the modelizer

>>  Best known for being the face of Lancome and holding green causes close to her heart (and maybe being Isabella Rosselini's daughter and Ingrid Bergman's granddaughter, too), Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman to talk about all of the aforementioned. 

When she revealed she's going to London School of Economics in the Fall to study for a master's degree in biomedicine, David replied: "I don't even know what that means, "life medicine"?"  Funnily enough, Elettra agreed: "I don't either, that's the ironic thing."  But best of all is at the end, when David whips out a "Lancome powder compact" and starts to eat the "makeup" because it "smells delicious."  Looks like the joke is on Elettra . . .

>>  Just a couple of days after we got a first look at the making of the 2009 Pirelli calendar (NSFW), more footage from the shoot in Botswana has appeared, complete with the girls riding around on elephants, jumping off elephants into water, and writhing around in the mud.  There is even a preview shot of Daria Werbowy included.

Accompanying the video are interviews with photographer Peter Beard and Lara Stone — all in Italian — but when the narrator introduces Lara Stone, she mentions that Lara is thinking about retiring.  Nothing for sure, but surprising, considering how much of a following she has in Carine Roitfeld and at W.

The footage below is NSFW:

>> THE MODELIZER — Add New York Models' Janeil Williams to the growing list of girls appearing in the July 2008 all-black issue of Vogue Italia.  From Jamaica, Janeil is definitely one of the lesser-known girls to be booked for the job, but she shot for Vogue two months ago, so that may not be the case for long. [Jamaica Gleaner]

>>  Models are really starting to undertake the green cause: Cindy Crawford has been blogging for Vanity Fair on her eco experiences, Shalom Harlow and Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann teamed up to organize the Earth Pledge FutureFashion show during New York Fashion Week this January, and now Angela Lindvall is joining Adrian Grenier on a new eco-centric TV show, Alter Eco.

The show, which premieres tonight at 10 PM ET/PT on the new channel, Planet Green, is essentially a green makeover series, so Adrian and his team of four — Angela's area of expertise is eco fashion — go out and "green-over" homes, schools, and businesses.  Well, that explains her tree-hugging photo-op last week.

Below, a promo clip of the show, and the series schedule is here.

>> Sessilee Lopez has been getting a lot of buzz lately, especially surrounding a potential appearance in the all-black July issue of Vogue Italia, and now she is also appearing in the new Kanye West "Flashing Lights" Video, which debuted yesterday. 

Shot on location in Berlin, the video features Sessilee mostly in shadow, but she does play a starring role — Kanye chases her throughout, and she even sings "Flashing Lights" at one point.  As for her wardrobe, it doesn't stray too far from her normal modeling wear — she sports several floor-length couture gowns, all together:

>>  Just on the heels of the news that Irina Lazareanu's album is debuting this Fall and Nadja Auermann is working on a music career, Karen Elson revealed yesterday that she, too, is in the initial stages of recording a solo album.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's married to Jack White of The White Stripes.

Also on Karen's plate?  A vintage clothing boutique she's planning to open in Nashvile, where she resides.  The store has yet to be named, but she does have an idea about what is going inside: "I want to sell everything from vintage Kenny Valenti and rare Ossie Clarke to Valentino couture — but also cheaper vintage stuff to attract a wider audience." 

So if you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by Belmont Boulevard for a likely Elson sighting.
*images: source

>> Irina Lazareanu has been working with Sean Lennon on her album, Some Place Along the Way, since 2006, but it looks like 2008 is the year we'll finally get to have a listen to the final product. 

Tuesday night, the musician-cum-model said the album, which is produced by Patti Smith and features some songs by Irina's close friend/maybe boyfriend Pete Doherty, is due out in September: "All we need to do is get Sean [Lennon] and Patti in the same town and make sure Pete's not in prison and we can get rolling." 

As for potential stagewear, Balenciaga is her staple, "but I find brands like Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela also look fabulous on stage."

For a preview of the folkiness to come, here's Irina's duet with Sean, "Strange Places," which debuted in July 2006:

>> Another day, another legal scuffle for Naomi Campbell: The British Crown Prosecution Service has just charged her with six offenses related to her troubles with British Airways at Heathrow Airport last month.

The supermodel faces a maximum sentence of a six-month jail penalty and/or a fine of $9,850 for three counts of assaulting a policeman, plus fines of up to $1,970 for each of her three additional charges — one count of disorderly conduct, and two counts of using threatening behavior and abusive words to the airplane's crew.

Her trial is set for June 20, but until then, let's hope Naomi stays out of trouble.
*images: source