I am about to say something that will stun my regular readers.

I am disappointed in the Crystal Renn/Tom Ford plastic surgery editorial in the Holiday Issue of Vogue Paris. (See all the images from the shoot here).

Crystal Renn by Tom Ford (Image via The Fashion Spot)

I know, it’s hard to believe I would say anything even remotely bad about Tom Ford.  I basically worship the ground the man walks on.  When I first saw the full editorial  yesterday I  was baffled by it, but the more I studied it, the more I found that I liked it.  Yet something kept eating at me… although I don’t hate it,  I don’t love it either.  And I wanted to love it.

Crystal Renn by Tom Ford (Image via The Fashion Spot)

Let me explain.  When WWD broke the news about Tom Ford being the guest editor for the December 2010/January 2011 issue of Vogue Paris, the article included this tantalizing line:

“…and another [feature] devoted to mature women who have resisted plastic surgery. “He very much likes beautiful wrinkles,” [editor-in-chief] Roitfeld said, flashing a smile.

As soon as I read those words, my mind was swimming with possibilities.  I flashed back to the first time I had seen Steven Meisel’s 2005 Vogue Italia editorial on plastic surgery, “Makeover Madness,” and how much I had enjoyed that commentary.   Published at a time when plastic surgery had finally become “mainstream”, the editorial glamorized the subject in a deliberately tongue-and-cheek manner.  The images, some of which can be found below, were a creative, thought-provoking, powerful commentary on the culture of plastic surgery.

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

The idea of Tom Ford’s editorial, which reportedly was to focus on mature women who resisted plastic surgery, was extremely appealing to me.  The possibilities seemed endless.  Who would the women be?  How would he tackle this subject?  What would the message be?

In no point in time did it ever cross my mind that what we might get would be Crystal Renn in a hyper-stylized, hyper-sexual rendering of a “cougar” undergoing various procedure.  That being said, it’s true the images in “La Panthère Ose” are evocative.  They are eerie.  They are thought-provoking.  But compared to Meisel’s 2005 editorial, they fall flat.  This is why I am disappointed.  The potential was there for this to be a remarkable editorial.  Instead, we are expected to revel in its mediocrity when we could be reveling in something of this caliber:

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

Image via The Fashion Critic (cached Google page)

What do you think of the two editorials?  Which one do you consider to be the more powerful commentary on plastic surgery?

When I first published this photo a few days ago, I had no idea the woman in the editorial shoot was the stunning Crystal Renn.  Can you blame me?  She underwent a striking transformation for this photoshoot!

Image via Vogue Paris

In “La Panthère Ose”, Tom Ford and the unstoppable Crystal Renn give us an evocative look at at the plastic-surgery addict.  Renn, who was styled by none other than Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Carine Roitfeld, underwent a remarkable transformation for the shoot.  She told The Fashionista.com:

“What I enjoy most about my job is the opportunity to express myself, often doing this by becoming a sort of character on the shoots that I do, and every time I work with Carine I feel the character approach is emphasized. When they were taking the cast of my face, fitting me for prosthetic cheeks and lips, I remember thinking this is why I do my job, for moments like this. After the shoot I took that very mask and asked Tom to sign it, it sits in my living room as we speak.”

That is certainly a priceless souvenir!  And the shoot is sure to be one of the most buzzed about it the issue:

Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Please note: there is a guy between her legs. I missed that the first 2 times I looked at this photo! Threesome! Image via The Fashion Spot

Please note: there are TWO guys in this shot. Threesome again! Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

Anyone else think she resembles Kim Kardashian here? (Except Kim looks normal, of course!) Image via The Fashion Spot

Image via The Fashion Spot

They are certainly striking… disturbing… hyper-sexual… evocative… and eerily beautiful images.   What do you think?

