>> 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
IMG Models
What's Going on with Tanya Dziahileva?
Model.Live Episode Eight: Two Out, One Grand Slam
>> 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.
Get Your Exclusive! Calvin Klein's Troika
>> Sophie Srej may be Hungarian, Anna Selezneva Russian, and Charlotte Hoyer Danish, but these three girls now have one thing in common — as of today, they are the Spring 2009 Calvin Klein show exclusives. Anna Selezneva is the only cover girl of the bunch, but now Sophie and Charlotte have joined her in becoming some of the most watched new faces going into Milan and Paris.
*image: source
>> 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]
Pamela Love Is Clawing Her Way to the Top
»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 Had Carved a Pretty Sweet Life Out for Herself at Elle
»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]
Vogue Joins Reality with Model.Live
>> 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
Bummer: Sean Avery Couldn't Attend Couture After All
»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]
Model Ruslana Korshunova Dies In Fall From NYC High-Rise
UPDATE: The medical examiner's office has ruled the death a suicide.
>> Sad news for the modeling industry today: 20-year-old Ruslana Korshunova fell to her death in an apparent suicide around 2:30 pm Saturday.
Although the fall is still under investigation, the Kazakhstani model known as IMG's "Russian Rapunzel" for her long flowing hair apparently jumped from her ninth-floor apartment in Manhattan's Financial District. Officials said there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment, where Ruslana had been living for only two months, and the balcony from which she fell had construction netting around it which appeared to have been deliberately ripped.
Ruslana was first discovered in November 2003 by Models 1 booker Debbie Jones, who saw her in an in-flight magazine article about her hometown in Kazakhstan, Almaty: "She looked like something out of a fairytale! We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did! She's really incredible with feline features and timeless beauty."
Since then, Ruslana appeared on the covers of Russian Vogue and French Elle, in ads for Marc by Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, DKNY, and Christian Dior, and walked in numerous runways for the likes of Marchesa, Libertine, Y-3, Alberta Ferretti and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
A making of video of Ruslana's Nina by Nina Ricci fragrance television ad below.
Three months ago, Ruslana posted online: "I'm so lost. Will I ever find myself?" but Saturday, a friend said that she had just returned from a job in Paris and seemed to be "on top of the world." Her ex-boyfriend had just dropped her off at her apartment at 5 am that morning, after they watched the movie Ghost. And her best friend, Kira Titeneva avowed: "There's no way she would have killed herself. She loved life so much." Rest in peace, Ruslana.
A gallery of some of her work below.
*image: source, source, source
Lily Cole, Winehouse-Fielder-Civil Homewrecker?
»True story? Lily Cole inadvertently caused an argument between Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil, during which they barricaded themselves in the bathroom, prompting the Olsens to try to bribe the happy couple with free late-night shopping at Harvey Nichols if they’d only open up [The Times UK]
»Jacquetta Wheeler is moving back to London after seven years in New York [Style File]
»More photographic evidence that Agyness Deyn and Albert Hammond, Jr. are into each other [INF Daily]
»Diane von Furstenberg sent a dispatch last week asking designers to do presentations rather than runway shows for fashion week [The Cut]
»An actress in Italy's adult-entertainment industry tried to go by the pseudonym Roberta Missoni, until Missoni's lawyers intervened [Style File]
»American Apparel is expanding into jewelry, starting with lots and lots of chains [Racked]
»IMG Models signed Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen [Fashionista]
»Net-a-Porter is going to carry A.P.C. starting in the Fall, promising to host more selection than the A.P.C. website [Nylon]
»Previews of Emilio Pucci and Givenchy Resort 2009 [WWD, WWD]



