Fashion

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Model (person)

model is a person who acts as a human prop for purposes of art, fashion, advertising, pornography, etc.

Modeling is distinguished from other types of public performance, such as an acting, dancing or mime artistry, although the boundary is probably not well defined. Appearing in a movie or a play is generally not considered to be modeling, irrespective of the nature of the role. But many models can also describe themselves as actors. Some models have acquired the status of sex symbol, and a highly paid model is sometimes known as a "supermodel." Supermodels are celebrities who may appear in advertisements endorsing products, and often parlay their fame into acting careers, or other areas of the entertainment or fashion industry.

Non-professional models who appear on the list of women's magazines on which any magazine's name is, are known by the name of "reader model."
"Runway modeling," also known as "catwalk modeling," is displaying fashion, and is generally performed by "fashion models." "Glamour modeling" usually includes elements of nudity or eroticism, while "nude modeling" describes any kind of modeling that is performed without clothes. Art school modeling (usually figure drawing or sculpture) involves posing for students of art. Some models specialize in having a particular portion of their body photographed, usually for advertisement purposes; thus "leg models" advertise hosiery, "hand models" advertise nail polish or gloves, et cetera.

For notable models, see supermodel and glamour photography.

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Glamour photography

Glamour photography is the photographing of a model (nowadays usually female, often nude or semi-nude), in a way that is intended to be erotic.

What is considered "glamour" has changed with the times. In the 1940s, clothed "pin-up" pictures were "glamour." Many movie stars were featured in pin-up poses showing them in swimsuits. In the 1950s and early 1960s, photographers such as Peter Gowland produced glamour images with partial nudity.

Nude glamour photography has been claimed by its practitioners and admirers to be non-pornographic to the extent it does not involve the depiction of sex acts. People who disapprove of nude or semi-nude photography may pejoratively label it pornography.

Nude or semi-nude pictures of glamour models typically appear in "softcore" adult magazines (so-called "girlie magazines") such as Playboy or in the pages of European tabloid newspapers: for example, the topless 'Page 3 girls' of the British tabloid The Sun.

At the same time, the less revealing style of glamour photography continues, for example in men's magazines like Maxim and FHM.

There is a system of terms developed in the British glamour photography business to describe the graded levels of explicitness involved:

glamour (that is to say, typically a skimpy swimsuit, lingerie in the case of women, or briefs in the case of men)
topless (exposing the breasts)
artistic nude (exposing the whole body apart from the genitalia)
magazine nude (exposing the genitalia)
"American" or "continental" (hardcore pornography)
Recently, the glamour photography market has moved stratified into two categories: "top shelf" magazines have generally moved in the direction of hardcore pornography in an attempt to compete with easily-available Internet pornography, whilst a new generation of men's magazines such as Maxim, FHM and Loaded has sprung up to meet the demand for tamer material, often with lingerie or swimsuit depictions of minor celebrities.

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Cover girl

A cover girl is a female model or entertainer whose photograph appears on the front cover of a magazine to attract attention on the shelf, usually a magazine devoted to women's interests (such as Redbook or Seventeen) or men's interests (such as Gentlemen's Quarterly, Maxim or Esquire). The term first appeared in English in 1915.

Almost always, a special photo session is done and the woman is given a makeover so her appearance conforms to the type exalted by the magazine. After having been specially made-up, dressed and groomed, the subject of the cover photo will then be carefully lit in the most flattering light possible. They will then be photographed from dozens to hundreds of times, and the most flattering images selected.

The images thus obtained will then be retouched; the eyes and teeth of the woman will be brightened towards peak white, all skin blemishes and skin texture airbrushed out, and her figure may be artificially slimmed and elongated. Sometimes, the head of one model will be used on the body of another. In recent years, digital post-processing has been used in the place of airbrushing and other traditional photographic techniques.

The end product often bears little resemblance to the normal appearance of the person that stood before the camera, and provides an impossible role model for other people to live up to. Some people allege that because of this, cover girl images are responsible for encouraging girls and women to develop anorexia nervosa.

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Figure drawing

Figure drawing, also known as life drawing, is an exercise in drawing the human body in its various shapes and positions. It is arguably the most difficult subject an artist commonly encounters, and entire classes are dedicated to the subject. The human figure is one of the most enduring themes in the visual arts, and figure drawing can be applied to portraiture, comic book illustration, sculpture, medical illustration, and other fields that use depictions of the human form. Figure drawing can be done very simply (with charcoal, for example), or in more detail, by pencil or using other forms of drawing tools. If paint is used, the process may be called figure painting.