Photoshoot Details:
Vogue Paris, December 2010/January 2011
Model: Crystal Renn
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Photographer: Tom Ford

Jacquelyn Jablonski and Crystal Renn for V Magazine, by Terry Richardson

Beautifully Invisible is not a “plus-size” blog.  Do I talk about the straight/plus-sized debate?  Sure.  Do I love the fact curvy models like Laura Wells and Crystal Renn are being utilized more and more by the fashion industry?  You bet I do.  Do I love the positive impact women like Christina Hendricks have had on the way curvy women are viewed? Most definitely.

However, despite the fact that I could be considered a plus-size fashion blogger (I am a US size 12/14, after all!) my sole focus here is not, and never will be, the “plus-size” aspect of fashion.  I write about everything that catches my interest. It just so happens that includes the topic of size in the fashion industry.

Image via off the mark

Earlier today, I was reading a couple of articles that have been submitted to IFB’s Links a la Mode when I came across a wonderful post by LoveBrownSugar’s CeCe entitled “Why Don’t You Love Me? A Curvy Girl’s Ode to Outfit Posts.”  In her post, CeCe says:

“If users on sites like Chictopia, Lookbook.Nu or Weardrobe are in any way indicative of the fashion-forward masses, then these sentiments still resonate loud and clear. Plus size isn’t posh. Curves aren’t chic. Hips don’t get “HYPE”. And thus the unsuspecting outfit-poster who boasts a size of double digits is left to wonder if there’s room for her, or if she should just stand by and look.”

Then I read another post entitled “Getting serious: That weighty issue” by Evie Kemp of One More.  She says:

“I wish the term ‘plus size’ would just disappear into thin air never to be uttered again. I find it bizarre how attractive girls with great personal style will label themselves and their own blog as ‘plus size’. You’re not buying jeans, you don’t need to declare your size. You are writing a fashion blog, the focus is you and your fashion.”

I found myself nodding along in agreement as I was reading both of these wonderful posts. I don’t do outfit posts, but I have certainly noticed the same trends that CeCe described.  Sites like Chictopia and Weardrobe definitely appear to skew toward the more modelesque amongst us, and I hate the fact that a beautiful, stylish woman like CeCe is left feeling like, perhaps, there is no room for her in that world.

Meanwhile, the heart of Evie’s post tackles whether a blogger’s dress size can affect readership and potentially divide the blogosphere into two worlds: that of straight and plus-sized fashion.  This issue of division is something that has been on my mind a lot.  Since starting this blog, I have been characterized as many things.  Some people call me a plus-size blogger.  Others as a curvy fashionista.  Others a fatshionista.  Most ( myself included) simply call me a fashion blogger.

I am labeled in this way and I don’t even do outfit posts!

Yes, I am considered “plus-size” by today’s sizing standards.  But that is just a clothing size.

Yes, I am curvy.  No denying that.  But that is just my silhouette.

Yes, I am a fashion blogger.  I write about fashion-related issues.

But a fatshionista?  I absolutely abhor that term.  I don’t think it’s cute.  I don’t think it’s kitschy.  I think it further divides us. Fatshionista. Fatshion. Isn’t it just fashion, plain and simple? How far should the labeling go? Skinnynistas? Asianistas? Vintage-istas? Greekistas? Blondeistas? DoubleDDistas? ModCloth-istas? Doyougettheidea-istas?

I don’t understand why, as bloggers, we have chosen to further promote and create divisions amongst ourselves. Every blogger has their own niche – whether its street style, editorial, personal style, whatever. If I come across a fashion blog whose content doesn’t interest me, I move on. I don’t need them to label themselves – their content speaks for itself.

But, to each his own, I guess.

I know that there are bloggers out there who do label themselves fatshionistas, some of which could be considered the authorities on fashion for the plus-size women.   I can’t imagine these women want to further divide us, so I feel like I must be missing something by being so opposed to these labels. Right?   Is it because I don’t consider this a plus-size blog?  Is this why I feel these labels are – at their core – wrong?

Fashion isn't limited by size.

I simply don’t get it. What am I missing here?

My size doesn’t define me as a person, so why should it define me as a blogger?

