Fashion photography -- as it should be

I've been kind of over fashion magazines lately -- especially Vogue, which I used to love a lot a few years back. But now, the disconnect between the mags and the world had become jarring: fashion has been increasingly treated as aspirational rather than artistic, and I find the former a lot more difficult to stomach -- and so does most everyone who is not an eighteen-year-old millionaire, I would imagine. Anne Leibovitz, who has been responsible for so many of Vogue's photoshoots, is a genius, but despite that I have been dissatisfied with the US Vogue lately.

Until now. Leibovitz has produced a wonderful, terrifyingly grim and yet hilarious fairy tale themed photoshoot, a sort of twisted Hansel and Gretel (not that the original wasn't twisted, but you know what I mean). With Lady Gaga as a witch:



I find this one both charming and funny, as well as the rest of the pictures. I am especially taken with these two:



Yay tree-people!



And fish people (the latter, of course, reminds me of that Klee painting). In any case -- very well done, Vogue. Sure, the clothes are still ridiculously expensive, but I enjoy the playfulness and the creativity that went into these pictures. The composition is genius, and they remind me once again what fashion photography can (and ought to) be -- artistic expression, telling of tales, playful reminders that fashion (and clothes) is not about status or trends or any other foolishness. It's an artistic medium that inspires rather dictates, and elevates rather than demeans.

[This is via Haute Macabre. Check out the rest of the pictures there.]

WFA pictures

So WFA won by PAPER CITIES came in the mail today. It was adored:



And placed in its new surroundings, where it fit right in:



While Attila remained indifferent:




(She later woke up and attempted to eat a packing peanut. It was an exciting day for everyone.)

Miscellaneous

1. I will be heading home for the holidays! Very excited about that -- we'll be in Moscow for two weeks, late December to early January.

2. This month, I'll be in NYC. NYC people, let me know what day would be good/if you want to get together for food.

3. PROJECT RUNWAY!!!! This week's inspiration: The Getty Center. Awesome architecture, art, vistas inspired not so awesome outfits.

After Christopher did his normal poor farmboy who was not given many opportunities blah blah speech, he suddenly decided that he's a weird and wacky guy. Then he made the same silhouette he made every darn week.

He was inspired by algae on the rock. Look, my undergraduate concentration was in Algology and Mycology, I love algae. They are beautiful:




This dress?



Doesn't do them justice. The top part would be ok if it wasn't the exact copy of his previous 'vampire bride' outfit. The green splotch is just weird. So Christopher cried and was finally kicked off. The only mystery was how did he hold on for so long.

Althea's outfit, inspired by the architecture of the Getty Center, was not very well made. Heidi called it a mess-fest, and she was not wrong:



But because she took a risk and based on her past performance, she was welcomed as one of the top three.

Meanwhile, Gordana got inspired by a Monet painting of a Gothic cathedral. Her dress was amazing:



Even Heidi had to agree, and the rest of the judges grudgingly admitted that yes, it was her best outfit yet. Did Gordana get to go to Bryant Park? Don't be silly, of course not. Nina Garcia thoughtfully said that she still didn't know who Gordana was as a designer. I suspect that Ms. Garcia's frequent absences had more to do with that than Gordana's style, and that those who watched the show know who she is as a designer -- she values simplicity and classic silhouettes that are lifted from being ordinary by their exquisite workmanship and amazing detailing. You would think that people in fashion industry would be able to recognize that.

Irina and Carol Hannah made nice dresses.

Irina:



Carol Hannah:



They both got to go to fashion week. I'm not unhappy about the final three, but I do feel bad for Gordana: along with being treated terribly for the entire season, she didn't get to go to Bryant Park even though her dress was clearly the best in the bunch.

Brothers Grossbart

I was lucky enough to read THE SAD TALE OF THE BROTHER GROSSBART by Jesse Bullington back in September; now that the book is officially released, I would like to encourage everyone to buy a copy. It is actually very, very good.

