DVF's Spring 2012 ad shot by Camilla Akrans, with creative direction from Laird+Partners.

My wonderful aunt asked me recently: why do all models look so angry? As much as I wanted to defend my industry with a quick "no they don't!", I immediately knew what she meant. Not on the covers of magazines, of course - mags 101 teaches us that those need to read "come buy me" with a big bright smile - but ad campaigns and runways are full of pouts. Granted, there are exceptions, like Betsey Johnson whose models often cartwheel down the runway, but for the most part, smiles sell mags and scowls sell clothes. Or do they?

The issue of diversity in fashion expands well beyond size. Racial diversity is something that I struggle with on this blog all of the time. Most of the stock images that I pull feature white females, not because I want them to, but because there are very few shots of ethnic women available. The same goes for diversity of age. That's why Meryl Streep's image on the cover of Vogue's January 2012 issue is such a huge win.

The October 2010 Vogue cover at left and the November 2011 French Elle cover at right.

There was a bit of fuss today over a cover shot from the October 2010 Vogue featuring Carey Mulligan popping up on the cover of French Elle's November 2011 book. How could it be? A few bloggers cried, but really the answer is simple.

Speculation surrounding the next career move for Carine Roitfeld has come to a close as the ex-Paris Vogue Editor-In-Chief announced this week that she will be starting her very own magazine. That's right, on paper.

With a rash of fashion blogs and websites to choose from, perhaps the best way for Roitfeld to stand out is by sticking with ink, but there is a reason why everyone has taken to the web and her resistance to the digital wave may be her undoing.

Model Karlie Kloss

Everyone is buzzing about a portrait of über-hot model Karlie Kloss posing nearly-nude in the October issue of Allure magazine. The 19-year-old was shot by famed photographer Mario Testino and the pics are soft, sexy, and beautiful. I'm sorry, but where's the scandal?

The most important fashion magazines in Canada and the U.S., FLARE and Vogue respectively, chose to feature models on their biggest cover of the year.

For the fashion world, January does not mark a new year. We live on more of a back to school, back to reality, back to luxurious layers schedule, and so September is our starting point. To coincide, the world of fashion publishing produces their largest, most important book. This was largely made known through the 2009 documentary The September Issue as it followed Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and her exquisite staff (let's face it, Grace Coddington stole the show) while they put together the pages of September 2007.

This week I shot behind-the-scenes footage for a fall 2011 fashion campaign. There on the sweaty sidewalk stood our actress in a wool turtleneck with a shearling jacket over top, smiling as her feet swelled in gorgeous leather knee-high boots. One of the crew members looked over at me and said: why do we make these girls wear tank tops in the winter and sweaters in the summer? Clearly this man was no fashion newbie, because his observation is perfectly true. 

Earlier this month, when model Caroline Louise Forsling announced her lawsuit against Estée Lauder for "false advertisement and deceptive ads", I asked you if advertisers should be allowed to enhance images or falsely represent their products. Through your ranging answers a "no" prevailed, so I thought I would update you on the latest news in this ongoing debate.

The irreplacable Naomi Campbell on the catwalk last month. Hard to believe she is 41 years old.

A clever cover line on the latest issue of Elle Canada has been garnering some attention in the press. It reads: "Naomi…move over!" alongside stunning new Canadian model, Herieth Paul who - at just 16 years of age - has already been building up an impressive portfolio.

However gorgeous, any suggestion that Paul is about to usurp the Catwalk Queen is one that I doth protest. Campbell and the original 80's supermodels - Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, and Linda Evangelista - are not about to be replaced. In fact, Evangelista once remarked that the Supers "don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day", and they are still commanding the high price tags—plus inflation!

The digitally enhanced ad that caused Caroline Louise Forsling to sue Estée Lauder.

You know that old saying "what you see is what you get"? Not so when it comes to the fashion and beauty industry, my friends. I know - not exactly a groundbreaking statement for some of you, but I'm always surprised by what some take at face value.
For instance, the shiny locks in that shampoo commercial? Hardly a direct result of said shampoo. The full and firm lift caused by that model's choice in denim? More likely caused by a few subtle clicks of the mouse. And that bikini-clad hottie with a visible six-pack? Heck, that might even be transgendered model Lea T flexing muscles what few women can cut.

Some ads smartly poke fun at this phenom of unrealistic product pushes - one of my favourite being last year's U by Kotex commercials that teasingly simulate women "twirling in slow motion" at the joy of menstruation - but for the most part, advertisers are able to get away with indiscretion.