Super Duper Fashion Fix

A super-duper-califragalistic Fashion Fix here, to make up for the absence over the last couple of weeks. Comebacks should always be BIG!

Definitely NOT a model life

If you’re anything like me, you’ll love pouring over next season’s advertising campaigns. But every now and then, I stop to ponder the life of a model…getting paid a ridiculous amount of money to get your photo taken not to mention the designer goodies! Betty Sze, managing director of models.com has revealed another side though; “[Conde Nast] pays $150 a day if you are a new model, after 1 year it goes up to $250. That means if you are Gisele [Bundchen] and work for American Vogue 2 days in a row, you would make $500. Many editorials pay nothing”. Kind of shocking!!

She goes on to explain, “Actually CondeNast doesn’t have to pay anything, I don’t even know why they do. Girls don’t do editorial for money! Getting editorials and covers of French Vogue for example, drives up your rate for everything else and gets you noticed by the huge money clients like Lancome and Estee Lauder. Simple. Editorials and covers are the path towards the real money”. What are your thoughts? Are CondeNastbeing unfair, paying pittance to models?

Anna Wintour is fighting Oliver Theyskens’ corner

Extract from her April editor’s letter – “Talent is a serious business. At Vogue, we do not take for granted the miraculous emergence, development, and ascendance of great artists. We depend on them for our livelihood. Without . . . the smashing of the rules that their progress gloriously entails, there is no culture worth celebrating. Olivier Theyskens’s recent departure from Nina Ricci suggests to me that the vital role of artistic talent has been obscured in the current economic climate. My staff and I were shocked to learn that Theyskens’s contract would not be renewed; and I am very concerned that the business of fashion is undervaluing the most important asset our industry requires: creative visionaries. There’s a reason we continue to see Theyskens’s influence everywhere, from catwalks to the mall. He’ll be back, but fashion must hold its nerve. This is the mission that we at Vogue happily shoulder.”

Nicole out, Audrey in

Not only is the cute and quirky Audrey Tatou starring in Coco Avant Chanel movie, she is also replacing Nicole Kidman as the face of Chanel No.5. The silent 2.5 minute movie is set on the Orient Express to Billie Holiday’s “I’m a fool to want you”. A teaser will air in late April on chaneln5.com.

Marc to marry!!

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone are officially engaged!! They have been together for about a year. Aaaand that’s not all! After searching for a while, Mr Jacobs has finally found his dream house, a $13 million, 4,500-square-foot West Village townhouse on Bethune Street — with private garden and roof terrace — designed by Robert A.M. Stern. Niiiiiice!

Sander’s back!

Uniqlo has been pursuing Jil Sander (person not the label) for a collaboration since last June, and they finally have their woman! She has received quite a few offers since quitting fashion, but decided to try something completely different.

Fall Collections Cut

The models weren’t the only thing slimming down in preparation for the Fall 09 shows, the actual collections had to be reduced too. Designers no longer have the luxury of producing clothes which won’t go into production, as Betsy Johnson explains; “This season is different because what you see is what you get. Everthing shown will actually hit stores..unlike bigger runway shows where some looks weren’t available for sale”. Betsy’s Fall show is half the number of looks she showed for Spring 2009, 25 down from 51. She’s not the only one either, John Galliano lost 17 and Matthew Williamson and Oscar de la Renta both lost 11. Even Mr Armani had to scale back, losing 20 looks for his Giorgio Armani line.

The best of the rest…

Agy now single: Those engagement rumours are WAY off, Agyness Deyn and Albert Hammond Jr have broken up. Can’t say I care too much to be honest, I was bored of Agy a long, long time ago!

Bye bye LC: Spring/Summer deliveries of Lauren Conrad’s ‘collection’ have been cancelled, with no plans for further collections…yippee!

Harlow’s a sell out: Nicole Ritchie’s jewelry line House of Harlow has sold out in online preorders! The mother of one is now planning a maternity line.

Slumdog kids hit the catwalk: Little Lathika and Jamal hit the catwalk during India Fashion Week

* Source Vogue, Fashionologie, Fashionista