As you might've heard, the book is bloody and grim, the protagonists have no redeeming qualities apart from their heretical and often hilarious theological views, and people get murdered left and right. This is not why this book is good, and not even because of its Terry Gilliam-esque Medieval mud and grime, although that one is delightful. I recommend it because it does such a wonderful job capturing that fevered worldview, apparently common in the Dark Ages, most familiar from works like Malleus Maleficarum -- the ease of coexistence between things quite mundane and the monsters so horrifying and obscene as to evoke paintings of Bosch and Bruegel the Elder. All of that against the backdrop of plague-ridden Medieval Europe, crime sprees and grave-robbing.

Another element I enjoyed quite a bit was the Brothers' complete lack of awareness that they are doing anything untoward -- in fact, they react to any resistance from their victims with a kind of hilarious hurt indignation, which I found spot-on and fascinating.

Of course, the book is not without some issues -- there were parts that dragged a bit for my taste, and I was displeased about the fate of the only interesting female character. Yes yes, I know, Medieval Europe was not the epicenter of racial and gender equality; still. On balance though, I find it easy to recommend this book -- it's a terrifying, visceral fantasy that does justice to the Medieval sensibilities and finds its roots in Thyl Ulenspiegel and Brothers Grimm more than in Terry Brooks and other bland, extruded feudal worship. It was named one of the Amazon's top ten SF books of the year, and I have to agree that its place is well-earned.

Upcoming Readings

On December 1st at Between Books bookstore in Claymont, Delaware, Jeff VanderMeer and myself will be doing a reading.

On December 3rd, Jeff Ford and me will be reading at The Eagle Theater in Hammonton, New Jersey at 7:30 pm. See the pattern? I tend to read in tandem with World Fantasy Award winners named Jeff.

Anyway, I hope folks in the area can make it to one or the other. The Eagle Theater charges an admission fee (I think $10), fair warning.

World Fantasy Awards

We interrupt our regular Project Runway coverage to announce that Paper Cities (edited by yours truly) just won World Fantasy Award. To say I'm blown away would be an understatement.

Oh, Project Runway, you're so crazy.

Fashion industry is not exactly the place for things like cultural sensitivity, respect for women, and common sense. Then there's the guest judge Nick Verreos. This dude, I hear, is an FDIM professor. Wow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The challenge was to offer a complementary outfit to each of the designers' best looks -- for everyone but Logan, it meant winning looks. Logan realized that he never won a challenge, moped, created this:



and was promptly ridiculed, accused of plagiarism by Althea (who made a collar out of zippers for Christina Aguilera challenge), ridiculed some more by the judges, and sent home. He stayed on longer than I expected considering his consistent failure to make anything interesting.

Too bad they didn't send two people home, because Christopher's gown totally deserved it.



Leaving aside that this dress just got sick all over itself, it is the same damn silhouette he keeps sending out week after week: fitted top, bell skirt, with the side of his "I'm just a poor farmboy with no formal training and look at me, here competing with all these designers who hobnob with celebrities and know what "smocking" means" speech. Seriously, if he's not out next week, I'll have to blog about it indignantly.

Oh, Althea won with this:



Despite being accused of plagiarism by Irina who felt the wide-sleeve sweater was too close to her Aspen look. Because Irina invented wide-sleeve sweaters, apparently.

And speaking of Irina's Aspen look, this is the complementary look:



Not crazy about the dress, love the sweater. The guest judge, aforementioned Nick Verreos, loved the whole shebang -- at least I think he loved it and thought that his comment was a compliment. What he actually said was "this is something a Russian ex-model married to a millionaire would wear" and then during judging added something about "arm-candy". Apart from general misogyny, I found the ethnic aspect of this comment especially unpleasant, doubly so since it was directed to Irina, a woman of obvious Russian extraction. So thank you, Nick Verreos, for contributing to the stereotype of Russian women existing primarily to be trophy wives. Clearly young Eastern European women are not objectified enough.

But older Slavic women fare much worse: Gordana, who is a Bosnian Serb, has been treated horribly by the judges (especially Heidi) this entire season. Clearly, being middle-aged and Slavic are crimes in fashion industry than can be paid for only by frequent humiliation. Nick Verreos, good sport that he is, joined in the fun by calling her outfit something "an office worker in Warsaw, Poland" would wear. As a negative thing, even though I suspect that Nick is not personally familiar with Polish fashions, and for all he knows they might be quite snappy. But he went with the lazy (and dated) Soviet-era stereotype of a drab drone. He also apparently noticed that Gordana had a Slavic accent which he interpreted as Eastern Europe, but of course didn't bother to find out the country or the ethnicity or anything about the woman -- he just went for the laziest insult that jumped to mind. Well done, Professor.

