Maybelline Cosmetics announced its new face as German supermodel Julia Stegner. Stegner, also the face of current Guerlain and Alberta Ferretti campaigns, joins other notables like Erin Wasson and Christy Turlington. Her campaign will come out in February 2008. As a longtime Stegner fan, this is a double-edged sword for me . I'm happy that this ensures some longevity for her career but hoping she doesn't get way too commercial as she's already prominently in Victoria's Secret catalogue. I guess time will tell...

Gucci Gets Lynched

As Frida Giannini's SS08 collection gets widely panned by most critics (NY Times' Cathy Horyn derides the designer for her "lack of cultural awareness"), the new Gucci by Gucci perfume is being rolled out with a commercial directed by David Lynch. Starring the inimitable Raquel Zimmermann, a pre-shorn Freja Beha Erichsen and a pre-blonded Natasha Poly, the ad shows the three models grooving to Blondie's "Heart of Glass." Check it out:


And the behind-the-scenes to see how Lynch creates the nausea-inducing camera movement. Worth a watch if only to judge who's the best dancer among the three models:

Fashion Bites

• Naomi, Liya, Iman and André discuss the lack of black models in the fashion industry (color me surprised) . Iman wants to start a model union, thanks God she is no longer a model. [WWD]
• The latest fashion beefs - my money's on Wintour [NYMag]
• Jodie Kidd: makeup maven, model, polo player, drug pusher? [Daily Mail]
• Gold Coast Fashion Week's 12-year-old model causes uproar [Daily Mail]
• The art of publicizing a fashion show: Rosa Cha case study [WSJ]

Fresh Face: Toni Garrn

The blonde, blue-eyed Toni Garrn created a stir when she opened and closed Calvin Klein's SS08 show. Represented by Women Management in NY and Paris, the rosy-cheeked teenager hails from Hamburg, Germany. With the CK exclusive, growing buzz and radiant and fresh features, Garrn is sure to go far (seriously! Check out those cheekbones in the third photo).

Photos: style.com, Women Management

Latest Cheap & Chic Trend: Model Copying?

WWD reports on the similarity of H&M's fall ad campaign, featuring Anja Rubik, Freja Beha Erichsen and a dark-haired, blue-eyed Tasha Tilberg, to that of Chloé's fall ads featuring Anja Rubik, Freja Beha Erichsen and a dark-haired, blue-eyed Shalom Harlow. Perhaps H&M came too close with their "similar hairstyles, poses and attitude" to the Inez and Vinoodh aesthetic?

Another example of model imitation is from Canadian retailer, Le Château, whose ads (above) feature Irina Lazareanu and Brad Kroenig. While the ads are not styled similarly (at least not to the degree Chloé feels H&M duplicated), the model pairing mimics Chanel's Cruise 2007 campaign. Lazareanu and Kroenig are certainly a model get for Le Château, which is roughly the equivalent of American store Wet Seal, although they do have a few locations in the New York metro area. Maybe the presence of the high-profile models in the ads for the Montreal-founded company can be explained because Lazareanu grew up in Quebec?

Whatever the reasons for the ad similarity, clearly most - particularly the fashion-savvy - can differentiate H&M from Chloé and Le Château from Chanel... but are these imitations the latest way for cheap and chic retailers to emulate high fashion brands?

Photo: lechateau.ca