Artists take a variety of approaches to drawing the human figure. They may draw from live models, from photographs or other reference material, or from memory and imagination. Most instruction focuses on the use of models in "life drawing" courses. The use of photographic reference - although common since the development of photography - is often criticized or discouraged by experts. They argue that the inability to see the figure in three dimensions results in "flat" images that fail to capture the dynamic aspects of the subject. Drawing from imagination is often lauded for the expressiveness it encourages, and criticized for the inaccuracies introduced by the artist's lack of knowledge or limited memory in visualizing the human figure; the experience of the artist with other methods has a large influence on the effectiveness of this approach.

In developing the image, some artists focus on the shapes created by the interplay of light and dark values on the surfaces of the body. Others take an anatomical approach, beginning by approximating the internal skeleton of the figure, overlaying the internal organs and musculature, and covering those shapes with the skin, and finally (if applicable) clothing; study of human internal anatomy is usually involved in this technique. Another approach is to loosely construct the body out of primitive shapes, e.g., a sphere for the cranium, a cylinder for the torso, etc. then refine those shapes to more closely resemble the human form.

For those working without visual reference (or as a means of checking one's work) proportions commonly recommended in figure drawing are:

An average person, is generally 7-and-a-half heads tall (including the head).
An ideal figure, used for an impression of nobility or grace, is drawn at 8 heads tall.
An heroic figure, used in the heroic for the depiction of gods and superheroes, is eight-and-a-half heads tall. Most of the additional length comes from a bigger chest and longer legs.
Note that these proportions are most useful for a standing model. Poses which introduce foreshortening of various body parts will cause them to differ.

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French leadership in European fashion may perhaps be dated from the 18th century, when the art, architecture, music, and fashions of the French court at Versailles were imitated across Europe. Visitors to Paris brought back clothing that was then copied by local dressmakers. Stylish women also ordered fashion dolls from Paris – dolls dressed in the latest Parisian fashions, to serve as models.

As railroads and steamships made European travel easier, it was increasingly common for wealthy women to travel to Paris to shop for clothing and accessories. French fitters and seamstresses were commonly thought to be the best in Europe, and real Parisian garments were considered better than local imitations. The first couturier to establish international dominance was Charles Frederick Worth (1826-1895). Even New York socialites crossed the Atlantic Ocean to order clothes from Worth.

Following in Worth's footsteps were: Callot Soeurs, Patou, Poiret, Vionnet, Fortuny, Lanvin, Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, and Dior. Some of these fashion houses still exist today, under the leadership of modern designers.

In the 1960s a group of young designers who had trained under men like Dior and Balenciaga left these established couture houses and opened their own establishments. The most successful of these young men were Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, and Emmanuel Ungaro.

Lacroix is perhaps the most successful of the fashion houses to have been started in the last decade.

For all these fashion houses, custom clothing is no longer the main source of income, often costing much more than it earns through direct sales; it only adds the aura of fashion to their ventures in ready-to-wear clothing and related luxury products such as shoes and perfumes, and licensing ventures that make the real money. Excessive commercialization and profit-making can be damaging, however. Cardin, for example, licensed with abandon in the 1980s and his name lost most of its fashionable cachet when anyone could buy Cardin luggage at a discount store.

The 1960s also featured a revolt against established fashion standards by mods, rockers, and hippies, as well as an increasing internationalization of the fashion scene. Jet travel had spawned a jet set that partied -- and shopped -- just as happily in New York as in Paris. Rich women no longer felt that a Paris dress was necessarily better than one sewn elsewhere. While Paris is still pre-eminent in the fashion world, it is no longer the sole arbiter of fashion.

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Elegance

Elegance is the attribute of being tastefully designed, decorated and maintaining refined grace and dignified propriety.

Some westerners associate elegance with simplicity and consistency of design, focusing on the main or basic features of an object; its dignified gracefulness or restrained beauty of style. Decoration and features are often minimalistic "the essay is marked by lucidity, wit, and elegance."

Others understand the word in an opulent light as in tasteful richness of design or ornamentation "the sumptuous elegance of the furnishings."

The proof of a mathematical theorem is considered to have mathematical elegance if it is surprisingly simple yet effective and constructive; similarly, a computer program or algorithm is elegant if it uses a small amount of intuitive code to great effect. Visual stimuli are frequently considered elegant if a small number of colors and stimuli are used, emphasizing the remainder. The color white is often associated with elegance, usually along with blue or black.

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Words related to elegance

quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone "the quality of mercy is not strained" — Shakespeare.
dash, panache, elan, flair, style - distinctive and stylish elegance; "he wooed her with the confident dash of a cavalry officer."
daintiness, delicacy, fineness - the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance; "the daintiness of her touch"; "the fineness of her features."
courtliness - elegance suggestive of a royal court
tastefulness - elegance indicated by good taste
breeding, genteelness, gentility - elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression
chic, chicness, modishness, stylishness, swank, smartness, last word - elegance by virtue of being fashionable
pomp, eclat - ceremonial elegance and splendor; "entered with much eclat in a coach drawn by eight white horses."
class - elegance in dress or behavior; "her class at dinner parties never ceased to amaze her father's guests."

