French Vogue 'Black Face' Sparks Row

It's not all our fault, they say

(NEWSER) - Designers have lashed back at a Vogue editor who accuses them of forcing ultra-thin models on magazine covers by sending "minuscule" photo-shoot clothes no normal woman can wear. British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman complained in a letter to top designers that the clothing is so tiny magazines are forced to use excessively skinny models with "jutting bones" and "no breasts or hips." Designers argue it's not entirely their fault, reports the Guardian. More»

(NEWSER) - Naked photographers, orders to strip for no reason and sex assaults are a troubling part of the modeling business and involve some of the top names in fashion, according to a new documentary by a popular model. "Every girl I have talked to has a story," model Sara Ziff tells the Guardian. "It's all under the radar because people are embarrassed and because the people who are doing these things are much more powerful, and the model is totally disposable." More»

Major retrospective looks at photographer's legacy

(NEWSER) - For 60 years Richard Avedon was the quintessential fashion photographer, and his black-and-white images established an ideal of beauty for a generation. Now, 5 years after his death, the International Center of Photography in New York is mounting a retrospective of Avedon’s fashion work. For Times critic Cathy Horyn, his career was a “plea for beauty,” even if beauty “had an element of tragedy.” More»

Vogue teaches Tyra Banks how to really spot the next top models among us.

(NEWSER) - Vogue's May cover spotlights the next top models—real ones, not the reality-show variety—and makes the case that models with star quality are making a comeback. Jonathan Van Meter speculates that our cultural obsession with warblers who can't sing and celebrities who can't behave is about to expire. More»