Danielle Stevens Jewelry

Seventeen year old Ali Michael has been a model on the rise for the past year.  She walked in 31 shows for Spring 2008 Fashion Week, has appeared in W, Teen Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and has been personally congratulated by Anna Wintour for her accomplished runway work.  This season, however, is a different story.  The 5'9" model, with a 23" waist made the smart decision to stop making herself sick in order to remain rail thin, and the five pounds she added to her frame have prevented her from being cast in the Fall 2008 Paris shows!  According to the Wall Street Journal, casting directors in Paris have told Michael that "her legs are too plump."  Last season she walked in 11 Paris shows, including Chanel, Lacroix, Lagerfeld and Galliano, but she was only booked by Yohji Yamamoto this Paris season.  With the various eating disorders and deaths in the modeling world that have garnered media attention the past few years, we are appalled that models like Ali Michael, who take corrective measures for their health are penalized while those who continue to destroy their bodies to be unnaturally thin are rewarded with the runway.  How many more deaths is it going to take for the fashion world to realize that emaciated thin shouldn't be in?

Photos: Left- Lanvin Spring 2008, Right-Ruffian Fall 2008

Fall Fashion Preview, sealed with "The Kiss"

At DSJ we've been doing lots of Fashion Week research, and we're very excited about all of the decadent "Art-Nouveau-esque" details that are popping up on the Fall runway.   The nod to Viennese Artist, Gustav Klimt, is apparent in designers from Oscar de la Renta, to Phillip Lim to Alberta Ferretti, all of whom are showing an abundance of gold and iridescent colored pieces with stylized, curvilinear designs.     It's great to think that while the weather may transition back to cold, our Fall wardrobe wont have to take on the same dreariness.  The coming months call for a celebration of femininity, exuberance and decoration that shifts from the monochrome color palette and chunky sweaters that dominated last Fall's runway.  Ladies, keep an eye out for things that sparkle and shine!

Strike A Pose, Vogue

With New York Fashion Week underway, there's no better way to get into the spirit of all things style than going to the Horst Platinum exhibit at the Forbes Galleries (unless, you have a front row seat at Bryant Park, in which case we'll understand your delay in getting to the exhibition).  This collection of fifty of his works, from 1931-1991, displays the range of his subjects from fashion photography, portraiture and still lifes, all of which have an air of glamour and artistry at their core.  The elegance of the Horst's iconic fashion photography will surely teach everyone the meaning of the word vogue (as the artist made lasting contributions to both the magazine and Madonna's song).

The Forbes Galleries are located at 62 Fifth Avenue (at 12th St) and the exhibit  runs through March 15, 2008.