As an almost perfectly timed addition to the insurgent arsenal of films assaulting the modeling industry (like Sara Ziff’s Picture Me, a controversial documentary about one model marching through the predatory and rule-breaking industry — rules like 14 year olds shouldn’t be walking around topless and acting sexy; and women should have enough body fat to prevent ketosis) HBO is releasing About Face: The Supermodels, Then and Now.

This angle, however, looks at veteran clothes horses who have gained wisdom, earned respect, and survived to tell their tale.

Skipping staples of the 90s supermodel revolution, like Christy Turlington Burns and Cindy Crawford, About Face, directed by renowned portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, instead highlights their superiors. Carol Alt, Christie Brinkley (whose cameo in Nation Lampoon’s Vacation should have erected her a monument) and Beverly Johnson – the first black woman to grace Vogue in 1974.

“Before, you were just a girl” says Brinkley, now 58. Noting how the industry has changed during her near four decade long career, she continues. “Or a clothes hanger, but now you can have a name. You’re a real person, which is nice.”

Their stories are epic. Rock and roll high priestess Jerry Hall, now 55, whose nine year marriage to Mick Jagger produced four kids and a saucy memoir, reveals how her mother pushed her out of the nest. Employing unusual measures to get her daughter discovered, she packed a suitcase full of homemade dresses copied from the Frederick’s of Hollywood catalogue and shipped Hall off to the French Riviera. Risky, but it worked.

The ever defiant Isabella Rossellini, now 59, says that she misses modeling, but fears that the industry has become unrecognizable. The daughter of screen legend Ingrid Bergman, Rossellini began her career in fashion at 28.

“Modeling taught me to be confident and financially independent,” she says. “Now they start so young. When my daughter started modeling at 20, an agent told her she should get plastic surgery immediately. I made a phone call that was one of the most ferocious I’ve ever made.” The lioness protecting her kin. Unfortunately, not all dilettantes are so lucky.

Once considered “working girls,” back in the mid-forties era, supermodels, fashion and runways models, and even reality show sweethearts like Heidi Klum, are now considered business women. Even the lucky ones had to slalom through a landscape rife with eating disorders, rampant drug-use, objectification, pre-teen fetishism, androgyny-worship, and shark-like agents, managers and designers. Add our society, which perpetuates a stigma around aging that is peerless. To see these icons not just pictorializing graceful aging (or injecting youth) – but embracing their stature in society as role models of incredible strength, tireless creativity, and all the while not exporting their femininity, is to me, an act of great heroism. Fuck girl-power. These are wise women sharing their most coveted beauty secrets. None of which can be packaged or sold.

By the way, yes, some have had plastic surgery. But many have not. As Rossellini confides, “I don’t think I’ll do it. It’s too late. My mother once told me that growing older was the only way to have a long life… it’s natural, and it’s beautiful.” Take that, Botox!

About Face: The Supermodels, Then and Now was the Official Selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and will air on HBO in the summer.

Darrah’s note: Beauty CULTure art exhibit at Annenberg Space for Photography in 2011, which challenged cultural norms around aging and beauty has been accepted into the Tribeca Film Fest. See trailer here.

[About Face]

My brassy new SuicideGirls column “Red, White and Femme” has an added dimension.  Fearless Femme Spotlight will feature hot chicks who are so badass, they deserve their own time to shine.  Mia Tyler (daughter of Aerosmith rocker and American Idol judge Steven Tyler) debuts this shiny new angle.  The bold brunette exposes not only those family genes (check out those lips!), but her own recipe for role-modeling by mentoring girls, living out loud with a plus-size fashion line, and a curvy bod full of wicked mods.

Read the revealing interview & add your comments, here: MAMA MIA

MCM Boutique

By: Darrah de jour

The renowned European luxury brand, MCM (Mode Creation Munich), designer of upscale leather travel goods, witty handbags and functional accessories is currently enjoying a major comeback.  Upsurge of this label’s popularity is in part the result of their architecturally stunning boutiques, which are sprouting up in various cities including the newest London store.