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Indian summer at leather fashion gala

It will be an Indian summer for the international leather fashion industry as hues and textures from here will dominate the global leather business in the year ahead.

MODEUROPE is the conclave that decides on the trends in the leather industry. The forecast and selection helps designers to work on apparel and accessories. This year the decision-making body held its roundtable in December at Kornwestheim, Germany, to decide on the colours for the Spring Summer 2007 fashion collection.

As least 19 Indian leather tanners submitted 447 colour proposals at the roundtable for the fashion Spring Summer 2007. The Indian presentations were made bearing in mind the trends in the fashion industry tracking colour, fabric and texture.

Twenty of the 21 colours submitted for footwear were selected. Ten Indian colours found place in the garments section. Light shoe colours were renamed silk, skin, shell, foam, pearl. Garment colours received even more exotic names like smoke, hazel, moor and ink.

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Case against Moss 'a dead duck'

LONDON: British supermodel Kate Moss stayed tight-lipped when she was quizzed by police in London over her alleged use of cocaine, but one newspaper says charges are unlikely.

The top-selling Sun yesterday quoted police sources as saying the case against Moss was "a dead duck".

Moss, 32, returned to Britain to voluntarily face police over the allegations that surfaced last September in the form of video stills in The Daily Mirror newspaper.

The fuzzy images purportedly showed her preparing and snorting cocaine at a west London recording studio where her then-boyfriend Pete Doherty was laying down tracks with his band Babyshambles.

Quoting an unnamed Metropolitan Police source, The Daily Mirror said yesterday Moss - who has not been arrested - was asked about the video, whether she used or supplied drugs, or if she knew any suppliers.

"On legal advice, she exercised her option to deny certain things and refused to answer other questions. The investigation into other people continues. It may be we will interview her again," it said.

The newspaper added that the single mother of one, who flew into her native London by private jet from Paris, was free to return to Los Angeles, where she has been having success rebuilding her career.

Doherty, a major figure in Britain's vibrant independent rock scene, is on remand in prison awaiting sentencing after admitting a string of drug-possession offences.

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Fashion Week Opens With Buttoned-Up Looks

Fashion forecasters predicted a chilly fall as New York Fashion Week opened Friday with a blizzard of buttoned-up looks on the runway.

While style is a consideration for the designers presenting their collections during the eight-day event, practicality is not. That might explain the sexy _ and quite attractive _ banded stiletto sandals that Kenneth Cole paired with turtlenecks and trench coats to kick off the new style season.

Among the highlights:

Kenneth Cole: Cole set the stage for an office romance, dressing women in refined dresses, wool s***t suits and high-neck tie blouses and men in cashmere sweaters, sportcoats and tailored trousers in varying shades of gray and brown.

The women's clothes hugged in the right places and flowed in others to be just suggestive enough to keep them from morphing into a 1970s typing-pool look. The men showed a little flair with their chunky sweaters and thick scarves.

Standout outfits for women included a cardigan jacket with an oversized collar in dark gray cashmere worn with a merino wool pencil s***t; a lighter gray wool wrap jacket with a band around the front of the waist worn with a slim wool pant; a simple and sophisticated cocoa-colored cashmere turtleneck dress; and a caramel shearling belted coat with a high collar.

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Fashion Career Expo : 1st Annual Hiring Event for the Fashion Industry

Fashion Week participants can do more than analyze the trends they see on the runways, this year they can also connect with top designers and retailers at an exclusive hiring event, February 10th at Gotham Hall in New York City.

Previous Fashion Career Expo events have attracted thousands of fashion industry professionals and feature top companies, including The Movado Group, The Gromwell Group, Tiffany & Co., Liz Claiborne, Elie Tahari, Zara, Target Corporation, Nordstrom and many more.

The employers recruit across the industry spectrum, conducting immediate face to face interviews for retail planners, buyers, merchandisers, sales associates, store managers, apparel, footwear & accessories designers, graphic designers, visual merchandisers, textile/fabric specialists, patternmakers and more.

"The Fashion Career Expo event and its website, FashionCareerExpo, connect top companies with experienced professionals in an ultra time-effective format," explains Bradford Rand, President & CEO of Expo International, producer of Fashion Career Expo.

He adds, 'The highest level of experienced talent will congregate for Fashion Week, so this is the ideal time for employers to meet, interview and hire for nationwide positions.