>> Karolina Kurkova Switches Agencies, Is Having a Boy —Karolina Kurkova seems to be switching her focuses now that she's six months pregnant with her first child — a boy — and her Victoria's Secret Angel contract lapsed earlier this year.  Her first blockbuster movie — G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra — comes out this Summer, and she's switched from longtime agency DNA to IMG, joining the ranks of models who have become brands like Kate Moss, Heidi Klum, and Gisele Bundchen. [FWD]

>> Du Juan Is Having Some Legal Woes —Du Juan has been sued by Chinese modeling agency New Silk Road for allegedly violating their contract by signing with IMG and may face a fine of up to 4.5m yuan (approx. $659,000).  The agreement was made in Sept. 2002, after Du Juan was crowned at the agency's annual model search, and stipulates that New Silk Road remain her sole agency.  Since she signed with IMG in 2005 before the contract expired, New Silk Road demands part of the model's earnings at IMG, as well as another 3m yuan (approx. $439,000) fine. Du Juan's attorney says that she was forced to sign the New Silk Road contract in order to enter the final round of their competition, as opposed to after the show as the company has claimed. [China Daily]

>> There have been a lot of big model-agency switcharoos lately, with both Agyness Deyn and Snejana Onopka moving to Women, but conspiracy theorists have a new model on their minds: Tanya Dziahileva.

In the past few days, she has gone missing from her agency IMG's site; when you add that information to the fact that she left IMG's Milan branch for Why Not Models, and IMG's Paris branch for Marilyn, some are calling foul, especially since shedidn't walk New York Fashion Week because of a lost passport, but made it to Milan and Paris just fine.

Was the lost passport an excuse because she didn't have New York representation?  Was she dropped by IMG, did she quit, or is her disappearance from the site all a mistake?
*image: source

>> The third Fashion Week in for the Model.Live girls, and things start to get difficult — for Madeline Kragh and Austria Alcantara, at least.  Austria went to over 30 castings for Milan Fashion Week and got nothing, except a call from a casting director to her agency IMG saying that she wasn't looking her best.  Ouch.  Madeline had the same troubles — she wasn't cast for any shows, and at one point got frustrated enough to tell the cameramen to stop filming.  Both girls, defeated, move on to Paris early.  Cato van Ee, on the other hand, scores Prada for the second season in a row — and does a little impromptu song and dance when she finds out.  Will Paris be a whole new ball game, as the girls are promised?  Next week, we'll find out.

>> THE MODELIZER —Here's the Gemma Ward update we've all been waiting for, straight from Gemma herself: "While I am taking some time off currently to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family, I am still very much a (excited and enthusiastic) working model and actress. I'm only 20, for God's sakes." IMG confirmed that she will be taking off through September — so no Spring 2009 runways. [The Cut]

»On the rise: Pamela Love, whose claw bracelets appeared in the Fall 2008 Gap ads, and who is collaborating with Marchesa for Spring 2009 [The Cut]

»Does Jane Mayle already have placement at another, larger label? [The Pipeline]

»Preen, Roksanda Illincic, Marios Schwab on their Spring 2009 inspiration [Dazed Digital]

»Diane Pernet is launching a touring fashion film festival [FWD]

»Siri Tollerod stars in a really over-the-top Harajuku Lovers commercial [Fashionista]

»Julia Stegner has moved from Women to IMG [Chic Report]

»New York Models Show Package [Of the Minute]

»Alison Lewis, formerly of Mooka Kinney, to launch solo line [The Pipeline]

»Nina Garcia is rumored to have charged $60,000-$70,000 per public appearance in her final months as fashion director at Elle [Gawker]

»Before Teen Vogue, there was Junior Bazaar [bunny BISOUS]

»If he has a child, Tom Ford will not allow it to be seen or photographed [Chic Report]

»Daisy Lowe parted ways with IMG [Fashionista]

»Making of Longchamp Fall 2008 video with Kate Moss and Gaspard Ulliel [YouTube]

»Sophia Kokosalaki is going from two to four collections a year [Vogue UK]

»Coming to you during NY Fashion Week: designer Dorothy slippers [FabSugar]

»Christy Turlington, Gisele Bundchen in August 2008 W [W, W]

»First peek at Rag & Bone shoes, Proenza Schouler sunglasses [Style File, The Cut]

>> Two years ago, Anna Wintour told WWD she turned down involvement in Project Runway because "Vogue is not in the business of making entertainment out of the struggles of new designers."  Last month when asked about the possibility of a Vogue reality series, she still seemed unconvinced, but was less straight with an opinion.

Now we know why — just as Elle is gearing up to debut its reality show Stylista on The CW this Fall, Vogue announced today that it is producing a reality series of its own with IMG.  Instead of showing on the small screen like Stylista, Model.Live will be web-based, debuting August 19 on Vogue.TV with syndication on Hulu.  The 12 eight-minute episodes of Model.Live follow three models from IMG's Development board: 16-year-old Austria Alcantara from the Dominican Republic, 20-year-old American Madeline Kragh, and 19-year-old Dutch model Cato van Ee, who had Prada and Miu Miu runway exclusives for Fall 2008.

The show, which Vogue Publishing Director Tom Florio promises to be "not reality at all, just amateurs live," follows the three models through casting calls, runways, and airports for all four fashion weeks.  Underage behavior like smoking or drinking will likely be censored if it comes up while taping, but depression or unhealthy eating habits will be "met head-on."

Let's hope this is good — it cost $3 million to make, or about $31,000 a minute.

*image: source

»After three days of packing for couture, Sean Avery learned he had to stay put in New York because of contract negotiations with the Rangers [Style File]

»Subliminal message? Agyness Deyn has "food" written on her shoe [Jezebel]

»Hussein Chalayan is producing his first shoe range for Fall 2009 [Vogue UK]

»Videos of Fall 2008 Armani Prive and Chanel Couture [Telegraph UK, Telegraph UK]

»IMG Models has a tribute to Ruslana Korshunova on their homepage [Chic Report]

»Alber Elbaz held a launch party for his Lanvin denim line with Acne Jeans last night [FabSugar, FWD]

»This year's Glastonbury fashion, with Lily Cole and more [Style.com]

»A look at Azzaro Resort 2009 [WWD]