The 90s were the heyday of the supermodel. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and later Kate Moss (to name but a few) reigned the catwalk supreme. They were powerful women in the world of fashion and entertainment, who famously would not get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day. Over the past few years, these supermodels have been making a comeback; Naomi, Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova are the faces of Dolce and Gabbana’s new fragrances, and Christy Turlington was recently seen posing for YSL.

Maybe the reason that the models are making a comeback is because there have been many pretenders to their thrones, but most of these models have been flashes in the pan and have never edged to the super level. The closest that the noughties have come to a supermodel is Gisele Bundchen, who earns $15 million a year. There are many more who earn a lot of money, but we may only know their faces and not their names.

I’m sure you are unbelievably sick of the size zero debacle, it does seem to be everywhere these days, but one of the reasons why it is believed that there aren’t any new supermodels is the army of skinny waifs on the catwalks today who women may not personally relate to. Back in the day, supermodels were athletic, beautiful and they were real women. They had character (no one can deny that Naomi Campbell has ‘character’) and they were not just clothes horses for designers, they were famous for themselves.

Of course there are models that might still become super; Agyness Deyn has made a definite name for herself with her platinum hair and northern charm, and Lily Cole has become a household name over the past few months. Models such as Natalia Vodianova and Daria Werbowy are staples in our magazines, but I couldn’t tell you one fact about them. I could tell you who Cindy Crawford is married to and what her children are called (she is married to Rande Gerber, and her children are called Presley and Kaia, and I am aware that knowing that does not make me very cool).

Of course it could all be retrospective, and they may only seem Super due to our hindsight, maybe we are harking back to the good all days when they were all in that George Michael video with rose tinted Oliver Peoples glasses. But maybe if there was a bit more of character injected into the new models and a bit more food in them; they may become super yet.

Vogue has written their A to Z of Spring Summer 2010 trends. I have to warn you, some of these emerging trends may terrify you:

Low Heels
Rejoice as you may now be able to comfortably walk! Hells are getting lower and your chances of arriving somewhere unscathed/ not falling to your death have increased dramatically. They are only losing a few inches but at least the platform trend is subsiding; I know, I love my platforms too but my bruised knees do not.

Cycling Shorts
Seen on the catwalks of Louis Vuitton, Prada and even Topshop Unique, these will be making their way onto the high street soon enough. Leggings are one thing, and shorts are one thing, but I am slightly worried that the combination of the two will cause more faux pas than any other new trend. I could be wrong though because the next new trend is…..

Underwear as Outerwear
This trend is going to be big. Whether it’s a bra top, a lacy negligee style dress or, just wearing a corset as an outfit, it will be inescapable. So it’s either time to embrace your inner harlot, or tut as girls in their underwear walk past you on the street.

Milkmaids
Think wooden heeled clog-like shoes, white pinafore dresses and wide eyes for this look that has been showcased at Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta.

Bum bags
I don’t think that needs any further comment.

Yellow
With yellow, you have to be really careful with the shade that you go for as they wrong one may go against your skin tone and wash you out. Make sure to try on whatever yellow pieces you like before you buy if you’re a paley like me, but if you have gorgeous dark skin, go crazy for this colour.

So I’ll see you in a couple of months in my yellow cycling shorts, low heeled clogs and lacy black basque.
 

With winter drawing closer and closer, the cute winter accessories, coats, boots and sophisticated eveningwear is hitting the high street in full force – and I want you to take full advantage of it! Whether you’re on a shopping spree for Christmas gifts (or you need to cure the Christmas blues with a few treats for yourself), there’s always room for a little red lipstick here, a clutch bag there…

From top left and counter clockwise, here’s our top 9 must-haves this season:

1. Faux-Fur:

Faux fur coats are big this season – they are comfortable, warm and stylish…There’s not much more you need to be convinced, but what about the price tag on this gorgeous South Fur Jacket, only £77.00 from Littlewoods.

2. Bold and Chunky Jewellery:

From the bib necklaces to bangles-galore, this season has big statement jewellery written all over it. Why not give this gorgeous flower and bead ring a try. It’s £13 well spent on yourself or a loved one.