Meanwhile, the jacket:



Notice the pleats and the seaming at the waist and the tailoring of the collar. I like the longer silhouette and the swooping hem, and the wonderful detailing. I wish the judges noticed the tailoring of this piece, but they were too busy thinking of ethnic slurs, apparently. I would love this jacket, with skinny pants and a bright top.

More on Etsy

As promised, here's another installment on Etsy designers and sellers. There's definitely many good reasons to support independent designers and handmade products, from social justice, environmental, and political viewpoints. Of course, these are of little consolation unless these items are fashion-forward, good-looking, and affordable.

First, some shoutouts to some of the favorites I already blogged about:

1. One of my very favorites, Layla of Ledthread. Love her designs and her philosophy.

2. Idea2lifestyle -- always fanciful and inventive and flowing, natural materials and reasonable prices.

3. Weatherread -- structural and gorgeous. I'm so buying one of her shirt-jackets as soon as finances allow.

Now, on to some new loves:

1. Nanda. You can't find more beautiful and more affordable freshwater pearls. Gorgeous jewelry design too:



Simple, gorgeous, well-made, and under $20.

2. Morelle bags.

Check out this Morchella in purple suede:



It's a beauty, as well as other morelle's bags. Bonus: it's not a stupid status bag, but a functional art piece.

3. Artlab. Pricey? A tad. Everything in this store is AMAZING? Also yes.

For example, a scarf:



Or a shawl. Or a wrap. Whatever it is, it is cozy, adorable, and versatile.

And check out this jacket, made from a pair of pants:



I rest my case.

4. Vilte operates out of Lithuania, and creates exquisite beauty out of silk, wool, and bamboo fibers using unique felting process. I have one of her scarves, and it is the most beautiful accessory I own. Really truly.

Consider this:



The texture and the colors are just so rich, and the pictures really don't do them justice. It's much more breathtaking in person.

5. While on the subject of scarves, I should probably mention Flutter, a source for ruffles, buttons, and natural fibers.

And adorableness:



6. And to add some clothing to all these accessories, I'd like to mention Hier Apparel -- edgy, modern designs, very interesting sensibility. Look almost basic, but always with an interesting twist. Like this jacket -- check out the button collar!

Schmatta

Just watched the new HBO documentary on garment district, "Schmatta: From Rags to Riches to Rags". Very pleased with it, since it combines two of the things I'm keenly interested in -- fashion and history of organized labor. The film does an excellent job covering the beginnings of the garment district and its immigrant roots, the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company that took lives of over 100 young women -- workers who were locked inside the factory -- and how that fire became a catalyst for organizing workers (especially women) of the Garment District. There's plenty of documentary footage -- from terrifying to uplifting, as the film deals with labor unions gaining strength and their role in the rise of the middle class of the New York City. Oh, the golden days of unions wielding real political clout! Children of early labor activists are so wistful when they talk about that time.

Then it gets depressing again, as we are shown gradual weakening of the unions and downright union busting by the Reagan administration, the export of jobs overseas, and the overall deregulation of market that resulted in even more losses in domestic jobs and rise in exploitative sweatshops overseas. It is shocking to see that in 1965 95% of clothing sold in the US was made in the US, and soon after 1993 ratification of NAFTA agreement by Clinton that number dropped to 50%. Now it's only 5%.

The documentary then touches on the issues with sweatshops, concluding with the fire in a textile factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh, that killed dozens of workers, most of whom were girls between 12 and 14 years of age. They were locked in the factory, in an eerie echo of the 1911 tragedy.

Another thing I found interesting is their commentary on disposable, cheap clothes produced by Forever 21, H&M etc. -- the idea that if people demand cheap clothing, there's just really no way for the American garment industry to recover, simply because it is impossible to pay minimum wage while making $10 dresses. Stronger unions and stricter market regulations, with limit on exporting jobs to the overseas, seems to be the key to recovery of the local industry -- but of course that would mean that Target and Walmart prices will become the thing of the past.

