Heathy Curves Back On The Runway

The decrease of "beanpoles" on the latest runway shows was noticeable. New York and London Fashion Weeks have featured more normal-sized women catwalking this year.


Though IMG vice-president Fern Mallis did not attend the CFDA's panel discussion on fashion industry and body image the day before New York Fashion Week, she was glad to notice healthier models on the runway.

"I was here at the Tents, but I haven't seen so many scary-looking girls this time," she commented during the Naeem Khan show.

"I was just at a show sitting with the husband of a designer who said a girl came in for a fitting and her legs looked like poles, and they said, 'No.' It was great at Calvin's show to see some of the old girls back, like Stella Tennant and Kristen McMenamy, and Michael Kors had Frankie Rayder. They're gorgeous girls. They weren't beanpoles, they're still gorgeous."

The same trend was also noticeable at the London Fashion Week. Even Kate Moss walked the Fashion for Relief runway with more body fats. Supermodel Naomi Campbell also welcomed the arrival of many normal-sized women on the catwalks, as well as the plus-size models. She was quoted as saying:

"I think the bigger the better. I don't comment on size, I think if someone is beautiful then they should do what they want to do."

Fashion designer Borun Aksu also noted after his show that larger, healthier models appear to have made a breakthrough on the catwalks:

"Over the last couple of seasons they have become more noticeable. You also notice that these are girls who look healthy and happy."

Mark Fast's runway show has featured four plus-size models led by Crystal Renn, size-16 and one of the most famous plus-size models today.

Meanwhile, giant high street retail store Debenhams has started replacing some of its size ten mannequins with plus size models more suited to the average British woman's size 14-16.

"The average British woman is a size 14 to 16 and it's important that the woman on the street is able to walk into a shop and feel comfortable with the choice available," said Sarah Travers who runs Europe's largest plus-size modeling agency.

Size 4 Coco Rocha Asks "How Skinny Is Too Skinny?"

Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha is apparently a young achiever. Aside from rising to the top of the fashion modeling industry, she has also launched the clothing line Rococo.


Now 21, Coco Rocha is a proud size 4 and she admits she is not in demand for the shows anymore. But she does not care either.

"I don't do nudes, I don't do semi-nudes, I don't do cigarette shots. It took me a long time in the business to realize I didn't have to do everything people told me I should if I wanted a career."

Walking in Diane Von Furstenberg's fall show at the recent New York Fashion Week, Coco Rocha holds her head up high against fashion designers and fashion people who continues to abhor "fat" in fashion.

"Everybody knows that, in general, a basketball player needs to be tall and a fashion model needs to be skinny, but how skinny is too skinny?"

The young supermodel who once worked for the likes of Steven Meisel, Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton admits:

"I'm not in demand for the shows anymore. I've been told to lose weight when I was really skinny. You know what, I've stopped caring. If I want a hamburger, I'm going to have one. No 21-year-old should be worrying about whether she fits a sample size."

Coco Rocha also sees the problem in hiring runway models who are just 14 and 15 years olds and have not yet hit puberty - the type of models who "will add non-negotiable curves to their rail-thin frames."

"Girls are told they're not skinny enough, or they hear, 'She's old, she's boring, we've had her, she's not tiny anymore.' A lot of people don't take into account the vulnerability of these young girls. And the latest crop of models is not made up of adults or even sort-of adults. They are children. Point closed."

Abbey Lee Kershaw Refuses To Walk In McQueen Shoes

Wonder why top runway models Abby Lee Kershaw, Sasha Pivovarova, and Natasha Poly were no-show at the recent Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 Show?

They chose not to hit the catwalk because they were too terrified to walk in McQueen's "Alien" shoes.


When it comes to wearing clothes and walking in them for runway shows, Abby Lee Kershaw is an expert. She is one of the few models who have earned quiet a reputation for catwalk disasters.

First, she fell at Rodarte's spring 2009 show because of the killer heels. Then she fainted at Alexander McQueen's spring 2009 show because her corset was too tight. And just last February, she almost fell at Rodarte show (again), injuring her knee and was forced to sit the rest of the season out.

