All photos by Kris Krug.
Karen Wu is a Seattle-based designer who was born in Taiwan and raised in LA. Her spring/summer 2009 show at Vancouver Fashion Week on Friday afternoon opened with a number of knit pieces…I was fond of the casual dresses but this type of fabric accentuates every imperfection (ie. flabby rolls) and I would have to agree with Victoria Potter of Demicouture on this matter when she dubbed “VFW = cellulite runway” :
Now, I’m 100% behind having healthy-sized models on the runway but you don’t put anyone in an unflattering garment, ever. It’s fashion week, the models are supposed to look amazing.
Wu followed up the knit pieces with a few more dresses and gowns. I loved this print, though I would surprise myself if I ever wore a dress/skirt this long:
And finally, the one that drew gasps from the audience:
If you are 100% behind having healthy sized models on the runway, then why the comment about cellulite? I assume you are a woman and being a woman myself, I would think you know that 99.9% of girls/woman have cellulite! In the “real” world, no ones perfect. The models look amazing, cellulite or not.
Well I wouldn’t have identified cellulite as the issue per se, but I did reiterate Victoria Potter’s comment because I didn’t think all of the models were paired with suitable garments. They could, and should, have looked better. I would call it an error in “Dressing For Your Body Type: 101″ – guidelines which all women of all shapes and sizes can take advantage of.
It’s funny how women in general complain about how much pressure is on them to look good and when you put “REAL” women on a runway, someone has something to complain about then too..hmm just shows that some people are never satisfied. I understand if this were constructive critisim, but attacking someones looks when there doing a show…c’mon now. You see many articles about girls being too skinny for the runway and the banning of that, then you get people like you complaining about cellulite. I think there are better things to write about fashion week then cellulite!
I’m with you Annie. I attended a fashion show last night and all I could hear around me were whispers and insults of the men and women coming down the runway.
It’s unfortunate that we have such double standards. The truth of the matter is that the “Real” girl that was on the runway is a reflection of many of us for the most part. And I’m not just referring to it in the physical sense. She’s a girl who isn’t 90 lbs and doesn’t look like a heroin addict or a 6″2 blond green eyed amazon lady. Accepting her is accepting ourselves because how we judge others is a direct reflection of how we judge ourselves. So for those who feel the need to judge others so outwardly, is someone who probably isn’t comfortable in their own skin.
You are both absolutely correct. It is unfortunate that we have double standards, and it is unfortunate that we look to the models on runways when compiling our beauty standards. I don’t make the rules, and unfortunately the world we live in is one that rewards beauty.
I don’t think a 90 lb. model is attractive. Fortunately, the attitude towards too-skinny models is beginning to shift, with bans in numerous countries worldwide and the fashion community making strides towards promoting a healthy lifestyle and diet. But at the end of the day, the model’s job is to sell clothes, sell an image.
I absolutely hold the same opinion as both of you on a personal level, but at the same time you have to be realistic about the problem and its origins. Saying that it is unfair, while true, gets us nowhere.
You don’t go from a 90 lb model to a 140 lb model and expect ruthless public opinion to let it slide. You go from a 90 lb model to a 95 lb model to a 105 lb model and so on. Society as a whole can’t accept change at a rate much faster than that.
Thanks for the continuing discussion around this issue, I think it’s really important to discuss and dissect.
I never understand when people make comments that start with “society as a whole”. It’s such a empty statement. WE are the society as a “whole”. It’s me, you, the Jane Doe’s and the John’s.
God bless Gandhi for saying “Be the change you want to see in the world”. It’s up to every single one of us in society to honour this if it’s what we truly believe. For us to poke fun at the models and then blame it on society as a whole is callous and shallow.
Sure models do have to look a certain way, but isn’t it a little refreshing to see someone who doesn’t consider celery as dinner food?