*UPDATED* Milan Fashion Week ... Lyndsey on her own

 



[caption id="attachment_1527" align="alignright" width="267" caption="--> Except this one. Lyndsey Scott walking for Gucci. (Photo credit: Style.com)"][/caption]

 



UPDATE: Turns out our hunch on Lyndsey Scott's islandistaness was spot on! She responded to our email query today, confirming that her mother is from Trinidad. Our islandista-spotting instincts are on point!

We're loathe to paraphrase Kanye West (especially since he ent really in style nowadays) but ... Milan Fashion Week don't like black people.

We nearly get snow blindness reviewing de pics of Milan's recently ended Fashion Week on style.com - is so de runways did white-white.

Very few black models and of course by extension, even fewer islandista models made it onto the runways of Milan and walked very few shows.

The one major exception to the rule was suspected Trini islandista Lyndsey Scott. Now our only evidence of her islandista-ness thus far is her New York Magazine profile earlier this year when she was the first black model to score an exclusive with Calvin Klein and random Trini-sounding aunts and uncles jump on New York Magazine's website to big up dey girl. But that works for us for now.

Lyndsey got lots of love from the Milanese, walking in six different shows, including big names like Gucci and Prada. Arlenis Sosa and Rose Cordero also walked in a few shows but Lyndsey definitely got the lion's share last week.

Check out more of her pics after the jump.

[caption id="attachment_1526" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Walking for Alberto Ferretti (All photo credits: Style.com)"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1528" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Blumarine"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1529" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Francesco Scognamiglio"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1530" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Gabriele Colangelo"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1531" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Prada"][/caption]

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*UPDATED* Milan Fashion Week ... Lyndsey on her own

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Go dehhh! Sigail and Jeneil work London Fashion Week

[caption id="attachment_1511" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Running tings... Jamaican models Jeneil Williams (left) and Sigail Currie (right) on the runways of London Fashion Week./ Photo credit: Style.com"][/caption]



Just as we observed about the recent New York Fashion Week, the just-ended London Fashion Week was more colourful than in years past - though, unlike NYFW, London's colour was not as evenly spread out between shows.

There were still a lot of very snowy shows. However, there were also quite a few shows that really represented for the 'ethnic' models such as Nathan Jenden whose show was full of colour in both the dresses and the models, which brought some balance.

Which is all good news for islandista models and islandista fashion watchers.

Again, islandista models were spotted on the runways, though there was not as great a diversity as at NYFW.

But those that got work... got work and leading the fash pack for the Caribbean were Jamaican models Jeneil Williams (who was hardly seen at all during NYFW) and Sigail Currie.

Even though we spotted Sigail in more looks, we have to give the edge to Jeneil as we spotted her in more shows - six to Sigail's five. Plus, she opened the show for Paul Smith (as seen in the photo above) - a significant coup.

Check out some of their pics after the jump.

[caption id="attachment_1512" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Jonathan Saunders"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1513" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Nathan Jenden"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1514" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Twenty8Twelve"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1515" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Vivienne Westwood Red Label"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1516" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Vivienne Westwood Red Label"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1517" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Issa"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1518" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="PPQ"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1519" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Graeme Black"][/caption]

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Go dehhh! Sigail and Jeneil work London Fashion Week

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An islandista conundrum - Jourdan Dunn and tokenism in Milan

So anyone reading this blog would know that we here at Islandista   Jourdan Dunn. We really do. We love how she's both fierce and gazelle-like, we love that she freely admitted she wished she had a big bamsy when she was younger and we love her refreshing frankness on the paucity of black models in high fashion.

So we are torn... torn we tell you! at her recent success on the catwalk and what it means. On the one hand, Jourdan has been tearing it up - from Vogue and Elle editorials to dominating New York, London and Milan's Fashion Weeks thus far. And we love it.

However it is her dominance of Milan Fashion Week that raises yet again the troubling question of race in fashion for Jourdan was often the token black on the runways at the recently concluded Milan Fashion Week.




[caption id="attachment_755" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Lonellly... I'm so lonnelly... on my own... Jourdan Dunn was the sole black model at Etro's Fall RTW show during Milan Fashion Week. (photo credit: Marcio Madeira for style.com)"][/caption]

 

New York Magazine pointed it out in a much-commented on piece last week, noting:



While New York's runways were more diverse than in seasons past, Milan was quite the opposite. Top Italian designers Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio Arman, Jil Sander, Marni, Missoni, Moschino, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo featured all-white casts of models. And the few times when designers did book ethnic models, they picked from a small, highly-selective pool of girls:  Jourdan Dunn, Liu Wenn and Marina Peres (Dunn, Wen, and Peres were the most requested girls from their respective groups.)

And therein lies the rub. While we revel in Jourdan's success and love that she was the top model in London's fashion week, walking in 14 shows, we bemoan the fact that designers are using her as the token black.

The figures from Milan, which NYM collected, bear this out in grim detail. In six out of the ten shows she walked in, she was all on her own to represent the million shades of black beauty that there are out there. In the other four, she was accompanied by Chanel Iman, who seems to be the only other black model in the world as far as most designers are concerned. She walked in seven shows but only walked two on her own as the sole black model - the others were of course with Jourdan and one with Arlenis Sosa.

So ... they say a word to the wise is sufficient so leh we try a t'ing here.

