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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Malnourished male models are all the rage!




    Normally I wouldn't post this, but on the heels of our Dior Homme discussion, ta-da!!! Hedi - you fucker - look what you've done!!! BTW, is that our own Agent L quoted in the article?! [<:o)]



    Link to article










    February 7, 2008

    Fashion Diary


    The Vanishing Point











    CREDIT Hedi Slimane or blame
    him. The type of men Mr. Slimane promoted when he first came aboard at
    Dior Homme some years back (he has since left) were thin to the point
    of resembling stick figures; the clothes he designed were
    correspondingly lean. The effects of his designs on the men?s wear
    industry were radical and surprisingly persuasive. Within a couple of
    seasons, the sleekness of Dior Homme suits made everyone else?s designs
    look boxy and passé, and so designers everywhere started reducing their
    silhouettes.




    Then a funny thing happened. The models were also downsized. Where
    the masculine ideal of as recently as 2000 was a buff 6-footer with
    six-pack abs, the man of the moment is an urchin, a wraith or an
    underfed runt.




    Nowhere was this more clear than at the recent men?s wear shows in
    Milan and Paris, where even those inured to the new look were
    flabbergasted at the sheer quantity of guys who looked chicken-chested,
    hollow-cheeked and undernourished. Not altogether surprisingly, the
    trend has followed the fashion pack back to New York




    Wasn?t it just a short time ago that the industry was up in arms
    about skinny models? Little over a year ago, in Spain, designers were
    commanded to choose models based on a healthy body mass index;
    physicians were installed at Italian casting calls; Diane von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, called a conference to ventilate the issue of unhealthy body imagery and eating disorders among models.




    The models in question were women, and it?s safe to say that they
    remain as waiflike as ever. But something occurred while no one was
    looking. Somebody shrunk the men.




    ?Skinny, skinny, skinny,? said Dave Fothergill, a director of the
    agency of the moment, Red Model Management. ?Everybody?s shrinking
    themselves.?




    This was abundantly clear in the castings of models for New York
    shows by Duckie Brown, Thom Browne, Patrik Ervell, Robert Geller and
    Marc by Marc Jacobs,
    where models like Stas Svetlichnyy of Russia typified the new norm. Mr.
    Svetlichnyy?s top weight, he said last week, is about 145 pounds. He is
    6 feet tall with a 28-inch waist.




    ?Designers like the skinny guy,? he said backstage last Friday at
    the Duckie Brown show. ?It looks good in the clothes and that?s the
    main thing. That?s just the way it is now.?




    Even in Milan last month at shows like Dolce & Gabbana
    and Dsquared, where the castings traditionally ran to beefcake types,
    the models were leaner and less muscled, more light-bodied. Just as
    tellingly, Dolce & Gabbana?s look-book for spring 2008 (a catalog
    of the complete collection) featured not the male models the label has
    traditionally favored ? industry stars like Chad White and Tyson
    Ballou, who have movie star looks and porn star physiques ? but men who
    look as if they have never seen the inside of a gym.




    ?The look is different from when I started in the business eight
    years ago,? Mr. Ballou said last week during a photo shoot at the Milk
    Studios in lower Manhattan. In many of the model castings, which tend
    to be dominated by a handful of people, the body style that now
    dominates is the one Charles Atlas made a career out of trying to
    improve.




    ?The first thing I did when I moved to New York was immediately
    start going to the gym,? the designer John Bartlett said. That was in
    the long-ago 1980s. But the idea of bulking up now seems retro when
    musicians and taste arbiters like Devendra Banhart boast of having
    starved themselves in order to look good in clothes.




    ?The eye has changed,? Mr. Bartlett said. ?Clothes now are tighter
    and tighter. Guys are younger and younger. Everyone is influenced by
    what Europe shows.?




    What Europe (which is to say influential designers like Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons at Jil Sander) shows are men as tall as Tom Brady but who wear a size 38 suit.




    ?There are designers that lead the way,? said James Scully, a
    seasoned casting agent best known for the numerous modeling discoveries
    he made when he worked at Gucci under Tom Ford.
    ?Everyone looks to Miuccia Prada for the standard the way they used to
    look at Hedi Slimane. Once the Hedi Slimanization got started, all
    anyone wanted to cast was the scrawny kid who looked like he got sand
    kicked in his face. The big, great looking models just stopped going to
    Europe. They knew they?d never get cast.?




    For starters, they knew that they would never fit into designers?
    samples. ?When I started out in the magazine business in 1994, the
    sample size was an Italian 50,? said Long Nguyen of Flaunt magazine,
    referring to a size equivalent to a snug 40-regular.




    ?That was an appropriate size for a normal 6-foot male,? Mr. Nguyen
    said. Yet just six years later ? coincidentally at about the time Mr.
    Slimane left his job as the men?s wear designer at YSL for Dior Homme ?
    the typical sample size had dwindled to 48. Now it is 46.




