Monday, October 3, 2005

How do drugs make one not a fashion icon?

It's been about two weeks since Kate Moss was exposed of snorting drugs by English tabloids. In less than a week, Kate lost three huge campaigns from Burberry, Chanel and H&M. But lucky for her, Rimmel London, the high street makeup brand is sticking with her.


I know this is old news, but it really makes you think. In the past two years, Kate has been hailed above and beyond all models and celebs to be the ultimate fashion icon. Despite being thirty, the modelling contracts kept rolling in. All fashion insiders, including editors, designers and photographers all proclaimed their love for Kate; and no doubt of course that we all talked and tried to dress like her (directly by immitating her, or indirectly by buying clothes from high street shops that were inspired by her.)

Doesn't it make you wonder, how does the fact that Kate takes drugs affect her fantastic style? Now that we know the ugly side of her life, are her clothes and accessories not still just as fabulous as before? It's Kate's personal life she does drugs. Obviously taking drugs is not a good thing and she should seek help (as she is now,) but is it right for all the fashion houses to just drop her? It's not like she looks physically different. And isn't that the main purpose of models? -To look good and together with art and photography, express the theme of the season's clothes or mood of the perfume?

OK, so I understand Kate is not just a model but sort of a celeb. But when I look at this season's Burberry ads now, I feel the same as I looked at it a month ago -that a) wow, the coat looks amazing and unaffordable; and b) Burberry decided to use their signature model again, and rightly so!


I've never had much feelings towards Naomi Campbell before, but it's times like these where you can see who are 'real' people and who are 'fake'. Naomi, who has been a good friend of Kate's since the supermodel era, expressed her support to Kate at a press conference last week. A few editors have also commented on how they still think Kate is a great model. But a little too late now.

I just hope Kate gets out of rehab soon and models again. Burberry ads will be weird without her. Even tabloids have turned boring now that there is no great fashion icon for us to ooh and ahh over. And no, even though Nicole Richie, Linsay Lohan and Sienna Miller dress well, they are not orignial fashion icons! (The first two have stylists for G's sake!)

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