So when Abbey Lee Kershaw (and her gang) took one look at McQueen's spring 2010 Alien shoes, she already knew that those are not meant for walking.

But of course, the trio are just few of the privileged models who are able to decline a famous runway show.

The McQueen's spring show did go on and nameless models sashayed the runway in Alien shoes. Though none of them tripped or fell to the floor, they still looked like crying — even behind the prosthetic cheeks and spooky makeup.

Models Walk The Eco-Friendly Fashion In Copenhagen

Last Wednesday in Copenhagen, models walked the runway in organic cottons, polyesters made from recycled plastic bottles, and fabrics made from recycled agricultural or industrial waste. The runway show was out to prove that eco-friendly fashion can be just as fashionable as the traditional textiles.


Held at Copenhagen's Opera House, 20 designers from 5 Nordic countries and some representatives of big retailing companies like H&M and Barneys displayed the "green fashion." It was organized by the Danish Fashion Institute and highlighted the establishment of the Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE), a collaboration that aims to motivate and assist companies in the Nordic fashion industry to become more sustainable.

Each designers presented two looks from eco-friendly materials like organic cottons and silks, polyesters made from recycled plastic bottles, and new fabrics made from agricultural or industrial waste left over. It introduced the Crabion - a clothing material made from byproducts in the crab industry, Ingeo - an organic wool made out of corn scraps that mimics the smoothness of silk or the glossy sheen of PVC, and the Milkfiber - a material milled from the powder left over of boiled milk.

"It was an exercise to show that you can replace traditional textiles with innovative new ones that are being made in mills in Japan and Italy and that are less polluting," said Stine Hedegaard of the Danish Fashion Institute.

The eco-friendly runway show also doubled as a design contest for the prize of 50,000 kroner ($6,720), with a jury of fashion insiders to judged the show's 40 looks.

Saara Lepokorpi, a Finland-based fashion designer, took home the award after vowing the crowd with her asymmetrical cocktail dress woven from Ingeo and Milkfiber. "They were really nice materials to use and I intend to use them again," exclaimed Lepokorpi.

Awarding the prize, Denmark's Australian-born Crown Princess Mary said:

"The fashion industry is full of good ideas and creative people, people who are always ahead of time. It is an industry that picks up on and mirrors the developments in our society."

Victoria's Secret's Model Trainer Reveals Secrets Of Angels' Bodies

Victoria's Secret Angels are sure hot and they make NYC's temperature rise during the recent Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2009. But these models don't just hit the runway wearing nothing but lingerie without any preparation. They get ready for the sizzling catwalk show with the most effective fitness backing.


Victoria's Secret's model trainer, Brett Hoebel, is the person responsible for getting the models in "angel" shape. To achieve this, he gets them ready through interval training and cardio.

On Healthy Hollywood, Brett Hoebel reveals his training secrets:

"It's the cross-training that's key. It doesn't let your body adapt to one stimulus too much and it keeps your workouts exciting."

Recovering is also a big part of Brett Hoebel's training mantra.

"Structure your cross-training appropriately by alternating the intensity of your sessions so you work, recover, work, recover.

"Then there's diet. It's fifty percent of the battle."

To win the battle, the trainer advises his clients to stay way from "white devils" - white sugar, white flour, white milk, white salt and white rice.

"And drink at least three liters of water a day to flush things out. Overall it's the lean muscle that gets the calories burning, and burning fat emphasizes muscle definition that might otherwise remain hidden."

To make the fitness program fun and to keep the Victoria's Secret models always guessing for their next training "routine," Brett Hoebel keeps his specializations changing.

Aside from utilizing a holistic approach as a fitness coach, Brett Hoebel is also a Nutrition and Lifestyle coach, Holistic Exercise Kinesiologist, and Hatha Yoga instructor.

Demi Moore's Head, Anja Rubik's Body?

It is not an unusual occurrence. Famous Hollywood celebrities often lend their heads to be put on top of models' bodies for advertisements. How? Photoshop!


