Are Models Skinny Because We're Fat?

And Lana Del Rey has a lot of implants, says fashion designer

(NEWSER) - It's always fun when Karl Lagerfeld opens his mouth , which he did quite a bit during a recent stint as guest editor of Metro . His most buzz-generating quote is about Adele: "The thing at the moment is Adele," he says. "She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice." More of his thoughts:

• On Lana Del Rey : "She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants."

Androgynous model Andrej Pejic models for Hema

(NEWSER) - The "woman" modeling a push-up bra for Dutch department store Hema is actually a man: androgynous model Andrej Pejic . Pejic, 20, is a good choice if you want to boast how effective your "mega" push-up bras are, considering he has no breasts to speak of. The gender-bending model—who does model menswear, too—was also featured in a wedding dress in a Gaultier show this year, AFP notes. More»

German designer makes eco-friendly clothes from drink

(NEWSER) - For the fashion industry, cows provide more than just leather. Combining her knowledge of biochemistry and clothing design, a German designer has begun making clothes from a textile that’s made of pure milk, the AP reports. It feels like silk, is as washable as cotton, and is good for the environment—and on top of that, it’s great for those with sensitive skin. Anke Domaske aims to start mass-producing the material, called Qmilch, next year. (The process involves reducing milk to a protein powder that gets boiled and pressed into strands that are woven into fabric, writes Melissa Eddy.) More»

Their 'precarious' jobs aren't so 'glamorous' out of the spotlight, writes Ashley Mears

(NEWSER) - To most of us, Fashion Week is all glitz and glam—but behind the scenes, modeling is a “grueling” job, writes model-turned-professor Ashley Mears. It’s freelance work, so there are no benefits, and models “never know when their next job is coming.” It’s also grossly unfair: While some models may make thousands for a single show, others aren’t paid a dime to walk the same catwalk, Mears notes in the New York Times . More»

To stay plus-size would have meant another eating disorder, model says

(NEWSER) - Pressure to be thin caused model Crystal Renn to develop an eating disorder early in her career—but after she became a plus-size model, she felt similar pressure not to get thin. Critics were flabbergasted when Renn, 24, shed some of her famous curves last year, but Renn says she’s just doing what is healthiest for her. “If I followed what the public wanted from me, or what the media wants from me, I would be doing the same thing. I would have a binge-eating disorder,” she says in a video blog for the Ford modeling agency. More»