Old-Timers in Fashion

Every August I await baited breath for my September Vogue to arrive in the mail. It's a blessing and a curse. I also dread tackling the bible-sized magazine and having to sift through all the ads just to get to the good stuff. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised by the first 20 pages of Vogue. It was like flashing back in time to the early 90's in my old Parsons days. Familiar faces galore. Over a decade later, the super models have made a comeback. Naomi gracing the pages in a Yves Saint Laurent ad, Linda Evangelista posing for Prada, Claudia Schiffer working Chanel, Kate Moss looking all grown-up in Donna Karan, Christie Turlington smokey-eyed in an Escada ad, and even Amber Valletta and Kirsty Hume posing in a kitschy supermarket editorial. Boy do they look better than ever, thanks to Photoshop of course. It's refreshing for a change not to see the usual celebrity/actress toting a designer product in the pages of Vogue. It says a lot about the modeling industry - you're not necessarily a has-been after 35. It's harder to make a living as an actress in Hollywood at that age. These late 20th century super models have defied the odds and extended the longevity of their modeling careers, and not by becoming on-air personalities or reality TV show hosts. They're actually still modeling for world renown designers in Vogue for gods sake. It must be tough out there for the newbie models having to fight for a space in Vogue up against the old-timer super models with clout and the celebrity-driven world of leading actresses selling designer products. Doesn't leave much room for an up n' coming new face. But in any case, I'll take a little Linda, Claudia, and Naomi any day (even if they're touched up to the max) over a boring actress gracing the pages of Vogue. At least they have credibility and know something about fashion without a stylist giving them a voice.