The Death of Fashion and the Fashion Model

When I saw Paris and Nicole on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, I was so upset I canceled my subscription. At least now I know I'm not alone in being offended and disappointed at seeing these fake-tanned, blond-extension-wearing, jailbirds on the cover of a magazine that had been an inspiration for me for many years. There's a great column today in the LA Times fashion section, Image, by Booth Moore, explaining how truly clueless Bazaar was when it put skinny celebutantes on the cover.

It's one thing to see Paris and Nicole on the covers of the rag mags, like US Weekly, but PLEASE spare me their presence in a real fashion magazine. I know fashion can get a little out of touch with reality, but this was just over the top. What has happened to the days of fashion when you saw the faces of Gisele, Karolina, Kate, and Liya? Those were the fashion magazines that got me through all those years at Parsons, tearsheets and all.

Now almost every fashion magazine features a singer or actress on the cover - Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightly, etc. The poor fashion models have lost the coveted cover shot! They are doomed to the back pages of the mags in the fashion spreads. Give me some Jacquetta Wheeler on the cover please and look like a real fashion magazine à la Italian Vogue. I can live with a celebrity on the cover as long as it's a celeb with style, like Scarlett Johansson, but spare me the Olsen twins or Paris and Nicole. Vogue, in fact, by putting a curvacious Jennifer Hudson on the cover, was so refreshing. She may have added to the death of the fashion cover model, but at least she's a respectable style icon in the making.

The Death of Fashion and the Fashion Model

When I saw Paris and Nicole on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, I was so upset I canceled my subscription. At least now I know I'm not alone in being offended and disappointed at seeing these fake-tanned, blond-extension-wearing, jailbirds on the cover of a magazine that had been an inspiration for me for many years. There's a great column today in the LA Times fashion section, Image, by Booth Moore, explaining how truly clueless Bazaar was when it put skinny celebutantes on the cover.

It's one thing to see Paris and Nicole on the covers of the rag mags, like US Weekly, but PLEASE spare me their presence in a real fashion magazine. I know fashion can get a little out of touch with reality, but this was just over the top. What has happened to the days of fashion when you saw the faces of Gisele, Karolina, Kate, and Liya? Those were the fashion magazines that got me through all those years at Parsons, tearsheets and all.

Now almost every fashion magazine features a singer or actress on the cover - Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightly, etc. The poor fashion models have lost the coveted cover shot! They are doomed to the back pages of the mags in the fashion spreads. Give me some Jacquetta Wheeler on the cover please and look like a real fashion magazine à la Italian Vogue. I can live with a celebrity on the cover as long as it's a celeb with style, like Scarlett Johansson, but spare me the Olsen twins or Paris and Nicole. Vogue, in fact, by putting a curvacious Jennifer Hudson on the cover, was so refreshing. She may have added to the death of the fashion cover model, but at least she's a respectable style icon in the making.

10% off at Shopstacia.com for Surfrider Members

One of my favorite places and causes is the Ocean. Moving to Southern California has been a wake up call of sorts on how polluted and pathetic our oceans have become. Growing up in Hawaii, beach closures and sewage spills were non-existent. But out here it's a common problem that people have become numb to when they hear it in the news. So I guess there's no surfing this weekend in LA with yet another sewage spill at Dockweiler and Venice beach today (plus Malibu is flat!). Everybody here gripes about the sewage spill for about 2 minutes then it's back to business as usual. Luckily there's organizations like Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation who are trying to shake the system and get some action (or at least accountability) for the ocean's pollution. So take some action yourself and join your local Surfrider chapter or participate in your local Beach Cleanup Day, and let's help clean up our beaches and oceans for the sake of surfers, swimmers, and the aquatic life. Stacia is a proud retail member of the Surfrider Foundation and a Heal the Bay member. Become a Surfrider member today and you will receive 10% off your purchases at shopstacia.com for life!

