Model Size Discussion Continues

Here's an interesting article from Reuters today on the major fashion countries joining to discuss the unhealthy size of models on the runway. It was published on Yahoo news.

PARIS - The powerful fashion federations of France, Italy, the United States and Britain have decided to address the controversy over ultra-thin models, the French body said Thursday.

The fashion industry has been widely attacked for promoting the kind of stick-thin images which critics say contribute to eating disorders in young women and some countries have taken cautious measures to bring more weight onto the catwalks.

Spain barred models below a certain body mass from Madrid fashion shows in September and organizers of New York's fashion shows this month issued guidelines to tackle the problem, although stopping short of banning them.

"All actors concerned must get involved in the matter of information," France's fashion federation said Thursday, adding delegates from Italy's, Britain's and America's fashion bodies had discussed the issue jointly at talks Wednesday.

"La Federation de la Couture, la Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the British Fashion Council ... decided to participate in this reflection, in liaison with respective public authorities."

The federation did not give any details on the form of cooperation.

The French industry group had agreed to hold talks with the French health ministry on the issue, it added.

The head of the French fashion federation, Didier Grumbach, said earlier this week Paris would not take extra measures to ban ultra-skinny models from catwalks because its rules on their health were already strict.

"We must be attentive and inform young women but not regulate even more," Grumbach said on the sidelines of an haute couture show in Paris Monday.

France's health minister has said he wants a working group to assess the impact that images of skinny models have on young women.

The fashion world has been debating the issue of ultra-thin models, with many designers and models shrugging off concern that they encourage eating disorders in girls and young women.

Italy's government and its fashion chiefs have signed a pact aimed at keeping models who appear sickly thin off the catwalk by requiring them to prove they are in good health.

Brazil has also launched a campaign to ban underage, underweight models from its catwalks in response to the death of a Brazilian model from complications due to anorexia.

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February Event

It was great to see a lot of you at the January event! Here's what we are cooking up for February.... Hope to see you there!


Mark your calendars for FEBRUARY 24TH at 3:00 pm!
We're having a board of three young professionals in the fashion industry share what it's like to be a young fashion insider in these exciting fields.
Trish- works at Anthropologie on their window displays.
Isa- works for high-end hat designer, Rod Kennan.
Madeleine- works at Opening Ceremony, a SoHo boutique.

Alderton House is located at 117 East 70th Street, between Lexington and Park avenues.
Take the 6 train to 68th St., walk up two blocks, and then make a left on 70th.

Questions? Shoot us an e-mail at nyfashionforum@yahoo.com or drop a comment here!

The Weight of Fashion

The how-skinny-is-too-skinny debate has taken another interesting turn, as reported in Women’s Wear Daily today. Last summer Madrid put restrictions on the size a model prowling the cat-walk could be. Requiring a certain body mass that roughly translates to a model weighing more than 120 lbs. At first there was outrage at the idea, but soon after other cities (and ones that are more renown for their fashion shows) began debating the issue and considering similar guidelines.

When authorities in Milan announced they would create a set of guidelines for all models to comply by or else risk being fined, the debate took on a whole new dimension and fashionistas in the US began to take notice. Vogue’s own Anna Wintour even said it was time to do something about the shrinking model size. Cosmo’s editor Kate White has begun enforcing a new policy barring ultra-skinny models from gracing the pages of the magazine, even in the ads.

Now New York’s Council of Fashion Designers of America will issue suggestions this week on promoting a healthier lifestyle for models. And while the recommendations will be ready by the time Fashion Week kicks off in early February, they won’t be enforced (as in Madrid and Milan). The meeting to discuss the issue contained some industry heavy-weights, including nutritionist Joy Bauer, psychiatrist Susan Ice, trainer David Kirsch and Nian Fish, creative director at KCD, as well as Diane von Furstenberg, who represented the CFDA membership at the meeting, Anna Wintour and Louis Chaban, a modeling agent at DNA.

Spring Calendar

Here's a little heads-up for all you Fashioin Forum fans out there... We are finalizing our entire Spring semester calendar right now. We've got some great speakers lined up including an up-and-coming fashioin designer! Check back here in a couple days for the complete calendar of events.