Curvy models: is this the shape of things to come?
Not since Sophie Dahl had her moment advertising Opium perfume in 2000 has the fuller figure been so admired by the fashion world.
Just as many of us are thinking about losing the average 5lbs pounds we gained over Christmas, American high-fashion bible V magazine has devoted its latest issue to curvier women.
The images, shown here, appear in the February issue of the high-concept glossy which last year featured pop sensation Lady Gaga topless.
The women in the latest shoot were captured by Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø who regularly shoots advertising campaigns for Givenchy, Gucci and Hermes.
After the size-zero debate dominated the fashion industry for years, could curvy be the shape of things to come?
The plus-size model of the moment is, arguably, Crystal Renn. Last year, she wrote a memoir Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves which detailed her battle with an eating disorder as a skinny model. Since she gave up forcing her body conform to an unnaturally tiny size, her career has bloomed. The pinnacle was being photographed by model-maker Steven Meisel and appearing in a Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign.
Her agent, Gary Dakin, heads up Ford +, the plus-size division of New York agency Ford Models, Dakin championed Renn’s plus-size career from the start and now guides many other successful plus-size models who are increasingly finding their body-shape in demand.
“I am thrilled when I see these pictures,” says Dakin. “Firstly, it shows that these girls can work with great photographers and amazing magazines like V and be taken more seriously for the work they do. For my girls, it means that the word ‘plus’ can – hopefully – go away soon since they are now working in every major magazine in the world.
“It reinforces my belief that beauty comes in an assortment of sizes, shapes and colours.”
Could this be just a one-off publicity stunt – such as when the newly-launched British fashion magazine Love put a naked Beth Ditto on its first cover? “There is no way this is a brief dalliance,” says Dakin. “Glamour, French Vogue and a host of other publications have ensured that this segment of the industry is here to stay and a force to be reckoned with.”
Not all fashion insiders are as positive, however. One London-based fashion stylist, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s such an extreme response to the size-zero hoopla.
“I think all women want to see images of healthy girls, not women who are emaciated. But, realistically I don't think many women aspire to be a size 18, either. I don't think using outsize models is really the way to change perceptions - it's just an extreme volt-face.
“I am sure [British knitwear designer] Mark Fast only had good intentions when he put larger girls in his skimpy, spidery knits [last year]. But, really, all I thought when I saw the girls in the clothes is that it looked ridiculous.”
Cashmere is a strong, soft, luxurious yarn and VC Cashmere uses the finest sourced from the Mongolian Steppes. What could be more warming and welcoming in these snowy climes than to slip on a cosy and comfortable cashmere jumper?
THE TRENDS
We’ve embraced playsuits, shorts in the office, leggings with everything, the boyfriend blazer, the trophy jacket and tricky trousers (skinny, peg, pyjama, high waist and harem), but it’s Sienna Miller who lays claim to the most enduring trend of the decade: the boho look.
It may seem naff now, but cast your mind back to the summer of 2004 when everyone was flouncing around in layered skirts, slouchy boots and gilets. Miller’s folksy dresses, wide, studded belts and elegantly dishevelled hair captured the public’s imagination, and catapulted her to iconic status. Its grip on the nation – Ugg boots and smock tops dominated the high street – lasted for two years and ended our fixation with exposure (think low-rise jeans, visible thongs and revealing vests à la Britney Spears).
Roland Mouret’s “Galaxy” heralded the return of the dress in 2005, as we swapped Uggs for Louboutin spikes and channelled a more womanly aesthetic. This season’s sharp shoulder, a homage to the classic Eighties’ silhouette, draws on this more grown-up take on dressing, with its attention on the waist rather than the cleavage and derrière, and draws the decade to a close with a different emphasis on the body.
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