10% off at Shopstacia.com for Surfrider Members

One of my favorite places and causes is the Ocean. Moving to Southern California has been a wake up call of sorts on how polluted and pathetic our oceans have become. Growing up in Hawaii, beach closures and sewage spills were non-existent. But out here it's a common problem that people have become numb to when they hear it in the news. So I guess there's no surfing this weekend in LA with yet another sewage spill at Dockweiler and Venice beach today (plus Malibu is flat!). Everybody here gripes about the sewage spill for about 2 minutes then it's back to business as usual. Luckily there's organizations like Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation who are trying to shake the system and get some action (or at least accountability) for the ocean's pollution. So take some action yourself and join your local Surfrider chapter or participate in your local Beach Cleanup Day, and let's help clean up our beaches and oceans for the sake of surfers, swimmers, and the aquatic life. Stacia is a proud retail member of the Surfrider Foundation and a Heal the Bay member. Become a Surfrider member today and you will receive 10% off your purchases at shopstacia.com for life!

Celebrity Style Icon of the Week - Reese

Even clothing designers indulge in a little rag reading (aka Us Weekly and People) and enjoy dishing on celebs and their good and bad style behavior. My favorite is of course dishing the good on celebrity style and sometimes I find inspiration from those rag pix of celebs. My current favorite right now is Reese Witherspoon. Ever since she dumped her boy-faced hubby, she's never looked better. Her laid-back, effortless chic style has lately been seen on the streets of Brentwood near my home. I've seen her up close and personal at City Bakery with her son, Deacon, and she does look fabulous! Petite and spunky (even after a divorce!) she was sporting a chambray cotton peasant blouse, Marc Jacobs sunglasses, a Van Cleef & Arpel necklace (got to have one!), a large leather tote (for diapers and other kid paraphernalia), and of course, the ultimate accessory, her adorable son. Now that's what I call a cool Mom. Being a new Mom myself, I'm always in awe of those women who can pull off the Mom-look in style. So here's to Reese, who is my style icon of the week!

Celebrity Style Icon of the Week - Reese

Even clothing designers indulge in a little rag reading (aka Us Weekly and People) and enjoy dishing on celebs and their good and bad style behavior. My favorite is of course dishing the good on celebrity style and sometimes I find inspiration from those rag pix of celebs. My current favorite right now is Reese Witherspoon. Ever since she dumped her boy-faced hubby, she's never looked better. Her laid-back, effortless chic style has lately been seen on the streets of Brentwood near my home. I've seen her up close and personal at City Bakery with her son, Deacon, and she does look fabulous! Petite and spunky (even after a divorce!) she was sporting a chambray cotton peasant blouse, Marc Jacobs sunglasses, a Van Cleef & Arpel necklace (got to have one!), a large leather tote (for diapers and other kid paraphernalia), and of course, the ultimate accessory, her adorable son. Now that's what I call a cool Mom. Being a new Mom myself, I'm always in awe of those women who can pull off the Mom-look in style. So here's to Reese, who is my style icon of the week!

Win a $500 shopping spree at Ravinstyle.com

Vote for Stacia at stylebakery.com and you could win a $500 shopping spree at ravinstyle.com! Stylebakery.com is a fun take on a traditional style magazine offering style solutions and fresh ingredients to help you cook up your look. The "chefs" at stylebakery will hook you up with the latest and greatest fashion finds and link you to where you can buy them direct. They do all the research for you, so you're just a click away to a style recipe. They cover fashion, beauty, and lifestyle for "real" women who have real budgets. They're hosting the "On the Rise Awards," recognizing the hottest emerging designers and gathering votes for this year's favorite designer. Cast your vote (for ME, please!)and you'll be one step closer to winning a shopping spree at one of the coolest sites in the universe - ravinstyle.com. The girls at ravinstyle.com are the best - they know their fashion and offer the best edited mix of clothing and accessories (and Stacia!) for sale on the web. Thanks for your consideration!