With élan that celebs and VIPs (including royalty) adore, the newest line features particular standout items that are must-haves for fall.  In shoes, check out the Patent Edition pump in red and white; the perforated leather flat in white and the Aldasoft wedge sandal in gold.  Or, go daring with the Visetos Princess Lion pump in sea foam green.  In handbags, you’ll find the Diamond Jacquard clutch; a splurge like no other for summer’s end, and the perfect piece for any upcoming autumn gala.  Lovely in creamy apricot with metal and gold detailing, go matchy-matchy and snag the twin cosmetics pouch.  In larger bags, the Patent Edition Boston Medium tote, is patent leather and both chic and practical!  This classy day purse is ideal for the lady on the run!  Also showcasing the latest trends in throwbacks, check out The Visetos Marble Patchwork tote with ‘1976’ emblazoned on it, and the Patent Edition Drawstring Box Tote likely to be seen strewn over Gwen Stefani’s shoulder.

With seventy stores in 30 countries, including placement in retail chains like Harrods and Selfridges, MCM manages to stay on the pulse of functional cool.

MCM
5 Sloane Street, London
+33 4 76 46 38 20

http://www.mcmworldwide.com

Darrah’s Exclusive Interview with Taylor Momsen was such a hit, that coupled with Celeb photographer Randee St. Nicholas’ gallant photos, versions of this story were re-published in over a dozen magazines worldwide!

Gossip Girl’s little sister is carving out her own career path.

By Wayne Kar
Interview by Darrah de jour
Photography by Randee St. Nicholas

“I know what I want.”
It’s just a quote, but those five words could double as a motto for Taylor Momsen, the flaxen-haired actress whose real-life tabloid appearances almost—but not quite—match her trials and tribs as social nobody turned Queen B Jenny Humphrey on hit show Gossip Girl.

“As an actor, you always find similarities to a character so you can play them,” says Momsen. “Jenny’s creative, a fashion designer— she’s like me in that she’s really, really driven.”

Just how driven is Momsen? Consider that she began modeling at age two, and then—late bloomer that she is—moved on to acting at three. A million years ago, there was a role opposite Jim Carrey in How the Grinch Stole Christmas as Cindy Lou Who, and now, three seasons of OMFG-ing later, Momsen is a screen vet at 16, with her five-foot-eight frame atop an island at the centre of the world of TV socialites.

“Jenny is the most evolving character on the show,” she says. “She’s the youngest, so she’s figuring stuff out.”

This is good for Momsen; characters “figuring stuff out” are the funnel clouds that become the eye of the dramatic storm.

So look out Serena, look out Blair. Momsen has already eclipsed Blake Lively and Leighton Meester at Constance Billard, but will she soon take over their spots on the red carpet too?

Short answer: Yes. Tall and thin and charging into her own—along with the requisite famous-girl rumours of eating disorders, exhaustion and hospital stays—she’s fast becoming the talked-about face of the show that launched her. However, the queen mums of Girl may not have too much to fear from Little J in the future, as Momsen’s off-camera sights are set on a decidedly more Lower East Side dream.

While she admits she loves acting—“It’s a great job and a passion, but there’s a level of detachment because it’s not me”—Momsen insists “music is my everything.”

To that end, she spends her nights in lingerie with ragged hair and raccoon eyes (much like her look for FASHION’s cover shoot) flaunting a Hole-era Courtney Love vibe as frontwoman of her punk-ish band, The Pretty Reckless. “I get up in the morning for it, I live for it. It’s me onstage, not Jenny Humphrey or Cindy Lou Who.”

Momsen’s musical goal seems to be nothing less than to save pop music from itself: “Right now, there is nothing original. Nothing real. I don’t even turn on the radio.” It’s a statement worthy of the most proper Williamsburg hipster.

The band isn’t currently touring, and there’s no specific timeline for finishing its debut record (to be released by Interscope), but the demos are done. “It’s really heavy,” says Momsen. “Unexpectedly so. It’s going to surprise a lot of the fans.”

Girl purists, however, don’t have to fear losing Momsen right away; in fact, they might be pleased (or jealous?) to know her musical pursuits have actually seeped into the show. Momsen says that the show’s stylist and writers incorporate each actor’s personal style into the storylines.

“I cut my hair, and then the show had the arc where Jenny moves to the Lower East Side, lives with a model and cuts her hair. It’s really cool.”

But rocker-Momsen can go high-femme too. “I really like Chanel. It’s classic, feminine. Dior is fantastic, so is Alexander Wang. My fashion is inspired by New York City, by music, passion. I don’t really like bold colours. There’s something chic about black. Style is cool when it doesn’t scream.”