    ?At that point you might as well save money and just go over to the
    boy?s department,? Mr. Nguyen said from his seat in the front row of
    the Benjamin Cho show, which was jammed as usual with a selection of
    reedy boys in Buffalo plaid jackets and stovepipe jeans, the same types
    that fill Brooklyn clubs like Sugarland. ?I?m not really sure if
    designers are making clothes smaller or if people are smaller now,? Mr
    Nguyen said.




    According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
    Americans are taller and much heavier today than 40 years ago. The
    report, released in 2002, showed that the average height of adult
    American men has increased to 5-9 ½ in 2002 from just over 5-8 in 1960.
    The average weight of the same adult man had risen dramatically, to 191
    pounds from 166.3.




    Nowadays a model that weighed in at 191 pounds, no matter how
    handsome, would be turned away from most agencies or else sent to a fat
    farm.




    Far from inspiring a spate of industry breast-beating, as occurred
    after the international news media got hold of the deaths of two young
    female models who died from eating disorders, the trend favoring very
    skinny male models has been accepted as a matter or course.




    ?I personally think that it?s the consumer that?s doing this, and
    fashion is just responding,? said Kelly Cutrone, the founder of
    People?s Revolution, a fashion branding and production company. ?No one
    wants a beautiful women or a beautiful man anymore.?




    In terms of image, the current preference is for beauty that is not
    fully evolved. ?People are afraid to look over 21 or make any statement
    of what it means to be adult,? Ms. Cutrone said.




    George Brown, a booking agent at Red Model Management, said: ?When I
    get that random phone call from a boy who says, ?I?m 6-foot-1 and I?m
    calling from Kansas,? I immediately ask, ?What do you weigh?? If they
    say 188 or 190, I know we can?t use him. Our guys are 155 pounds at
    that height.?




    Their waists, like that of Mr. Svetlichnyy, measure 28 or 30 inches.
    They have, ideally, long necks, pencil thighs, narrow shoulders and
    chests no more than 35.5 inches in circumference, Mr. Brown said. ?It?s
    client driven,? he added. ?That?s just the size that blue-chip
    designers and high-end editorials want.?




    For Patrik Ervell?s show on Saturday, the casting brief called for
    new faces and men whose bodies were suited to a scarecrow silhouette.
    ?We had to measure their thighs,? Mr. Brown said.




    For models like Demián Tkach, a 26-year-old Argentine who was
    recently discovered by the photographer Bruce Weber, the tightening
    tape measure may cut off a career.




    Mr. Tkach said that when he came here from Mexico, where he had been
    working: ?My agency asked me to lose some muscle. I lost a little bit
    to help them, because I understand the designers are not looking for a
    male image anymore. They?re looking for some kind of androgyne.?































    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine
  • Casius
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2006
    • 4772

    #2
    Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



    Good article.



    It's quite scary how skinny those kids are at 6'1"+.



    I also totally disagree with this statement; ?I personally think that it?s the consumer that?s doing this, and fashion is just responding,? said Kelly Cutrone, the founder of People?s Revolution, a fashion branding and production company. ?No one wants a beautiful women or a beautiful man anymore.?



    Customers still want someone who is beautiful and healthy. I would wager to bet that 90% of fashion watchers do not know the weight of these models and would probably guess they're 10-20lbs more than what they actually are.



    "because the young are whores. dealers come to carol to get the rock"

    Comment

    • Faust
      kitsch killer
      • Sep 2006
      • 37852

      #3
      Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

      /\ I agree, it was a bullshit statement. Since when did the customer in fashion drive anything? Most fashion customers are sheep, sorry.
      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

      Comment

      • jowaha
        Junior Member
        • Nov 2007
        • 21

        #4
        Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



        I agree with Faust... this is designer-driven, not consumer-driven. I don't see this having quite the same effect on male body image that the parallel trend has had on women. However, there will always be a segment of the male population that derives a sense of self-worth from how well it aligns with the current fashion ideal and for these individuals the trend is potentially dangerous.



        In the end, I'm fine with samples in size 46; more chance of picking up something that fits me at sample sales.

        Comment

        • Puppy
          Junior Member
          • Jan 2008
          • 3

          #5
          Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



          Interesting read.



          I admit, even I was affected by the popularity of Hedi's "tight silhouette." I personally skipped several meals daily to become underweight (118 lbs at 5'9"... not so good.)



          Oh well.

          Comment

          • Bring The Noise
            Senior Member
            • Feb 2008
            • 338

            #6
            Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



            I think eventually the trend will swing back around



            The majority of these male models probably experience alot of health problems, who actually wants to look that emaciated and unhealthy?