Crystal Renn for Chanel Spring/Summer 2011

Even though I have mixed feelings about this editorial, and question her reasoning behind doing it, I still have a soft spot for Crystal Renn. Here are a few shots of her walking the runway at Chanel’s S/S 2011 show. Check out the detail on the accessories and shoes.

Also – I want these earrings. Bad.

All images via Ford Models Blog

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2011

You’ve probably already seen the stunning images from the S/S 2011 Alexander McQueen show.  Although she stayed away from McQueen’s usual-theatric style, Creative Director Sarah Burton did a phenomenal job bringing the latest designs to the runway – I think McQueen would be proud!  I love this video because seeing the pieces move with the models brings a whole new life to them.

I was also fascinated by the hair on the McQueen runway. Love it!

Love the checkerboard hair. (Image courtesy of British Vogue)

What have your favorite shows been so far?

Three Problems that Make Me Leave Your Blog in Three Seconds

In case you haven’t read this yet, here are three great tips for every blogger, via problogger. Check it out here.

The latest in men’s shapewear…

Since we have shape-enhancing underwear for women, it is only fair that the same option be available for men. Right? According to the Huffington Post, British Department Store Marks & Spencer has come out with a line of “bum lift” and “frontal enhancement” underwear that will hit shelves October 15.

I know a lover might feel “disappointed” when they first – ahem – remove a cup-enhancing brassiere. Personally, though, I think the “frontal enhancement” underwear will lead to much greater disappointment! What do you think? Is this taking shapewear too far, or is it just fair?

Left to right: Real, frontal-enhanced, bum-enhanced. I'd be disappointed when that middle pair came off... just sayin'

Christina Ricci for BlackBook Magazine, October 2010

This stunning image was taken by photographer Yu Tsai for BlackBook Magazine. Click on the photo to see the rest of the shoot.

Christina Ricci for Blackbook Magazine, October 2010 (via fashionising.com)

Me Wants It

I haven’t had much time to blog this week, so I wasn’t able to post the usual lust list on Monday. Instead, here are a couple of items I am currently coveting:

Diane von Furstenberg, Noelle silk-paneled dress.

Miu Miu dusty-pink suede strappy sandals.

What is on your mind this Whatever Wednesday?

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER! If you haven’t already done so, please click here by the end of the day today, September 30th, to enter to win a Wendy Brandes Lotus Necklace!

Terry Richardson has done it again. The ever-controversial photographer is at the center of another maelstrom, thanks to his latest spread in Vogue Paris. Nestled amongst the pages of the magazine’s 90th Anniversary Edition lies an editorial entitled “Festin”, which simply translates to “Feast”. Yet the shoot is anything but simple.

The editorial, starring plus-sized model Crystal Renn, is striking, and will certainly leave a lasting impression on every viewer. Full of rich, opulent colors and rich, opulent foods, the images are unlike any I have seen in recent memory. When I first saw the images my response was less than pleasant. They caused a physical reaction – and it was not a pleasant one. Despite the richness of the shots, I didn’t find the images before me attractive (at all), and I couldn’t focus on any of the accessories or clothing because I was too busy gagging at the vision of Crystal Renn swallowing a squid whole.

As you can see from the image above, the shoot is decidedly phallic and gluttonous in nature – neither of which are surprising, given that Richardson is the photographer. Richardson appears to be making a statement on both lust and gluttony with the shoot.

Gluttony isn’t just about over-eating … it’s about over-indulging. It’s about taking pleasure in something that should simply be essential to survival. Many eons ago, Francis of Assisi used to sprinkle ashes[!] on his food so that he would not enjoy the act of eating. Today, the act of eating has become something different… we derive pleasure from eating, and society encourages us to over-indulge (super size me!). Similarly, gluttony is a theme that could be considered prevalent in the fashion industry. We call it by another name – conspicuous consumption.