This is something I've been thinking about quite a bit -- I try to get a good chunk of my clothes from indie designers (which reminds me: I'm due for another Etsy post), since they are a) local and/or b)likely don't have a sweatshop. Yet, I'm not entirely ready to jettison all bargain retailers from my wardrobe (I don't have a lot, but a few) -- primarily because I don't feel that shifting all ethical responsibility to the individuals instead of governments is fair, and the admonishments to 'vote with your wallet' results in an unpleasant situation where every political decision is expressed via buying stuff, which I think largely misses the point. Still, I hope that the US government will take steps to bring manufacturing industries home, and then I won't mind paying a few bucks more for my shoes.

In other words, this documentary is highly recommended. It's playing on HBO (and On Demand).

Project Runway

Last week I was way too annoyed about Shirin's elimination to say anything coherent. Judging this season has been puzzling -- they eliminated three good designers (Ra'mon, Epperson and Shirin) while keeping Christopher, Logan, and Nicolas. Now Nicolas is gone, because of this:



Not necessarily a bad piece as such, albeit boring, but it was meant to represent Greece.

Christopher stayed in despite his take on Santa Fe:



When I think American Southwest, I think pastels and flippy skirts.

Then there was Logan, who despite weeks of people gushing over him failed to produce much in terms of, you know, designing clothes. Here's his version of Hollywood:



He's not wrong -- this is the sort of thing many younger struggling actors and models wear. But even in that vein, the jeans could fit better and be interesting, and the tanktop should've been flowy and embellished, and an interesting structured cardi could've lifted the whole outfit into something other than C&C California clearance rack.

Irina won once again -- this time with her take on Aspen. I like the trousers and exaggerated cowl; not crazy about the cutout back on the sweater (last thing you want in your winter wear, am I right?) and the Rachel Zoe furry vest.



For my money, however, Gordana should've won. Her take on Manhattan:



The necklace is painstakingly detailed and detachable, the dress is simple and elegant. Heidi admonished Gordana to be more confident. Blogosphere talks a lot about how unsure Gordana seems to be. Gee, I wonder if being randomly abused by the judges for the most of the season has anything to do with it. Poor Gordana can do no right -- first, she was in the bottom three for no reason, then she was scolded by Heidi AS SHE WON a challenge. I hope she makes it to the final three!

Oh, TV

So my penchant for silly TV will probably surprise exactly no one: when I have the brainpower to pay attention and follow complex plots, I would rather read or watch a good movie. So the TV I watch is usually of the kind that requires minimum of cognitive ability. Hence, Rachel Zoe Project.

I love this show. It is awesome, because you have a bunch of people running around being stressed, while a good portion of their days is occupied by going to various stores and boutiques and "pulling" outfits and jewelry. Yes, for free: celebs, who actually can afford Chanel gowns for Golden Globes, don't have to pay for them. The irony, it burns. (They also cannot pick their own free gowns -- this is why Rachel Zoe is in business.) While they're not pulling outfits, they go to fashion shows (in Paris!), organize photoshoots, and endorse product lines. And have vertigo attacks, even though no one knows what vertigo is.

So last night was the season's finale, in which Rachel relinquished (some of) her company's reins because of the aforementioned vertigo -- and that spells promotion for her associate Taylor (the only person at RZ who actually works hard and is conscientious), so yay for Taylor. Also, Rachel's husband Rodger (who comes across as very patient and sweet) gets to be in charge of the business end of things, and it looks like he would do a better job than Rachel who is incapable of picking who gets to go to Paris with her and has the assistants battle it out.

Also, this episode covered a hilarious photoshoot for V. magazine inspired by Olivia Newton-John's "Let's get physical!" (yes, really), for which Rachel's assistant Brad (who tries for adorable but comes off as annoying more often than not) goes to American Apparel (yes, really) to "pull some accessories" -- headbands, wrist bands, tights, legwarmers. There a sales clerk repeatedly asks him to 'gay marry' him, and Brad makes faces at the camera. The photoshoot is a success, and features Chanel leg warmers. Oh, TV!

