So there you have it…models sans makeup. While the majority are still gorgeous, it’s always fun to see them looking “normal” like us regular folk.

[source]

In the world of Vogue Anna Wintour isn’t the only alpha female, there’s also power player Franca Sozzani editor in chief of Vogue Italia. Unlike Wintour, Sozzani doesn’t hide behind dark sunglasses and she’s not afraid to call things like she sees them. She even has her own blog on Vogue Italia‘s website and her posts helped boost the site’s traffic to over one million unique visitors a month–now that’s major editor power! Sozzani recently sat down for an exclusive interview with WWD, and of course we just had to bring you all the highlights.

When asked about the use of photoshop in Vogue Italia…
“We use it less and less, increasingly so — actually recently I am very much against it. But now it’s part of daily use and you can’t blame it. There are few photographers who don’t use Photoshop, very few.”

On her boredom of fashion shows…
“I do get really bored at shows. Shows must be creative, without becoming ridiculous, otherwise a showroom presentation is best. And also I’m bored with what has emerged around the shows.”

On constantly writing new content for her blog…
“What bores me the most is to write about fashion shows, because I’ve always experienced them at a visual level. To put it down in words is much more difficult, I enjoy it less and it interests me less. What I like is to tackle different topics.”

On initially being criticized for the “Black” and “Curvy” pages on her blog…
“Oh, very much so, because some said it was becoming the ghetto of plus-sized, the ghetto of black, but it’s not true. These are very happy readers, happy that we are looking at them in different ways.”

How feels when her blog gets negative reactions?
“I respond, ‘They can go to hell.’ I say that I’m sick and tired and I won’t write my blog anymore, then they say, “Oh, continue.” I write what I think and we can’t all agree; if we all did, where would controversy be? If there is no controversy, there is no opinion. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, because I’ve been head of a magazine for 22 years, and I find that I can express my ideas the way I want to. Then if you don’t agree, we can discuss it. I didn’t say I’m right, I say what I think. This is why it’s fundamental to talk to our readers. They are so diverse, and it’s important to understand what they think.”

I don’t know about you, but after this interview I added Sozzani’s blog to my daily read list.

[via WWD]

I’m pretty sure I’d be sweaty too if I took a trip to a hot Middle Eastern city, but Gisele’s armpit’s aren’t hot for the reason you’re thinking…The supermodel’s H&M ad campaign was dubbed “too racy” for the Middle East and layers had to be photoshopped into her “revealing” shoot. Now Gisele Bundchen‘s original shots are hardly as scandalous as you’re thinking and some of the photoshop changes are barely noticeable. Quick fixes included shirts being added underneath low-cut spaghetti strap dresses and a few necklines and armpit areas were covered up so the model wasn’t showing so much skin.

However, in one of the shots it looked like the retoucher added a tee shirt that’s a little too skin tight, almost like it was painted on. Actually, it was painted on, just through a computer instead of real life. A less glaring change is from the campaign image below; can you spot the difference? There’s only two slight changes- the white shirt’s neckline and fabric added to the back of the shirt.

What are your thoughts on the photoshopped campaign? You can browse all of Gisele’s H&M ads on MyFDB!

[via Telegraph UK]

Do you know who Francine, Isabel, Maud and Kim are? No, they’re not my friends, but they are the newest faces of Parisian brand, Make Up For Ever‘s newest ad campaign. The cosmetic line is dotting that these girls are 100% unretouched thanks to the brand’s HD products, this is apparently the first unretouched beauty campaign to hit the industry. It’s legitimate that the ads haven’t been retouched because the company had each image certified by a notary public. The campaign features four very different girls each photographing themselves MySpace-style during a night out. The girls are of course naturally beautiful, but you can spot imperfections on their arms- simple things that otherwise would’ve been photoshopped out.

Retouching has always been a hot button issue in the fashion industry. With final photo results not always resembling the original model or celebrity, it’s nice to see a brand actually embrace natural beauty.

Make Up For Ever also launched a mico-site to accompany the debut of ad campaign where beauty mavens can get cosmetic tips and see behind-the-scenes footage from all the girls in the campaign.

Make Up For Ever’s HD products are available at Sephora if you want to take the unretouching challenge yourself.

Retouching, now more than ever, is a hot button issue for the fashion industry. Some celebrities and models are choosing to go un-retouched for magazine editorials, while others have approved un-retouched images for release. Taking the topic to another level, new legal initiatives in France and the UK are requesting that retouched photos be labeled. While those initiatives will probably not turn into law, media awareness around the retouching subject has expanded.

“People are speaking about retouching more and more for good reason—because they’ve had enough,” Dr. Linda Papadopoulos, a reader in psychology at London Metropolitan University, told WWD . “There is study after study that shows women, when exposed to unrealistic images, feel bad about themselves. The objectification of the female form has gone so far that we’re not actually really objectifying it purely anymore. We’re objectifying a fantasy of the female form,” Papadopoulos continued.

Body image is another issue coinciding with retouching. We don’t think computer fixes will fully disappear, but perhaps it will be toned down and that’s why the industry has begun to embrace more full-figured models. Are they trying to create a more realistic representation of a magazine’s female audience? Possibly. Already staying ahead of this curve, supermodel Claudia Schiffer recently graced the cover of Elle French au natural. Also, hopping on this trend is Jessica Simpson on the May cover of Marie Claire with an un-retouched face.

This brings us to the question: Will more un-retouched and natural looks be in our magazine future?

[via WWD]