some of my most memorable sections of Kirstie Clements' 'The Vogue Factor' novel about her life leading up until her departure from Australian Vogue:
society is understandably concerned about the issues surrounding body image and eating disorders, and the dangerous and unrealistic messages being sent to young women via fashion journals. when it comes to who should be blamed for the portrayal of overly thin models, magazine editors are in the direct line of fire, but the conundrum is more complex. the 'fit model' begins the fashion process: designer outfits are created around a live, in-house skeleton. very few designers have a curvy or petite fit model. these collections are then sent to the runway, worn by tall, pin-thin models because that's the way the designer wants to see the clothes fall. there will also be various casting directors and stylists involved, who have a vision of the type of women they envisage wearing these clothes. for some bizarre reason, it seems they prefer her to be young, coltish, six-foot tall and built like a prepubescent boy.
it is too simplistic to blame mysognistic men, although in some cases i believe that criticism is deserved. there are a few male fashion designers i would like to personally strangle. but there are many female fashion editors who perpetuate the stereotype, women who often have a major eating disorder of their own. they get so caught up in the hype of how brilliant clothes look on a size 4 they cannot see the inherent dagner in the message. it cannot be denied that visually, clothes fall better on a slimmer frame, but there is slim, and then there is scary skinny.
after the shows, the collection is made available for the press to use for their shoots. these are the samples we all work with an they are obviously the size of the model who will fit into these tiny sizes. there are no bigger samples available, and in any case, the designer probably has no interest in seeing their clothes on larger women.
as a Vogue editor, i was of the opinion that we didn't necessarily need to feature size 14-plus models in every issue. it is a fashion magazine; we are showcasing the clothes. i am of the belief that an intelligent reader understands that a model is chosen because she carries clothes well. some fashion would suit a curvier girl, some wouldn't. i see no problem with presenting a healthy, toned, size Australian 10. but as sample sizes from the runway shows became smaller and smaller, 10 was no longer an option and the girls were dieting drastically to stay in the game.
it is the ultimate vicious cycle.
- p63
Couture is, by its very nature a luxury, and only very select journalists were in attendance. it was not exactly snobbery, but if you don't have the Couture customers, you don't get the chair. my colleagues and i used to call it the 'you're only as good as your economy' rule.
- p78
after i sat down at the table, a junior media buyer from an advertising agency who was seated opposite, and looked to be about 20-years-old, picked up his vintage Moet & Chandon and eyeballed me, clearly unimpressed. 'what are you going to do for the Vogue readers who don't know who Karl Lagerfeld is? for example, i don't,' he smirke, as if he was slapping down a trump card. i had no answer.
he was simply following the ignorant and ungenerous Australian tradition of refusing to be impressed by anyone or anything, even one of the world's greatest living fashion designers. it's moments like these when you appreciate what your ad team has to contend with on a daily basis. it took all of my self-control not to snatch the champagne out of his hand.
- p142
most people would assume that because you're with Vogue a red carpet is rolled out of your limousine and a minion will arrive to show you to your chair next to Anna Wintour. ah, no. you have to earn your seat on the bench. circumstances and pecking orders have changed so much now though, there will probably be a really thin, beautiful, Russian trust fund-blogger wearing current season Balmain and an online retail buyer from Iceland in front of you anyway.
- p173
since the emergence of the street-style photographer and blogger, the amount of 'poseurs' that exist outside and inside the shows has become a whole new business. the coverage of street fashionistas of indeterminate means is as important as the designer content, and may even be devoted more space.
social media has democratised fashion commentary and created a new order of power players in the industry. decades of experience at revered mastheads and the ability to articulate intelligently may prove to be of very little value in the near future.
it's getting harder to find honest, relevant criticism because the new fashion commentators are relentlessly positive in their reviews. it's within their interest to be so. they want to go to the shows. i would like to see more of them be truly critical, especially if they are in the fortunate position of not yet having any advertisers who could pull out.
- p179
society is understandably concerned about the issues surrounding body image and eating disorders, and the dangerous and unrealistic messages being sent to young women via fashion journals. when it comes to who should be blamed for the portrayal of overly thin models, magazine editors are in the direct line of fire, but the conundrum is more complex. the 'fit model' begins the fashion process: designer outfits are created around a live, in-house skeleton. very few designers have a curvy or petite fit model. these collections are then sent to the runway, worn by tall, pin-thin models because that's the way the designer wants to see the clothes fall. there will also be various casting directors and stylists involved, who have a vision of the type of women they envisage wearing these clothes. for some bizarre reason, it seems they prefer her to be young, coltish, six-foot tall and built like a prepubescent boy.
it is too simplistic to blame mysognistic men, although in some cases i believe that criticism is deserved. there are a few male fashion designers i would like to personally strangle. but there are many female fashion editors who perpetuate the stereotype, women who often have a major eating disorder of their own. they get so caught up in the hype of how brilliant clothes look on a size 4 they cannot see the inherent dagner in the message. it cannot be denied that visually, clothes fall better on a slimmer frame, but there is slim, and then there is scary skinny.
after the shows, the collection is made available for the press to use for their shoots. these are the samples we all work with an they are obviously the size of the model who will fit into these tiny sizes. there are no bigger samples available, and in any case, the designer probably has no interest in seeing their clothes on larger women.
as a Vogue editor, i was of the opinion that we didn't necessarily need to feature size 14-plus models in every issue. it is a fashion magazine; we are showcasing the clothes. i am of the belief that an intelligent reader understands that a model is chosen because she carries clothes well. some fashion would suit a curvier girl, some wouldn't. i see no problem with presenting a healthy, toned, size Australian 10. but as sample sizes from the runway shows became smaller and smaller, 10 was no longer an option and the girls were dieting drastically to stay in the game.
it is the ultimate vicious cycle.
- p63
Couture is, by its very nature a luxury, and only very select journalists were in attendance. it was not exactly snobbery, but if you don't have the Couture customers, you don't get the chair. my colleagues and i used to call it the 'you're only as good as your economy' rule.
- p78
after i sat down at the table, a junior media buyer from an advertising agency who was seated opposite, and looked to be about 20-years-old, picked up his vintage Moet & Chandon and eyeballed me, clearly unimpressed. 'what are you going to do for the Vogue readers who don't know who Karl Lagerfeld is? for example, i don't,' he smirke, as if he was slapping down a trump card. i had no answer.
he was simply following the ignorant and ungenerous Australian tradition of refusing to be impressed by anyone or anything, even one of the world's greatest living fashion designers. it's moments like these when you appreciate what your ad team has to contend with on a daily basis. it took all of my self-control not to snatch the champagne out of his hand.
- p142
most people would assume that because you're with Vogue a red carpet is rolled out of your limousine and a minion will arrive to show you to your chair next to Anna Wintour. ah, no. you have to earn your seat on the bench. circumstances and pecking orders have changed so much now though, there will probably be a really thin, beautiful, Russian trust fund-blogger wearing current season Balmain and an online retail buyer from Iceland in front of you anyway.
- p173
since the emergence of the street-style photographer and blogger, the amount of 'poseurs' that exist outside and inside the shows has become a whole new business. the coverage of street fashionistas of indeterminate means is as important as the designer content, and may even be devoted more space.
social media has democratised fashion commentary and created a new order of power players in the industry. decades of experience at revered mastheads and the ability to articulate intelligently may prove to be of very little value in the near future.
it's getting harder to find honest, relevant criticism because the new fashion commentators are relentlessly positive in their reviews. it's within their interest to be so. they want to go to the shows. i would like to see more of them be truly critical, especially if they are in the fortunate position of not yet having any advertisers who could pull out.
- p179
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