I cannot shake the feeling...

... that people pining for good old days and how POLITE everyone used to be thirty-fifty-hundred years ago are simply missing the time when women and minorities didn't talk back. Because really, as far as public discourse is concerned, it is a lot more inclusive and aware of social justice and people's right to self-identification, and that makes our present the most polite time in history. I'd take a person who's not sure about how to handle a salad fork over someone who uses gendered and racial slurs any day.

In other news, Project Runway -- most boring episode ever, even despite Michael Kors' long-awaited reappearance. The challenge was to design a look (in blue) for Macy's INC line; I think I have a shirt by them, but it doesn't strike me as a line with well-defined aesthetics. So the outfits were pretty non-descript. The winning dress by Irina was nice enough; the rest I just don't remember (except for the teal disco pumpkin).

I loathe Nicolas' habit of saying how 'worried' he is about someone. God, but he is unpleasant. I really wish he would go home (and he would've, if it wasn't for immunity). Irina seems like a good designer, but I dislike her tendency to attack other people; this week it was Gordana (god, people, lay off Gordana already, what is that?) It was appalling, frankly, especially when she turned on her during judging AFTER they were informed that they had one of two highest scores. Why would you throw your team partner under a bus WHILE BEING PRAISED is beyond me; it's not even self-defense, it's self-defeating behavior, and when humiliating other person is more important than winning, I wonder.

In less boring news, Christopher experienced his first case of harsh criticism and suffered a complete meltdown. I'm not gloating at his misfortune, but I wonder if one bad experience will completely kill his confidence. Time will tell.

Oh, and Louise went home. I started out really liking her, but oh well. I miss Ra'mon.

Simon Doonan is a feminist

The titular conclusion is the result of my reading Simon Doonan's ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You. As the name suggest, this is a book on style, but it is oh so much more than that.

First of all, Mr. Doonan is a clever man who enjoys a well-turned phrase, and who is honest to a fault. After lamenting pornification of mass culture in general and women's fashion in particular, he presents a shocking notion: that women should dress to please themselves rather than men around them. He talks about his experience on America's Next Top Model, and observes that it has never occurred to the contestants that a) clothes send a message about who you are and thus a prime vehicle for personal expression; b) clothes can express anything other than sexual availability or "a general commitment to porn industry".

He then takes a few swipes at the multitude of products that promise to reduce fine wrinkles and lines, and correctly traces the problem to Hollywood. He also points out that Hollywood actresses/models HAVE to look young, otherwise their careers are over -- a limitation most regular women do not have (although he DOES overlook the fact that even for the regular women so much value is placed on looks that this pressure exists -- although not in terms of employment.)

He talks about the looks-ist fashion industry and the loss of joy in fashion, and all the while encourages the reader to develop on individual (preferably eccentric) personal style -- and as such, the book is light on practical advice (because how do you write a How-To for something so deeply personal?), but offers a few well-chosen and startlingly appealing suggestions, like buying a crate of lipstick. Why? Read the book, he explains it better than I could. He advocates including burritos with goody bags at fashion shows and discourages female proctologists from wearing Comme des Garcons while on duty. Believe me, it all makes sense.

Then there are interviews with people who achieved that fabulously individual eccentric glamour -- Tilda Swinton and Isabel Toledo, my personal favorites, were included and their interviews (as well as a slew of others, not limited to women -- Hamish Bowles, for one, is also featured) offered a marvelous perspective on style and individuality, and the relation between the two.

So the book is funny (with chapters titled "Frenchwomen Don't Know Diddly" and "Dressing Down Is a Crime Against Humanity", how could it not be?) and cooky and all sorts of cool, but what struck me after I finished it is how deeply and unconsciously feminist it is. Mr. Doonan doesn't dwell much on patriarchal oppression -- he only encourages women to focus on expressing themselves rather than pleasing others, on shunning all sorts of mandates; he talks about exercise but doesn't demand weight loss, he seems frustrated with fashion industry's self-importance and disdain for regular women. And regardless of whether one might get inspired to start wearing conceptual fashion or decide that self-expression through clothes is not one's thing, one can take away from this book a firm believe that it is all right to buckle the trends and go against the mainstream.