3. Stud Ankle Boots:

Studs and leather are everywhere, as we saw on yesterday’s blog post about over the knee boots and the leather bomber jacket is in just about all the shop fronts. Grab a pair of leather ankle boots to pair with the fur coat for only £46.00.

4. Over The Knee Boots:

We’ve been through why these are great – If you love this pair, make them yours for only £49.00. Go for black or try brown – Flat boots always look great in brown!

5. Check-Print Coats:

This gorgeous Ted Baker double breasted coat is comfortable, UK-centric, extremely stylish and most importantly, it’s timeless. That’s why I wouldn’t feel so bad about the hefty price tag of £225.00.

6. Sequined Dresses:

A sequined dress is the must have of the season. Instead of opting for the all over sequin why not try one with trim detailing – just as pretty but less 80s disco – £210 from Unique Boutique.

7. Quirky Clutch:
I have featured this Dune Clutch Bag before, but god it’s amazing – quirky patterns, shapes and colours are big for clutches this season so definitely keep it on your wish list. This one comes with a £65.00 price tag (but I don’t even care!)

8. Bow Accessories:

Along with bunny and mouse ears on headbands, this 5-year-old-gone-20 trend is sweet and fun. Grab these Free Spirit Girls headbands at only £8.00 for a pack of 2.

9. Red, Red and more Red:

From lipstick to dresses, red is definitely the colour of the season. Pick any of the items above in red, accessorise with red jewellery and hair accessories or create the perfect pout with red lips.

German women’s magazine Brigitte has taken a bold move; they have decided that from 2010 they will no longer use professional models in their magazine photo shoots. The magazine’s editor, Andreas Lebert stated that they had decided to use a mix of prominent women and regular readers to model in the pages of their monthly mag. One of the reasons they decided to do this was because Brigitte’s staff was sick of having to retouch professional models to make them look like ordinary women, as readers could not relate to the models’ thin bodies, and they were actually airbrushing them to make them look bigger.

Readers have been given the opportunity to submit pictures of themselves in the hopes that they may be the next Brigitte photo shoot star, and they will be paid the same amount as a professional model (probably not as much as Kate Moss, but it’s still pretty good).

The magazine’s decision has been met with both praise and criticism. Some see it simply as a marketing ploy, while successful German designer Karl Lagerfield has been very outspoken about his lack of support for the magazine. Lagerfield stated that he believed that the decision was driven by overweight women who did not like to be reminded of their weight issues. He said, ‘These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television saying that thin models are ugly.’ Harsh Karl, very harsh.

As much as the magazine wants to show ordinary women, they have made the decision that they will only show women size 8-16; Lebert has said, ‘We are not going to become a magazine for plus-sizes.’ One blogger wrote that this decision was still discriminatory, ‘It’s like the popular girls inviting your friend to be in the club, leaving you all alone.’ It seems that there will be limits on what ‘ordinary’ women in Brigitte will look like.

One of Lagerfield’s other arguments was that fashion is about dreams and aspirations, and that includes the models. He believes that women want to see clothes on an aesthetically pleasing person, rather than on someone who they may view as their counterpart. As high fashion items are unattainable for most, is it fitting that the models’ looks and bodies should be unattainable too?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote on my blog about the best ways to tone up your legs for all the beautiful new shoes that are coming out this season. These included lunges and squats, and I’m sure you‘ve all been dutifully doing these exercises, but I may have found another way to tone your legs that might not be as strenuous.

You might have heard about or seen the ads for Skechers ‘Shape-Up’ shoes. These shoes are designed to tone your leg muscles while you walk. Everyday, we typically walk on hard ground, which places stress on places like the lower back and our knee joints. These shoes are designed so it feels like you’re walking barefoot on soft ground, which means that you use muscles that you probably wouldn’t normally exercise.