Richardson's inspiration? Gluttony by Paul Cadmus, 1949 (on right)

The lustful nature of the shoot is also evident throughout. The sins of lust and gluttony go hand in hand – overindulgence (wine!) leads to lust. Right? Right? Certainly, in these images, the gluttony is leading to some lustful actions!

This may be shocking to some of you, but, in concept, I like this editorial. The problem I have with the shoot lies with the additional message it carries by having a plus-sized model be at the center of it. Whether or not it was Richardson’s intent, having Renn at the center of the spread will raise the question of plus-sized models and their place in the fashion industry. Not everyone will analyze the shoot and think about the messages it contains. Some will simply see a plus-sized model over-indulging, and find nothing attractive or compelling about it.

For me personally, I would have liked to have seen multiple models as the subject of the shoot, of all shapes and sizes. I think that would have made the message much more interesting.

What are your thoughts on the shoot?

Last week was the first time that I participated in ModlyChic’s Friend Friday series. I really enjoyed sharing my thoughts on “Blogger Privacy” and was looking forward to learning what the topic for this week was. I was absolutely elated when I found out it was “Size.”

This is a topic that has already come up on my blog a number of times. I shared some of my own thoughts early on when I wrote “Size 14 is Not Fat Either – It’s Invisible.” Then, just this past week, this post about a Cosmopolitan Australia photoshoot featuring sisters Courtney and Laura Wells really led to some great discussions in the comments. When I found out what this week’s topic was I decided to hold my own responses to those comments for this post.

This isn’t a new subject by any means, but it seems like lately it has really dominated the news. According to this recent New York Times piece by Ginia Bellafante, the shift “dates to last fall, when Glamour ran a small picture of a 5-foot-11, 180-pound model comfortably exposing her paunch. So unusual was the appearance of belly fat in this context that the magazine received thousands of letters and comments, most of them roaring with support.” The response was so great, in fact, that they began featuring more plus-sized women and printed the photo of Lizzie Miller again in their most recent issue.

A few month’s after the Glamour photo generated buzz, Lane Bryant caused a stir with their television ad for Cacique, its lingerie line. The ad, starring model Ashley Graham, was labeled as too risqué by ABC and Fox due to “excessive cleavage.” There was ample cleavage in the ad, yes, but the product being featured provided more coverage than what you’d see in a typical Victoria’s Secret spot. The problem was the plus-sized model. Both networks eventually aired the ads in some form, but not until Lane Bryant accused them of being “sizeist.

This past January, V Magazine featured five plus-sized beauties in a story entitled “Curves Ahead” in its size issue. Meanwhile, the popularity of Mad Men has resulted in the stunning Christina Hendricks gracing numerous magazine covers, including the July/August Health Magazine I just picked up.

In July, the New York City location of Saks Fifth Avenue announced that it is piloting a program that will have them selling a limited number of plus-sized clothing with high-end designerlabels:

“After recent review, we concluded there are customers who desire designer clothing in sizes that are not currently available in our stores. To meet their needs, Saks Fifth Avenue has worked with certain well-known designers, and for fall this year we will offer some designer brands up to size 18 in select Saks Fifth Avenue locations.”

Most recently, Robert Duffy, the business partner of Marc Jacobs, broke the news via twitter that Marc Jacobs would be designing a plus-sized line. Although there are other high-end designers out there who have some plus-sized offering, like Rachel Pally and Dolce & Gabbana, Jacobs would be the first major label to make a significant impact in the “plus-sized” world. Sounds like good news, no?

The New York Times article I mentioned above is entitled “Plus-Size Wars.” Although the title refers more to the roadblocks between supply and demand for plus-sized clothing, the true war zone can be found in the reader comment area. Here are just a few worth noting:

John: “Anything larger than a size 12 should only be made in sweatpants material.”

mark in Minn: “Turn off your ac, get sweaty, put down the remote, stop drinking gallons of soda pop, and go outside.”

JB: “Should we really be encouraging people to stay fat in our society by tacitly approving it by giving them more choices of what to wear?”

