In Which Joan Smalls Talks About Her Modeling Beginnings

Naturally, after a W magazine cover, comes a W magazine – style screen test. Joan Smalls’ W cover was my favorite this month (I liked it so much, I’m willing to close my eyes at its unnatural photoshop afterwork result). This, my dahlings, is Joan Smalls’ screen test in which you’ll watch her talking about first steps in modeling. (doesn’t she have a lovely voice?)

You know I love Candice Swanepoel. Her natural posing is effortlessly perfect and her smile is adorable. Flying her angel wings towards couture, Candice Swanepoel has landed the Versace Jeans Fall Winter 2012 2013 ad campaign. In a racy, rough glamour manner, Candice is trying hard to sell us heavy rocks. Chains? Biker boots? Umm. No. denim, actually. {wwd}

I think I’m feeling pretty militant today. I haven’t planned it like that, it just followed the natural path of what I read since I opened my laptop an hour or so ago. I’m usually a passive bystander of everything and anything fashion and style. Every now and then, I stand up and raise my voice.

But what can one single voice do today? Joining the ever so nice Gabrielle from Design Mom, I’m speaking up against the ever shrinking ideal image of women today! Against the excessive use of Photoshop, against the wrongful distribution on models on catwalks as clothes hangers and nothing more, for that and so many more image ailments I think we should raise our voices stronger and louder.

Today it’s us, looking at these ads and whatnots. Tomorrow, it’s our children. That alone makes me get out of my passive mood and stand up. Because if one day, my sweet daughter will come to me saying she wants to be thinner, I’ll more likely faint. It may take us forever to achieve what we want, but at least we’re not just sitting ducks for the ever shrinking image hunters. Are we?

(talking about children: ) So I guess that makes it official, then? Megan Fox and husband Brian Austin Green, though they didn’t go public with an official pregnancy announcement, recently celebrated their wedding anniversary in Hawaii where they pretty much paraded the said unofficial baby bump. (it’s nice to finally have a confirmation after months of speculations and rumors)

I don’t know about you, but whenever there’s a baby (and a baby bump) involved, my heart melts on the spot. Plus, the two of them look really cute together and seem to share authentic feelings and commitment! (so how far along do you think she is? I’m thinking about 6months?)

UPDATE: Due to recent threats we received via email, we were – unfortunately – forced to remove the photo showing Megan and her husband in Hawaii. However, I couldn’t just pretend Megan’s pretty pregnant body vanished into thin air, so here’s another image where we can admire just how lovely she was during her pregnancy. (photo Fameflynet / Karl Larsen/INFPhoto)

I used to be a smoker. A long, long time ago. Now I can’t, for the life of me, understand those who smoke, and, especially those who smoke around children. It makes my blood boil. Today, when I found this absolutely brilliant advertising campaign from the Thai Health Foundation (people refer to it as the “smoking kid” campaign), it was so powerful, it brought tears to my eyes. Instantly. Hoping it’s still available, can you watch it and share your reactions?

Remember earlier when I was amazed by Cindy Crawford taking a simple walk on the beach? Saying that although I’ve seen her in pictorials before, a paparazzi picture is more relevant, reality – wise, than an army of stylists, makeup artists and photoshop editors?

When that army happens to someone, it is more likely that they lose any resemblance with real persons. Eva Longoria on the cover of Amica July 2012 as photographed by Mark Liddell is a perfect example to sustain my theory. I bet that’s why they wrote her name on the cover, who would’ve recognized her otherwise?

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Since I saw the first images with January Jones switching on the Ginger side of the hair force, I wanted to say how much I liked it! I can’t say if the sudden change was imposed by a movie role, but I do hope she sticks with it! January Jones, the redhead – how do you like her? I like her far better than when she was a blonde! {BauerGriffinonline}

After seeing the cheerful Longchamp ad campaign yesterday, I found it really hard to cope with the harsh and dramatic aesthetic of Bottega Veneta’s Fall Winter 2012 2013 ad campaign.

Aymeline Valade as photographed by Erwin Olaf is just as inviting and as joyful as an obituary, in comparison with Coco Rocha’s bike joyride. However, a single look at Erwin Olaf’s work is enough to make us understand that his vision is far from being a joyride. We might even consider ourselves lucky because instead of sinking us in the fashion drama ocean, the good people at Bottega Veneta only let him immerse our toes!