            Comment

            • Faust
              kitsch killer
              • Sep 2006
              • 37852

              #7
              Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

              Well, some guys are naturally like that - they have a very high rate of metabolism and actually have trouble gaining weight. The ones that malnourish themselves on purpose - that's a different story!
              Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

              StyleZeitgeist Magazine

              Comment

              • philip nod
                Senior Member
                • Aug 2007
                • 5903

                #8
                Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



                [quote user="merz"]meat+potatoes all day, and i've always been around 110 lbs at 5'10.. kind of godsend that people started making decent clothing for my build..i'm enjoying this moment in fashion, however long it may last..
                [/quote]





                this article is really funny, it describes my "in" measurements exactly. no wonder i spend so much[72]



                and i have high metabolism to thank as well.

                One wonders where it will end, when everything has become gay.

                Comment

                • BECOMING-INTENSE
                  Senior Member
                  • Jan 2008
                  • 1868

                  #9
                  Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



                  I really have no interest in models looks, but what I have interest in is movement.
                  It can ruin the whole experience of the clothing, with models that can't move, and boxier, more muscular models tends to move like "tree trunks", because of lack of flexibility and movability, that comes from shortening of the muscles through training. So i might prefer the more lean and slender type, but on the other hand i also like diversity so one preference shouldn't really exclude or just exchange another!



                  I have a hard time gaining weight, which comes from a high metabolism and everyday dance training, no need to starve here!

                  Are you afraid of women, Doctor?
                  Of course.

                  www.becomingmads.com

                  Comment

                  • Faust
                    kitsch killer
                    • Sep 2006
                    • 37852

                    #10
                    Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

                    I really have no interest in models looks, but the fact that people lead unhealthy lifestyles to conform to some beauty standard that has been pushed on them by those who are neither young nor beautiful themselves (ever been at a fashion show?) is just insane.
                    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                    Comment

                    • Bring The Noise
                      Senior Member
                      • Feb 2008
                      • 338

                      #11
                      Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

                      [quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

                      I really have no interest in models looks, but what I have interest in is movement.
                      It can ruin the whole experience of the clothing, with models that can't move, and boxier, more muscular models tends to move like "tree trunks", because of lack of flexibility and movability, that comes from shortening of the muscles through training. So i might prefer the more lean and slender type, but on the other hand i also like diversity so one preference shouldn't really exclude or just exchange another!



                      I have a hard time gaining weight, which comes from a high metabolism and everyday dance training, no need to starve here!



                      [/quote]





                      Since when did muscular people lack flexibility and mobility? Ever heard of guys like Ladainian tomlinson, randy moss, asafa powell??

                      Comment

                      • BECOMING-INTENSE
                        Senior Member
                        • Jan 2008
                        • 1868

                        #12
                        Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!



                        Conforming to a beauty standard is a bad thing in my book,
                        Using health threatening methods to achieve it are even worse,
                        we can surely agree on that.



                        But how much influence does this look, discussed in the article,
                        really have, if we look at the broader picture, with increasing obesity figures
                        especially in western societies?

                        Are you afraid of women, Doctor?
                        Of course.

                        www.becomingmads.com

                        Comment

                        • BECOMING-INTENSE
                          Senior Member
                          • Jan 2008
                          • 1868

                          #13
                          Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

                          [quote user="Bring The Noise"][quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

                          I really have no interest in models looks, but what I have interest in is movement.
                          It can ruin the whole experience of the clothing, with models that can't move, and boxier, more muscular models tends to move like "tree trunks", because of lack of flexibility and movability, that comes from shortening of the muscles through training. So i might prefer the more lean and slender type, but on the other hand i also like diversity so one preference shouldn't really exclude or just exchange another!



                          I have a hard time gaining weight, which comes from a high metabolism and everyday dance training, no need to starve here!



                          [/quote]





                          Since when did muscular people lack flexibility and mobility? Ever heard of guys like Ladainian tomlinson, randy moss, asafa powell??



                          [/quote]



                          Read the sentence "tends to"!

                          Are you afraid of women, Doctor?
                          Of course.

                          www.becomingmads.com

                          Comment

                          • Faust
                            kitsch killer
                            • Sep 2006
                            • 37852

                            #14
                            Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

                            [quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

                            Conforming to a beauty standard is a bad thing in my book,
                            Using health threatening methods to achieve it are even worse,
                            we can surely agree on that.



                            But how much influence does this look, discussed in the article,
                            really have, if we look at the broader picture, with increasing obesity figures
                            especially in western societies?



                            [/quote]



                            I can definitely see it in New York - no doubt about it. The same thing that's been happening with the black NYC population thinning out after hip-hop went glam.

                            Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                            StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                            Comment

                            • Bring The Noise
                              Senior Member
                              • Feb 2008
                              • 338

                              #15
                              Re: Malnourished male models are all the rage!

                              [quote user="BECOMING-INTENSE"]

                              Conforming to a beauty standard is a bad thing in my book,
                              Using health threatening methods to achieve it are even worse,
                              we can surely agree on that.



                              But how much influence does this look, discussed in the article,
                              really have, if we look at the broader picture, with increasing obesity figures
                              especially in western societies?



                              [/quote]





                              Being underweight is a health problem just like obesity

                              Comment

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