I think those are a perfect lead-in to today’s questions:

1. Should someone’s size stop them from fashion blogging or having a voice in the community? Absolutely not. Size should never keep someone from doing anything, least of all fashion blogging. Despite what the fashion industry might try to tell us, being fashionable doesn’t start with a size 00 and stop at size 10/12.Regardless of your shape OR size, your voice has a right to be heard. The fact of the matter is, no matter what size you are, there will always, always, be other women out there who can relate to you. So why wouldn’t you add your own distinct voice to the conversation?

2. In your opinion, can the term “curvy” and “plus-sized” be used interchangeably when it comes to fashion? In my opinion, terms like these are a part of the problem. Curvy. Plus-Sized. Straight. What exactly do these terms mean? In the fashion industry, models are either “straight-” or “plus-sized.” How on earth can there only be two categories for the endless shapes and sizes women come in? The day he announced Marc Jacobs upcoming line, Robert Duffy even admitted he doesn’t like the label “plus size.” Then again, we all know that what is considered “plus size” to the fashion industry is not “plus-sized’ by real world standards.

   Then, there is the blogosphere. I admit I like to use the word curvy. I use it because I relate to it. I have an hourglass figure. I am a US size 14. And I am curvy. So I use the word curvy. I also use the word “plus-size” because it’s the real-world standard for a size 14 and above. I’ve seen other “plus-size” bloggers out refer to themselves “curvy fashionistas.” And I absolutely abhor the word “fatshionista”. Ick. I know it’s supposed to be cute, but it has an extremely negative connotation to me. Why bring more negativity to the fold? There is enough negativity around this topic without that label.

   Personally, I prefer terms that describe shape. If I tell you I am a size 14, what picture does that paint? Do you have any clue what my figure looks like? No. But if I tell you that I am an hourglass, apple, pear, etc. you at least have some idea of my shape.

   On the flip-side, in the real-world, someone can be plus-sized and not be curvy. Someone can also be a size 0 and have curves. Look at Scarlett Johansson. She has some seriously dangerous curves on her, but she is tiny. In addition, a Size 12/14 may be considered plus-size by industry standards but is average by statistical standards.

   

   So – to answer your original question – no, the terms shouldn’t be used interchangeably, although they often are.

3. Many people make the argument that catering to plus sized women would promote being overweight as “okay”. What do you think? Should more designers be catering to plus size women? The comments I quoted above illustrate exactly this phenomena, yet I think this argument is as ridiculous as the argument that size 00 clothing promotes anorexia. There is a different between being plus-sized and being obese. Being healthy is what is important – you can be a size 0 and not have an eating disorder, and you can be plus-sized and be in perfectly good health.The same is true for the reverse. Just because someone is thin doesn’t mean they are healthy. People carry their weight differently. They have curves in different places. They are different heights. I am 5’8 and a size 14. Most of my weight is in my T & A. Actress Liv Tyler is a Size 14 and 5’10. In all likelihood, we are both probably healthier than the 4’9 person who is also a size 14. Probably. But we all deserve to have something to wear.
   

   There is such a stigma nowadays about being “plus-sized” and the fashion industry often makes it worse. For example, I absolutely abhor some of the things that come out of Karl Lagerfield’s mouth. When he learned of German magazine Brigitte’s decision to use “ordinary” women in their fashion shoots he said their decision was driven by “fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly”.

   Wow.

   A 2009 LA Times piece states: “When Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who spent most of his adult life battling a serious weight problem, created a capsule collection for H&M in 2004, the newly svelte designer was incensed that the retailer manufactured the collection in larger sizes. “What I designed was fashion for slender and slim people,” he said. And in an interview in the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar, he sniffed, “The body has to be impeccable… if it’s not, buy small sizes and less food.”

   Again, wow. Is it any surprise so many plus-sized women feel invisible when some high-fashion designers think like that?

   The fact of the matter is there is a demand for these pieces.

