Israel take extreme stance on the Issue of Model Health

The land of David has become the first country to actively try and crack down on the usage of unhealthy fashion models to promote clothes and other products within its luxury goods industry.

The government has passed a law saying that models being featured in the public eye MUST have a BMI of at least 18.5, the minimum healthy weight.

This rule will primarily affect Israeli companies such as those who produce publications like fashion magazines or websites, as well as those who create advertising campaigns. 

The models are even required to provide an up-to-date medical certificate to support their right to work for Israeli companies. Photoshopped pages will also have to be clearly marked as distinctly altered.

Whilst this rule won't stop the import of the rest of the world's stick-insect fashion media, it will probably make at least a little difference to the Israelian public image, and as an act of principal it is a bold move on the behalf of the government.

Of course this story calls to mind the attempts of the French government to change fashion body image in 2008... to little effect.

Israeli readers are welcome to keep us updated of the progress fo the law and it's effects :)

Franca Sozzani defends John Galliano in latest bold comments

Strong and controversial opinions are something of a hallmark of Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani. They have arguably helped to steer her and her magazine to the cutting edge of the contemporary fashion press. So perhaps in this feisty spirit it should come as little surprise that Sozzani's take on the John Galliano scandal runs contrary to general consensus.

In a new interview with Newsweek, Sozzani had plenty to say about the Dior scandal.
Questioned on her views about Galliano's dismissal and future, she directly advised bosses to "hire back John Galliano."Despite telling Newsweek that she understood Dior's position: "I understand they couldn't just say, "Bad boy! We forgive you! Come Back!" She went on to add "But it's really a pity."

"I will never believe he believed what what he said. I think he was drunk and alone in a bar. When people go crazy they go crazy. It's a human case, it's not political or religious. He didn't kill anyone!"


Franca's comments provide a departure from the general condemnation that has greeted Galliano since the incident in February 2011, when the designer launched a series of racist slurs at two fellow customers outside a Parisian café. Dior's swift suspension and dismissal of the designer were widely supported by the fashion community as well as by high-profile Jewish figures such as Natalie Portman.

However, the personal strain on the designer at the time of the incident is something that seems to have been widely ignored. Citing a triple addiction to painkillers, alcohol and Vallium, the tirade launched by the ex-Dior head seems to have been less simple than the popular media has reported. 

find them empty

The theme of this shoot was influenced by a mix-up between Victorian and Native American themes. We tried to marry the two on a patch of heath near our homes...

 

Alexander Wang's pastel shell ribbon dress makes me very excited. It's definitely an item of the season:)! Vivienne Westwood Anglomania coat, Stella McCartney Bra, Alexander Wang Heels, Nina Ricci maxi-skirt, and ring courtesy of Mod-Cloth.com

This is one of the more Victorian-influenced looks of the shoot.

 

Prevalent design influences included lots of Anne Demeulemeester, Vivienne Westwood of course, Dior, McQueen, ksubi and Comme des Garcons.

Vivienne Westwood Ethical Africa Project

Miss Vivienne Westwood is a designer that I've always admired for many reasons. One of the foremost is her bravery in taking a stance for something she believes in, despite it's potential to be controversial.

From her punk and bondage roots Vivienne has continued this tradition, which in it's current reincarnation focuses on providing funding and a source of income for some skilled women of Kenya, Africa.

Following a recent design trip to the capital, Nairobi, Miss Westwood has commissioned a line of ethically-produced accessories which employ many local female workers, and utilize recycled materials. The collection has been improved by the International Trade Centre's Ethical Fashion Programme, and it looks damn tasty.

 The collection was launched at Pitti Uomo in Florence this time around to great acclaim.

Louis Vuitton Core Values Campaign- Angelina Jolie makes her mark

This breathtaking ad is the latest in a long-running series by luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton. 

Featuring the otherworldly Angelina Jolie, the campaign asks it's chosen subjects to choose a place, object or situation which has changed them as people, and tells the story of these examples through images, conveniently featuring strategically placed Vuitton products in tasteful view.

In Jolie's case this is Cambodia. Chosen for it's effect on the photograph's subject, Cambodia has been cited as a lace of magical transformation for Jolie, something which is evoked in the imagery of renound photographer Annie Leibovitz, shown through the dynamic richness of the shots.

Louis Vuitton aims to justify the connection it makes between the celebritys' meaningful journeys and their products by highlighting the role that their baggage has played in travellers' journeys for 150 years. An undeniable hold-all for any luxury-conscious wayfarers' travelling posessions, Vuitton aims to show the importance it's product has had and continues to have in the travelling world. 

Amongst others featured in the campaign we see the footballing legends, Maradonna, Zidance and Pele, as well as Sean Connery. 

A mark of true quality in my eyes- the thoughtfully chosen subjects, reflect that same property evident in the bags- they only seem to get better with age.