And now both "Conspiracy Theorists" and Photoshop fanatics are suggesting that the December cover of W magazine has Photoshopped the photo of 46 year-old Demi Moore by putting her head onto the gorgeous body of 26 year-old model Anja Rubik from a runway shot in the spring 2010 Balmain show in Paris.

Apparently, the forensic analysis of Demi Moore's photo on the magazine cover has devolved. Earlier, it was her hip that has been the subject of crucial scrutiny. Forget that the actress appears undeniably thin, there is also a supposed "chunk" missing from her left hip. Both Demi Moore and W magazine have denied the allegation.

In fairness to Demi Moore, she has really posed for W. There is a gallery of photos from the same magazine pictorial and it is proving the actress' slim and toned body. On the other hand, what has really taken place during the final retouching remains a mystery.

A Tear On A Runway Model’s Face

Runway models trip and fall on fashion shows and that’s normal. But a tear on a runway model’s face while hitting the catwalk is something new.

At a Jil Sander Fashion Show last Friday, Lithuanian model Auguste Abeliunaite was seen hitting down the catwalk with tears flowing down her cheeks. She was on the catwalk twice and the audience spotted her crying both times.

What could have happened to this teary-eyed model? Some of the audience in the fashion show suspected that the crying model’s moment was part of the show. After all, it was a new gimmick that will probably make publicity now that falling down on the runway is no longer new. Others, on the other hand, assumed that it was the effect of the global economic crisis (whew!)

According to reports, even Jil Sander's publicist was not aware that a model was crying on the runway. When the spokesman saw the picture of the allegedly crying model, he said "I did not see it, can’t see it in the video and no one has asked about it to anyone in the press offices."

So, what really made her cry? Is it because her boyfriend has called prior to the event to split up with her? Or she has not eaten any food in the last two days to prepare herself for the show? Or she was overwhelmed by the wonderful creations of Jil Sander?

According to one backstage worker at the show, the model was crying because her shoes were extremely uncomfortable and high.

"She had broken her foot a while back and she had a bad cramp in one of her feet whilst walking on the catwalk. She was scared that she would fall because of the high and uncomfortable shoes. I can imagine the pain and the fear of falling made her cry."

Reports had it that the model herself, Auguste Abeliunaite, claimed that the tears on her face during the fashion show was because the lights were too strong on the runway. If this was the case, why is it that the other models not affected by the lights? And was she new to runway modeling, which normally has strong lights?

Whether or not the crying model was telling the truth, the fashion industry may never know. What's there to observe is that despite the tears flowing down Auguste Abeliunaite's face, she just looked straight ahead and walked on, trying not to show emotion – a professionalism expected from runway models like her.

Underwear Models Vs Runway Models

Runway models are typically identified to be slim and flat-chested so as not to distract the clothes they wear with their humps. Underwear models, on the other hand, need to have more fats to flaunt them.


Recently, an underwear model made news when she openly criticized Model of the Year Jourdan Dunn for being medically underweight.

Let's hear it for underwear model Katie Green:

"I think it is disgusting that Jourdan won (the award). What kind of message does this send out to young girls, aspiring models and even us normal women?" "At a size 12 and 5ft 10in I am at the bottom of a healthy body mass index, so if I had lost any weight when asked I would have become medically underweight. I want to march Jourdan down to her local restaurant and shovel some food down her throat."

"I think it's thoughtless that the British Fashion Council would crown a stick-thin rake as their Model of the Year. It's almost like they are asking for young girls to have eating disorders."

"Ultimo would never consider hiring a girl of her size. It's a shame other companies cannot follow suit. I'd prefer to not be named model of the year if it means being this unhealthily thin."

You may have a point there, dear Katie. But why bash a fellow model just because you think she doesn't have a body figure similar to yours? If you are happy and confident with you're body, then there's no point lambasting other women especially those who are naturally slim. After all, sexiness is not just about humps and curves, or whether you're a runway or an underwear model, it's also about personal appeal.