(Thanks a lot to Deb Layne for the tip).

Friday Miscellannea

1. LAST DRINK BIRD HEAD is a charity anthology, available for pre-order here



It features EIGHTY amazing writers (Peter Straub, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Brian Evenson, Henry Kaiser, Gene Wolfe, Hal Duncan, Rikki Ducornet, Holly Phillips, Stephen R. Donaldson, K.J. Bishop, Michael Swanwick, Ellen Kushner, Daniel Abraham, Jay Lake, Liz Williams, Tanith Lee, Sarah Monette, Conrad Williams, Marly Youmans, Jeff Ford among others), is edited by the power duo of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, and contains my story based on an actual Coptic recipe for curing blindness. It's gruesome!

2. Last night's episode of Project Runway demonstrated several things: first, designers are usually not good at storytelling. Seriously, people. Vampires? Alien females looking for men? Ugh. Second, despite a bad story, Ra'mon's dress suited his concept and he didn't deserve to go home. As much as it pains me to admit, Louise (who was one of my early favorites) didn't come through this week. Thirdly, judges should lay off Gordana. The woman can sew, her personality comes across in her workmanship, and... at this point it looks like they're just picking at her for NO REASON. Fourthly, there was one good concept paired with the design that should've won: Epperson's. Loved the deconstructed denim ball gown with a corset/obi belt and a gun hidden in the ruffly underskirts. Looooved it. You go, Epperson!

Monday and PR

1. Project Runway: Johnny learned the hard way that lying when a) cameras are rolling and b) a bunch of people are witnessing the lie tends to not work out. Irina won -- I liked her coat on principle although I wish she painted it.



Gordana should've been in top three, not the bottom three, as her garment was pretty and really well made, and didn't look like paper.




I also like Logan's bamboo dress, but not as much as Ra'mon's patterened separates, with a really interesting color combo:




I didn't like Johnny's and Nicolas's (Nicolas should be next to go), and Epperson's looked ok close up, but walking down the runway it looked like a poncho/cape thing a kid would make by folding a newspaper in half.



Shirin's thing could've been ok with application of some color (also, she is chatty. The rest of the designers: get over it. I felt awful for Shirin when everything she said was met with stony silence, and it in turn made her to talk more -- totally a nervous thing, looks like.) The rest were not memorable enough to comment upon.

2. I have a new favorite designer -- Marcus Constable. Just look at his latest collection, inspired by Aubrey Beardsley (according to Fashionista). I love Beardsley -- in fact, have loved him since I was sixteen, and learned to draw by copying (not tracing) his drawings by hand. Anyway, here's the Constable show:



3. I finished the longest short story I've ever written -- 9,000 words. I also like it a lot. Hope it sells.

New story is up

"Fungal Gardens" is up at Apex Magazine website. It's mostly about evil fungi. People told me it's creepy.

Oh, Project Runway.

So last night episode sported a bizarre judging panel: first, Michael Kors is gone, and now Nina Garcia sent in a replacement (I did watch "Running in Heels", so seeing Zoe Glassner gave me warm fuzzies). But designer-wise, could they find someone less obscure? Who was that guy?

Anyway, important part:

Althea won with this:



I do really like the cut of this little jacket, although am less crazy about the skirt. Also, a grey top is perhaps safe, but I love grey-black combo.

However, the two dresses that I liked a lot didn't make it into top three. Clearly, the judges fault.

First, Gordana surprised and delighted with this peach dress:



I like the simplicity of the cut a lot, as well as the braided detailing in the center. It also moved really well. Lovely, all in all.

Finally, Nicolas also surpassed my expectations. Until last night, I didn't like any of his designs, but this is just so classic and pretty. The tall collar is an especially great detail.

Short Story Sale

My story "You Dream" will appear in DARK FAITH anthology, edited by the illustrious Maurice Broaddus.

Around the blogosphere: an irregular series

One of my favorite fashion blogs is The Sartorialist, who recently posted some commentary regarding Lizzy Miller, a plus-sized model who made an appearance in Glamour.