So what’s the next role for Momsen, then, when she’s not on stage, cool and screaming?

“Something different,” she says. “I’ll know when it feels right.”

Earth Day serves as a catalyst for Hollywood celebs and fashion plates alike to wear their ethics on their sleeve, and everywhere else. From Stella McCartney to Payless. Be-gone Birkenstocks, hello eco-couture!

By Darrah Le Montre, staff writer

LOS ANGELES (RPRN) 04/17/09 -Earth Day is April 22nd and there’s no wiry excuse left not to pitch in with a daily good deed to aid the environment. Not only is it karma-licious, but it’s trendy too. The conundrum of trading in smart fashion sense for do-gooding is long gone. In part, thanks to cutting-edge designers with a conscience.

Lucky for us, designer Stella McCartney is no stranger to ethical threads. With her no holds barred, no-fur policy she makes it possible for ladies to rock the red carpet or the city streets without fear of a drive-by flouring from a local PETA practitioner.

Popular Stella items include the Organic Cotton Voile Top, Organic Oversized Cotton Knitted Cardigan, and the Cloud Print El Mer Shift Dress. Check out her unique spin on sportswear, Adidas by Stella McCartney, and moniker scent, so patchouli is no longer the only signature of a chic consumer with a conscience. Visit, STELLAMCCARTNEY.com.

Beth Doane, founder of Andira International and the Andira Rain-Tee Collection, offers a Rescue an Animal Program through her charity Merazonia, which rescues trafficked and abused Amazonian animals. Find out more about it on RAINTEES.com.

For those on a budget, and in this economy – who isn’t – Payless Shoe Source announced plans to launch a first-ever affordable green footwear line. According to ECOSHOESOURCE.WORDPRESS.com, the national shoe-seller will release the green footwear line early next year. Eco Shoe Source also reports that Payless has “signed an agreement with Summer Rayne Oakes, Discovery Network’s Planet Green fashion and beauty expert to serve as the green footwear brand’s Eco Consultant.”

Lynn Hasselberger, founder of myEARTH360.com is a mom with the Midas touch and a golden Rolodex.
Her Hollywood ‘09 Gift Bags by Distinctive Assets contain reusable water bottles, bookmarks manufactured with carbon neutral paper, 100% beeswax candles and vegan chocolate truffles among other things. A stand-out item in these bags – which are made from fibers extracted from a banana plant relative, is a recycled belt made from truck tire inner tubes! Leonardo DiCaprio and Sheryl Crow are committed environmentalists, both of whom have received Lynn Hasselberger’s Hollywood ’09 Gift Bags and support her cause. And she also sells Beth Doane’s RainTees.

Hasselberger’s innovative way to get her eco-friendly message to stars and civilians alike is housed on her website as well as in her gift bags. myEARTH360.com has adorable and enviro-conscious T-shirts for women and children, called “Rain Tees.” According to the website, “Rain tees are a 100% organic” and “designed by youth living in endangered rain forests across central and South America.” For every Rain tee sold, “a child involved in Kids Saving the Rain Forest, Costa Rica will receive a tree they can plant to replace one that has been destroyed.” The “Loro Perico Rain Tee,” available on myEarth360.com, goes for $37.99 and features endangered Amazon love birds kissing inside a painted feather. Quite a steal, considering you’re also buying a Costa Rican child a new tree. For that, you may just go to heaven.

Another celeb on the forefront of environmentalism is Woody Harrelson. An avid eco-warrior, the actor has a website called VOICEYOURSELF.com, with many golden tips on lightening your carbon footprint. He was also featured in the Sundance Audience Award-winning film “Fuel,” out now in select theatres. “Fuel” explores how bio-diesel can change our dependence on foreign oil, and aid the planet.

If you’re anything like this reporter, you adore the designs south of your ankle. And why shouldn’t they be as ethical as your cotton dress or recycled belt? For the latest trends in cruelty-free fashions for the feet, try Kim Kardashian’s monthly shoe club, “Shoe Dazzle,” which features a vegan stiletto sandal called, “Artemisa.”

Perhaps this Earth Day, you and your loved one can garner a cool new pair of recycled shoes and walk to the nearest theatre for a matinee showing.

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First appeared in Rush PR News.