V Magazine’s high-fashion ode to plus-size models
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Swanky fashion publication V Magazine isn’t known for its inclusiveness when it comes to models’ body types. Stated plainly, size 0s rule the roost.
But the glossy mag has dedicated its January 2010 issue to models with varying body types -- notably plus-size models (which we all know are really stunning 5’10’ gals who wear a size 10/12.)
That aside, any step forward in the ‘diversifying models’ department -- even if it feels a little gimmicky -- is a good thing, I say. And for ‘The Size Issue,’ V tapped a host of top-shelf lensmen to capture the girls, including Bruce Weber, Terry Richardson and (yes, the most famous fat-loather of all) designer-photographer Karl Lagerfeld.
On stands Jan. 14, the magazine prominently features plus-size model Crystal Renn, who wrote a tell-all book, ‘Hungry,’ based on her trials as a young model desperately trying to stay stick-thin. In the Richardson-shot editorial ‘One Size Fits All,’ Renn is juxtaposed with young-gun ‘regular’ model Jacquelyn Jablonski, with both ladies striking the same pose in the same clothes. The effect? Maybe not as dramatic as you would think -- and maybe that’s the point.
Renn, at 5’9’ and boasting 36/31/41 measurements, is clearly the fuller-figured of the two (Jablonski is also 5’9’, but with 32/24/34 measurements). But Renn looks so darned smoldering and, well, real, she easily pulls focus from the equally stunning super-thin model. We’re simply not used to seeing bigger women dressed in hot designer clothes, looking super-confident. It’s refreshing.
Let’s hope V’s endorsement of curvier shapes sparks more plus-size high-fashion editorial -- especially from magazines who consider tiny Scarlett Johansson to have an ‘alternative’ body type (hint: rhymes with ‘rogue’).
-- Emili Vesilind RELATED:
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