Diane Von Furstenberg, designer, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, wife of Barry Diller, lover of the Chinese, had a bit of an embarrassment at Fall Fashion Week. See, as CFDA president Von Furstenberg has been one of the more vocal designers trying to assure that runway models are at least 16 and are "properly fed". Which is great, and we're sure the snack table at her show was excellent, but, well, one of the models at her own show, Hailey Clauson, was only 15—a fact readily available to anyone who knows how to use the Google.
No surprise then that today an e-mail Von Furstenberg sent to CFDA members apologizing for the matter is making the rounds:
One of the guidelines, as you know, is not to hire models under 16 in addition to making sure that all of them are properly fed.
Well, it is to my horror, that I discovered last Friday that in spite of me repeating that to my production and casting people, one girl slipped through the cracks. One girl who will be 16 in March walked my show last week!
And if the idea of a horrified DVF isn't enough, can she mention how sorry she is? She's really sorry! The letter continues: “I was horrified and terribly embarrassed. From now on I will instruct my casting people to demand IDs. I encourage you to do the same. Please accept my apology. I am trying to be a good leader and set an example...so please please accept my apology.”
We guess, considering how many big runways Clauson walked in September's Fashion Week (when she worked for Calvin Klein and Zac Posen, among others) we'll let it slide... will you?