   Numerous survey results have indicated that the average size of an American woman is a 14. Yet any plus-sized woman can tell you that the availability of Size 14 and up clothing is limited – and designer pieces in size 14 and up are SEVERELY limited. Think needle in haystack limited.

   The stigma surrounding plus-sized clothing lines doesn’t come from the worry that such a line would promote being overweight, or that their would be a lack of demand. It comes from a worry that it will cost the company too much to produce. The NYT piece explains that the development of a plus-size line would be more costly because the design and production process gets more complicated as proportions and body ratios change with increased sizes. Perhaps this is true, but I would argue that not all 0-2-4-6-8-10 women have the exact same body type. They don’t come from one mold. They just have much MUCH more to choose from.

   

   There is no doubt about it: the plus-sized market is commercially viable and largely untapped. There is demand, but little supply. It’s a starving market waiting for a designer like Marc Jacobs.

4. Should the mainstream fashion industry be showcasing more plus size models? Women are diverse. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes. The mainstream fashion industry should be showcasing models that represent these different types of women. It seems that this is already happening with greater frequency, and hopefully this trend will continue to increase. The beautiful Crystal Renn (a plus-size in the modeling world, but not in the real-world) walked the runway in the Spring/Summer 2011 Chanel resort show (perhaps Lagerfield is slowly changing his opinion on the subject). Mark Fast’s decision to use UK Size 14 women during London Fashion Week to showcase his creations was met with both applause and condemnation. One of his stylists and his creative director quit as a result of the move, while others lauded the runway show.
   

   I am a huge fan of the Marc Jacobs-designed AW2010 Louis Vuitton collection and loved the images from the catwalk show. The line itself is extraordinary, and the models were different shapes and sizes. I was STUNNED to read that models Laetitia Casta, Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima are generally considered too plump for catwalk work. Seriously?! Too plump?

   

   Maybe the mainstream industry shouldn’t just focus on featuring more plus-sized models – maybe they should also focus on creating realistic standards.

5. For you personally, how do you view your size, the struggle with it through the years, your ideal size, etc. Again, this is something I have already addressed before, both here, and here. In brief: I am happy with my size 14 body. I know my body type can be categorized as everything from plus-sized, fat and big-boned to curvy, voluptuous and womanly. It all depends on who you ask. But I am a 34 year-old woman, not an impressionable young girl. I am healthy, self confident and I have a positive self-image, so none of the characterizations and generalizations about size mean anything to me.

   I also think it is important to know your body, and to be aware of what works for you and what doesn’t. That in itself will make you more confident. I don’t have an “ideal” size. I just want to be healthy. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t mind losing a few inches here and there, but I do eat healthy, and I do work out regularly, and it just isn’t happening. My metabolism doesn’t want to cooperate with me. So I accept the size I am right now, and if I lose some inches down the road, that will be a nice surprise. Regardless, my size doesn’t define me. Size doesn’t define anyone.

Final thoughts: at the beginning of this blog entry I mentioned that there were some great reader comments on my earlier post on Courtney and Laura Wells. Here are two of those comments to reflect on:

Fashion Butter:”What makes me sad in all of this mess is that us women seem to enjoy picking teams about everything just to tear each other apart. This mentality extends far beyond the plus size/skinny debate, I have noticed that we can be very quick to negatively label other women when it comes to almost anything in life – friendships, relationships, careers, raising children, etc. In a perfect world, I wish that we could all be a little more self-aware and be more supportive of each other.”

A Brit Greek:”…We all have it in us to be judgmental and are quick to fire an opinion about everything you have mentioned, it’s a shame the media doesn’t help much either – by labeling, criticizing, telling us what they think is right half the time. We’re all unique individuals, no-ones perfect! “Those who have not yet accepted their own imperfection are the first ones to judge and criticize the faults of others…”

Applause for these two ladies, please.

And I leave you with this quote from Sophia Loren:

All images courtesy of Google Images.