10-NOV-2011 From the looks of the svelte VICTORIA’S SECRET models, the designers must have spent their year reading FABLES, VAMPIRELLA, WITCHBLADE and DEJAH THORIS comics.
I scoped the gallery of gorgeous creations at the NY Daily News website and pulled a few pics that I find oh-so-nerdy! There are plenty more there including exotic gold with elaborate middle eastern/Indian tones, huge black feathers like an Amy Brown faerie, and just a hint of Victorian steampunk influence. The first picture of the NYDN gallery is the stunning taut Adriana Lima who looked like she could fly off the pages of 1990’s Wildstorm comic.
Of course, this level of beauty is not without its price. Lima told the Telegraph about her strict diet regime of egg powder, no solid food for nine days and no water for the day of the show and two workouts per day for months. Is anyone really surprised by this extreme dieting?
The unrealistic, unhealthy images of female bodies is a DAILY debate on the internet and occasionally as a buzz topic on American news. It usually only crops up a) during Fashion Week or b) when a celeb admits to having an eating disorder. By my best guess, that’s about 2-4 times per year that the subject of “size less than zero” is ever actually addressed by people of media influence.
HOWEVER, here’s the twist no one will tell you about: model Chanel Iman actually had to GAIN 15 pounds for this Victoria’s Secret show! To have that stellar bustline and curvy hips, you need to possess the curves. And chicology shows before and after pictures of Chanel. Yes, the VS bras are designed to add a whole lot of “oomph” that is lacking giving the illusion of a bustier chest but kudos to Chanel for going the extra mile with protein shakes and defying any pressure to starve herself to death
Anja Rubik sported another design similar to that one Lima wore first. It screams post-modernism with a super villain flare of sharp peaks and bold colors.
Most of the ladies strutted in thigh-high boots or go-go boots, also staples of the comic book femme fatale. Erin Heatherton’s outfit reminded me of the character Jetstream played by Kelly Preston in SKY HIGH.
It was far from modest like Jetstream but the color scheme and apparent aeriel abilities of a winged supermodel are like a Zenescope version of one of pop culture’s favorite super moms.
It’s easy to visualize the Victoria’s Secret ensembles as Lichtenstein panels. I actually think it would make for a fantastic fashion show them if the Benday dots were applied with makeup effects to these particular models. With trends the way they are, successes such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art comic/fantasy and fashion exhibit, and epic comic brand names being sought by Hollywood, I would not be surprised to the dots hit the runways next year.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.