There are loads of benefits for these shoes; Skechers claim that they tone your muscles, improve posture and reduce cellulite. All in all, these miracle shoes are likely to improve your stamina and your metabolism. They may take a bit of getting used to at first, but the more you can walk in them the more dramatic the results will be.

You can get them in loads of different styles and colours and at £115; they’re a lot cheaper than a year long gym membership. And let’s be honest, you’ll probably be more likely to put these shoes on and go for a walk than go to the gym. You can just slot them into your normal walking regime, but see great benefits. So why don’t you walk yourself to a better body.

They are beautiful and they are ridiculous and I want them. These four inch high Givenchy crocodile print beauties are on sale for £865 (sigh). I must remind myself while I stare longingly at them that realistically, if I ever had the unbelievable fortune to wear these magnificent shoes I would a) probably take half an hour to put them on due to all the straps and b) probably severely injure myself due to their constrictive nature and my lack of balance. I think I would be able to suffer through the pain though.

On first look you may think that this is just a very elaborate boxers robe, (is it called a robe or a dressing gown?) but it has nothing to do with boxing. It is Alexander McQueen’s £7360 Hooded Sequin Dress, and it is amazing. Unfortunately I don’t have any award ceremonies or world premieres lined up in the near future, or £7000, but I have never wanted to resemble a spangly over-dressed boxer so much in my life.

This will be the winter of the Snood, well the first winter of the Snood since the 1980s ended anyway. This Cashmere rib- knit Michael Kors number will make you stand out on any wintery street. Sadly it’s £740. I know what you’re thinking, but please do not sacrifice you gas and electricity allowance this winter and buy this Snood instead. It will keep your neck/head area warm but it will not heat your whole house, unfortunately.

I love this Bottega Veneta silver ball pendant and I think it’s because it reminds me of a disco ball. It would perk up any outfit and make anything look edgy and elegant. Look how beautiful the chain is too. And it can be yours for £740. If you buy it though, will you let me borrow it please?

The danger with this Valentino ponyskin hobo bag is that the second I saw it I started thinking of the outfits I own that it would go with… which I decided was all the outfits I own. I think I could even pull this bag off in my pyjamas. The Italian fashion royalty are using it in their current advertising campaign; no surprise there as it’s so eye catching and gorgeous. Guess how much it is… £1500. I honestly don’t know why I even look at these things, it’s just torture.

Celebrities have been part of the fashion world for a long time, whether they are designing their own clothing line, or modeling for a fashion brand. They offer designers publicity that they might not have gained by just using a model. I’m sure we can all think of campaigns where famous faces have stared up at us from our magazines; I’m thinking Scarlett Johansson for Dolce and Gabbana and Keira Knightley for Chanel just for starters.

They’ve sat on the front row of fashion shows all over the world for years, but now they are slowly infiltrating the catwalks and strutting their stuff just like the professional models. This isn’t an entirely new idea, Madonna pushed a pram (I don’t know why either) down a Jean-Paul Gautier runway in 1994, but it seems that the trend is growing. I don’t mean Charity Fashion shows either, I mean full on, Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter shows in the fashion capitals of the world.

But with the millions, ok maybe thousands of celebrities that there are today, sometimes it’s easy to forget that maybe they started off as models. Like Daisy Lowe, was she a model first? Or did she become famous then become a model? Same with Pixie Geldof, I saw her in Vogue but I can’t remember if she is just merely one of those celebrity offspring who fell into modeling. Both these ‘models’ have walked in major shows for fashion Dame and all round eccentric Vivienne Westwood, so surely they must be good.

Alexa Chung also walked for Westwood for the Spring/Summer 09 Shows, Lindsay Lohan was the star attraction (apart from the clothes of course) at Dolce and Gabbana’s 08/09 Milan Show and Victoria Beckham has had a couple of jaunts on the catwalk, including walking for Roberto Cavalli in Milan.

It makes you wonder though, should they be up there? Or should celebrities stay firmly seated during fashion shows? Models have already lost the major fashion magazine covers to famous actresses and singers, surely the catwalk should remain the sacred stomping ground of the professional model. But then again, Cindy Crawford did try to act.