Friends, Milanese, designers - lend me your ears!

Jourdan Dunn is NOT the only black model in the world.

It is ok to use more than one black model at a time. It will not scare anyone. In fact, it could do great things for you. (see Italian Vogue, all black).


All black women and/or black models do not look alike. (Androgynous Eastern European models now... that's another story). We have diverse complexions, features and even hair types - not that I am so hopeful as to see a model rocking dreads anytime soon - but it's an idea!

 

 

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Fashion season analysis: more colourful?

(photo credit: The Shophound)

So New York and London's Fashion Weeks have whizzed by in the last fortnight or so and Milan and Paris are still to come.

The question, especially relevant to us islandistas is - has there been more colour on the runways? Have we been seeing women like ourselves (well, not really like ourselves because the average islandista is not 6 feet tall but you get our point) reflected?

The fashion industry has been taking some licks over the last year or so over its lack of diversity with women such as Naomi Campbell (one of our favourite islandistas, even though she's crazy scary), Bethann Hardison and Iman speaking out. The industry responded, tetchily and defensively at first but then with a few efforts, most notably the Italian Vogue all-black special which set the fashion industry alight.

So, has this all had any impact at all where it matters - on the runways and in the magazine pages? For New York's Fashion Week, blog Shophound maintained a Diversity Quotient which they included at the end of every review. They also did a full report, listing the DQ for all of the shows  they attended.

So what did it show? Well, things have gotten marginally better at least. Instead of just the token one black model (or none at all) designers have been making the effort to include two or three per show. Prominent black designer Tracy Reese led their stats, with 36% of her models being non-white. John Bartlett was close behind with 30% diversity. Brian Reyes followed with 27% and Ports 1961 and Ruben Singer both had 25%. At the other end of the scale, Jil Stuart had a measly 6.4% diversity quotient.

According to Reuters, Diane von Furstenburg, who as head of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) had urged designers to consider more diversity for their shows this season, also featured a number of black models as did DKNY. There was even a  young black albino model, 17 year old Shaun Ross, who was featured in the Patrick Ervell show.

Still many shows only featured one or no models of colour. And things were even more woeful for Asian and sub-continental Asian models. In fact, Shophound reported that Lakshmi Menon was the only South Asian model featured. And we know islandistas come in all colours so this still does not augur very well.

Designer Michael Angel claimed:

"I don't ever think about color, nor do I think of race. That is the most backward way to think."

Hmm. Funny. His DQ was a measly 6%. Which actually represented a whopping one black model out of 19- Anabela, who modeled 3 out of 44 looks. Hmm. I guess he's trying hard not to be too 'backward'.

Anyhow, things are changing slowly or rather we should say moving slowly because truthfully it is still too early in the game to know if this represents a real shift or if it is just a temporary response to the blacklash of the last year. They say black never goes out of style but in fashion that has just not been the case.

Islandista catwalker, the Dominican (Republic) model Arlenis Sosa, armed with her brand new Lancome contract, got quite a bit of attention, as did Sesilee Lopez. Both were featured in the all-black issue of Vogue. Sosa actually made her fashion week debut in NYC and walked for some pretty big names such as Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen, Narciso Rodriguez and Tommy Hilfiger. So that Italian Vogue issue is already starting to do its work.

Naomi sees a change. She says she is encouraged enough by the black representation on the catwalks that she is considering bowing out of the business. In an interview with the Times of London, she commented:

"This time they [designers and editors] have stepped it up. I feel positive. That means that I can go soon."

Really, it remains to be seen. I think we all  - bloggers, consumers, models, designers and so on, need to continue holding their feet to the fire.

So let's do that.

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Islandistas in Italian Vogue's all-black issue

(photo credit: New York magazine)

So every fashionista worth a damn has been buzzing about Italian Vogue's all-black issue which came out this week.

We all know how hard it is to find women of colour in the fashion industry - whether on the runways or in the editorials. And there has been a lot of debate and hand-wringing about it in recent times. Everyone agrees it's terrible but no-one quite seems to know where to point the finger... perhaps because they are trying to make sure it's not aimed at them. Is it the editors? Is it the designers? Is it the advertisers? Is it the readers?

Anyhow, Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani and photographer Steven Meisel got together and decided now was the perfect time to make a real statement about this. Sozanni was fascinated by the candidacy of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (can we claim him as an islandisto since he was born in Hawaii? :) I mean it's not the Caribbean but still...) and Meisel had long been frustrated with running up against brick walls when he would push black models for shoots.

So they did the damn thing with several islandistas making the cut. Naomi Campbell (of Jamaican parentage) of course led the charge, as one of four models on the fold-out front cover. Fellow Brit and suspected islandista by extraction (I am so sure this girl is of Caribbean parentage or grand parentage - black, British, with an Anglo last name? Sounds like a West Indian to me but being that she's relatively new on the scene I have not found any confirmation as yet) Jourdan Dunn is also featured on the cover.

Jamaican model Jeneil Williams (of Caribbean fashion powerhouse Pulse) is on the inside.

Personally, I think the editors of American, British and French Vogue in particular should HANG THEIR HEADS in shame that the editor of Italian Vogue beat them to this. After all, Italy has a black population of less than 1% whereas the USA, the UK and France all have significant black populations. Why should Italian Vogue have been the first one to confront this ugly issue when these editions all have much larger black populations?

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