As expected, the responses ranged from "good for her" to "OMG she's so unhealthy" (because you can totally determine someone's state of health just by looking at them. Take note, medical establishment). However, I would like to skirt around the Miller herself (who is a beautiful person) and talk a little bit about a) the role fashion models are currently playing in the society; b) the relationship between fashion industry and a (larger) female body.

a) There seems to be quite a bit of angst directed at models -- for being too thin, for not being thin enough, for being unhealthy, for setting an unrealistic ideal etc etc. And the "ideal" bit is, IMO, the core of the issue -- we have elevated models from their job of looking on runway and having their picture taken while showcasing clothing to role models. And this is really it: we don't feel anxious and inadequate when faced with doctors, for example, because there's no expectation for us all to be able to perform an occasional surgery. However, models shifted from representatives of a certain profession to representatives of the entire womankind.

And once that happens, arguments that "models should be thin to walk runway and make clothes look pretty" become moot: we've decided that they are more than that. So if we're going to treat models as representatives of all women, yes, more size diversity would be awesome. OTOH, if they are just to do their modeling job, than one body type best suited for it is perfectly fine. It's when we conflate the two that the anxieties start.

b) Another question asked in The Sartorialist post is "However, do you think that this economic crisis has forced the fashion community to open it's eyes a little bit to what the customers want?"

Which is a good question, but the underlying assumption seems to be that models are intermediaries between the consumer and the fashion industry -- ambassadors if you will, and a plus-sized model is ostensibly a signal that the industry is ready to embrace a larger consumer.

Which is a terribly roundabout way, don't you think? How about making clothes in sizes bigger than 10 (a common cutoff point for many designers.) Women in sizes 12+ might not necessarily NEED a model representing them, although that part is nice. What they need are clothes they can fit into. And as one retailer after another is dropping plus sizes or moves them to internet only status (looking at you, Old Navy), the message is clearly the opposite:fashion industry hates fat so much that it would shoot itself in the foot. Instead of reaching out to potential consumers, they tell women in sizes 12+: "You are so disgusting that I would rather go out of business than dress you." So their pleas about suffering under recession will ring hollow, as long as they continue to ignore a significant portion of their customers. As much as I like Lizzie Miller, I don't think she can change that -- the fashion industry has to go beyond gestures to actual, you know, clothes.

Cheap thrills on Etsy

Ten items under $20, in no particular order:

1. Armani skirt:



2. Tahari jacket:



3. A cute cotton blouse:



4. Colorblock shoes:



5. Button-up cowl/scarf:




6. Vintage oyster leather clutch:



7. Chinese pottery shard earrings:



8. Steampunk earrings:



9. Victorian gloves



10. Handmade necklace:

Best sentence ever!

"One of the first things I did for [Beyoncé] was put her in a special corset and wrap her in aluminum foil and then wrap a warm plastic around her" -- Chris March via The Cut. Read the rest here.

Step aside, Roy Orbison!

Project Runway

So after the first two episodes, I have some things to say.

1) I liked the all-female panel discussing maternity wear last night; I was surprised that none of them mentioned how many of the outfits had halter tops or spaghetti straps, which would seem like a BAD thing -- a supportive bra would be impossible to wear under those.

2) I'm glad that Shirin won -- Shirin, Irina, and Louise are my current faves. I'm happy to see young female designers putting together things that are so nice and pretty and yet interesting. I also like Epperson and Ra'mon, and I'm very curious to see more from Qristyl.

3) Malvin shouldn't have gone home. Yes, his outfit was not great and the chicken and egg concept was hilarious -- I mean, how many chickens walk around with their eggs strapped to their belly? -- but the man knows how to sew and has ideas. Mitchell, on the other hand, supplements mediocre ideas with poor sewing and model-blaming.

4) Unexpectedly, I'm liking Models of the Runway show. I like that they are so outspoken and there's no stupid fighting (they seem to be aiming to amp up the drama in the next one, sadly.) I find it really endearing, really -- all these nice articulate young women who are so open about liking and disliking designers. I loved the collective groan of disappointment when Malvin was kicked off, I loved how supportive they were of their designers. I'm not loving the elimination, but it is definitely an interesting dynamics that gives some insight into designer minds. Fatma is awesome, and Katie/Tara duo is adorkable.