Androgynous Model Calls Bullshit On Dossier Censoring

By Jenna Sauers  |  May 26, 2011 | 3:50pm
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Andrej Pejic has addressed the kerfuffle over his shirtless Dossier cover, which two U.S. bookstore chains required to be sealed in an opaque plastic cover. “I think the question really isn’t the gender of the person on the cover, it’s whether it’s porn or it’s art. And clearly, it’s art, so art really should not be censored in a democratic society.” The Australian male model says even the fact that plenty of other men get to be shirtless on magazine covers “is irrelevant. It’s art, so I don’t think it should be censored at all. It’s not any sort of sexual image.” [The Cut]

David Gandy is the subject of a book compiled by Dolce & Gabbana. A Dolce & Gabbana book. About David Gandy. [Vogue UK]

This Dior model looks a lot like PJ Harvey in 1995. [WOW]

Enterprising teen alert: A 16-year-old named Tara Houghton is selling red stickers for the soles of your shoes for $9.99 a pair. Let’s see how long it takes for Christian Louboutin to cry havoc and let slip his legal team of war. [Rosso Solini]

  • Maria Sharapova made an estimated $24.5 million last year. Most of that was through endorsement deals with fashion brands, like Cole Haan, Tiffany’s, and Tag Heuer. Her Nike deal is also substantial. [NYTimes]
  • One of the banks handling next month’s Prada IPO says that the company may be worth $15 billion. $15 billion. Previous valuations by other analysts had topped out at $9.5 billion. The bank, Intesa, arrived at that number by multiplying by 21 what it projects will be Prada’s 2012 profits, which is to say they picked a number and multiplied it by another number they liked. Prada did have a banner year in 2010, with profits for the year rising 150%, to $330 million. Intesa thinks that means Prada could make $703 million in 2012. We’ll see. The long-awaited IPO (Prada has planned, and cancelled, at least three IPOs in the last ten years) is reportedly set for June 23-24. [WWD]
  • Luxury houses in Europe are experiencing difficulties finding new employees with the specialized skills the industry requires — like goldsmithing, lace-making, couture sewing, fur production. Training a lacemaker, like those who made the lace for Kate Middleton‘s wedding dress, takes seven years and demand for such apprenticeships is low. [Reuters]
  • After those bad financial results yesterday, Polo Ralph Lauren has announced it will spend over $1 billion over the next three years reinvesting in the company, largely on new stores in Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, it will also close 65 Asian stores that are “part of a weak distribution network.” [WWD]
  • Judi Dench supports a ban on animal testing of cosmetics in Europe. [CM]
  • First, Heidi Klum takes a photo wearing no makeup. Then, she takes a photo wearing no clothes — only chocolate! What will she think of next? [P6]
  • Famous 7th grader Elle Fanning on the clothes she wears: “I shop vintage all the time…I’ve always been obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and her ’50s style. Alexa Chung is my style icon.” [ONTD]
  • Fellow young’un Chloe Moretz says that she’d love a fashion line — maybe when she’s 16. [Vogue UK]
  • A bill to cut import duties on children’s and low-cost footwear, which the retail industry has long lobbied for, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. A House version is expected next week. [WWD]
  • Simon Doonan has two pieces of advice for would-be fashion designers: “Don’t try to start a fashion company using your Aunt Mitzi’s pension fund,” because you’ll feel terrible when she’s “destitute.” And always have at least one drag queen friend, because they’re very “life-affirming.” [Racked]
  • Express will roll out a new, Japanese-designed store layout next month. Reports Women’s Wear Daily, the features include “industrial fixtures, a larger footprint, a dual gender ‘denim lab’ and a runway down the center to merchandise key products.” [WWD]
  • Here is a New York Times trend piece about scarves. We love scarves, and we hate trend pieces, so we feel pretty conflicted right now. [NYTimes]
  • Zac Posen, Damir Doma, and Carven are among the brands elected to the Chambre Syndicale, the (more exclusive) French counterpart to the Council of Fashion Designers of America. [WWD]
  • Profits at Tiffany & Co. were up 26% over last year during the first quarter, to $81 million. [WWD]
  • Tiffany’s has given $1 million of that to the Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund. In exchange, Tiffany’s gets its name all over the program materials, and one jewelry designer will receive a $250,000 business development grant funded by the retailer. The term of the sponsorship deal is three years. [The Cut]
  • Burberry made $322 million last year. [WWD]
  • Moda Operandi is looking for investors. [Reuters]
  • Delia’s lost $4.5 million last quarter, which is less than the $5.8 million it lost in the same quarter in ’10. [WWD]

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