in the process of issuing new guidelines for models - ahead of the NY Fashion shows starting soon. It appears that the CFDA will not go as far as the rules imposed in Madrid and in other countries. [...] the recommendations are likely to include scheduling fashion-show fittings with younger models during daylight hours, rather than late at night, to help them get more sleep; urging designers to identify models with eating disorders; and introducing more nutritious backstage catering [...] (from the NY Times).

Will 2007 be the year of obesity legislation? Experts in the UK are beginning to think that this is the answer. "Pull yourself together, eat less and exercise more" is an inadequate response to obesity, voiced only by "less perceptive health professionals" and the media

Some months ago I mentioned that "Your body is not just a clothes-hanger for other people to gawk at". One commenter (accurately) pointed out that "Top runway models are actually intended to be walking clothes hangers!".

The trouble is many young girls are looking at the bodies - not the clothes.

The debate over the weight of catwalk models continues with French designer Jean Paul Gaultier using a size 20 model during fashion week in Paris (via DailyMail).

It seems that Madrid's ban on skinny models has started a small avalanche across the fashion industry.