Last week, The Wall Street Journal, and various other media outlets, …the story of Ali Michaels being cancelled form a show in London after she …five pounds. Many were disturbed, including District In8, were slightly agitated by the news—concerned about the message this was sending about the industry and its influence over the public’s perceived notions of beauty. However, the truth is, the fashion industry, as a whole, does not entirely bear that responsibility. And more importantly, which is the larger societal issue – anorexia or obesity?

More recently renowned fashion designer and the head of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, gave an interview for Hong Kong’s Prestige magazine in which he mentioned the size of models. Asked about his opinion of ‘size zero’, Lagerfeld replied:

"This is a subject I won't discuss. You know why? In France there are a large percentage of young girls who are overweight and less than one percent are skinny. So let's talk about the 25 percent who have a weight problem, or are overweight. We don't need to discuss the less than one percent. Anorexia is nothing to do with fashion."

The artistry in fashion dictates that models are thin for a reason – to allow the designer’s creations to shine, not the body wearing them. Duly noted is the argument that it makes no sense for designers to have slight models parading in clothes that will be sold to an audience where the average buyer is about 5-6 dress sizes larger. But the important thing to keep in mind is that most runway looks are not literal interpretations of what will be distributed to stores for public consumption. It is by nature what is in the theory – a model.

Notably, there is a strong correlation between fashion and music. Designers often speak of muses in reference to starlets, models, and movie stars of past eras; but I believe music to be the emotion cogitate of fashion. Music is strategically chosen and placed throughout a show to help tell the story of the collection, to evoke a mood. Without it, you’re just watching beautiful art come down the runway, with little reference to the sentiment of the collection.  You may as well visit a gallery and stare into a still piece, pondering the question “what is the artist trying to convey?” That is the poignant connection between fashion and music -- that and the fact that musicians serve as walking billboards and spokespeople high fashion designer labels.

However, Rapper Kanye West believes that fashion and music don't mix enough these days and hints that he might start his own clothing line.

Sources quoted West, who attended Paris Fashion Week, as saying, "I get a lot of a attention and sometimes designers don't want anything taking the focus off the show." This statement was in response to being denied entry into the much coveted Balenciaga show.

According to reports, Balenciaga didn't feel his hip hop image was right for the tone of the runway show. Surprisingly Kanye who is famous for his 'opinion' didn't mind too much, saying: "I totally love and respect any designer that won't let me come to their show... it's their show... they don't owe me anything."

He wrote in his blog, "I feel like music and fashion don't bridge enough, at least not as much as it did in the '80s when Madonna and Michael actually influenced designers."

He also hinted that he might start his own clothing line stating: "I just want to make great art on every level and fashion shows are one of the best forms of art in the world."

Where is Hansel when you need him?

Times Online Reports:

Kate Moss has been knocked off the top of a best-dressed list by the model-of-the-moment Agyness Deyn.

The 34-year-old Croydon-born supermodel has taken the best-dressed crown for the last two years thanks to her prized ability to influence the contents of women’s wardrobes.

Although she still receives praise in Tatler magazine’s annual list, it is Moss’s rival Deyn, 25, whose sartorial choices enlist most respect.

Tatler also puts Samantha Cameron, the wife of Tory leader David Cameron, in the top 10 for being “consistently chic and never flash”. The magazine adds: “She brings some much-needed glamour to the Tory Wives Club.”

The actress Keira Knightley takes fourth place, for being a “red carpet style icon” who works the “grungy but clean” look during the day.

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AHN Reports:

Paris, France (CNS) - The body of former model Katoucha Niane, known as Katoucha, was found in the Seine River near the Garigliano Bridge on Thursday, police said on Friday.

Katoucha, 47, disappeared on January 31 as she returned to her houseboat that was moored near the Alexander III Bridge in central Paris. The police said the autopsy performed showed no signs of foul play and think that she may have accidentally fallen into the river. She was last seen returning home from a party. After quitting modeling in the 1980's, Katoucha started actively speaking out against female circumcision and began writing her own book "Katoucha, In My Flesh". The book described her own personal experience at age 9 with female mutilation. The book was published last year.

Katoucha, born in Guinea, was one of the first African women to achieve international stardom on the runway. She was a former top model for designers such as Yves St. Laurent, Christian Lacroix and other top designers until she stepped down to launch a campaign against female genital mutilation.

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