December 2007 archive

Saleisha Wins America's Next Top Model!

Ok everyone, I know this is another ANTM post, but you don't think I couldn't let the finale happen without an update, do you?! Saleisha is Cycle 9's Top Model winner, and the recipient of a fantastic modeling contract, Seventeen Magazine cover and spread, and the title of Cover Girl! I'm very excited for her. There's some buzz going around by upset fans of the other models claiming it was unfair because Saleisha attended Tyra's T-Zone camp and modeled on her talk show before coming on ANTM. The cries of outrage claim favoritism, that it's unfair and she shouldn't have been allowed on the show. What do you think of this? I'm kind of on the fence.

On one hand, I can see how people would see that she had a bit of an advantage, having been around Tyra prior to the show. I'm sure if I were a contestant I'd be gasping with the rest of them, feeling a bit jealous at my inherent disadvantage compared to her. But on the other hand, a model is a model is a model. No matter how you slice it, Saleisha has the talent to embody not only the modeling talent of a Cover Girl, but the personality and poise. Some argue that she's not 'high fashion' enough, but if you look at a Cover Girl commercial...that's exactly what it is - commercial! I think Saleisha definitely stepped up her game toward the end and did her best to compete against the more fierce looks of fellow models Jenah and Lisa (I think she went home too soon). And with the haircut that they gave her during the makeover, I think that alone deserves some praise to work it out amidst that. It was supposed to be 'edgy' but I'm not sure that's what it accomplished. Regardless of hair, Saleisha definitely embodies the qualities of 'true beauty', inside and out.

Well,...now another cycle of Top Model has come and gone. What will I do on my Wednesday nights now?! I guess it's time to look forward to another cycle in the Spring, and find another show to latch onto until then. I think it might end up being American Idol, though I'm not as into that as I once was because it's gotten a bit stale. That and they didn't pick me when I auditioned! But I'm not bitter, I swear...

Watch for some more ANTM updates in the Spring. For now, check out our jeans of the week for a pick me up during the post-Top-Model blues. 

(Photo Courtesy of cwtv.com) 

William Rast on The Daily 10

Amidst the flurry of runway clips and previews surrounding Justin Timberlake's denim line, William Rast, and its, er, 'effect' on boosting celebrity Jessica Simpson's figure, we hear a voice amidst the crowd: "I'm sure God did some...William Rast did the rest." Described by 'The Daily 10' as a "booty-rockin' denim line", William Rast jeans have made big headway and don't appear to be stopping any time soon.

The brand, so named for Justin's grandfather, William, and design partner and best friend Trace Ayala's grandfather's last name, Rast, is snagging the attention of both men and women alike. The video features a step by step tour through the process of creating William Rast jeans, from picking out the type of denim to use, to the wash and the fit.

And what about the fit? We couldn't talk about jeans on True Life without talking about the fit! Instead of using a fit model like many companies do, the William Rast line takes the "best of three" approach - finding cuts that fit three different body types, and then picking a 'happy medium' that will look great on many different shapes and sizes.

To top it all off, their fashion show not only used models, but dancers as well! When's the last time you saw a fashion show with runway walkers break dancing? Sounds like Justin and Trace are bringing more than jeans to the catwalk.  

What do you think of it all? What makes Justin's line different from other celebrity fashion and beauty lines? Does the fact that he didn't use his name in the label make it more credible to you? If you're interested in trying a pair, you won't have to guess whether you're within the "best of three" fit rule. Check out True Jeans' line of William Rast jeans and use our fit technology to find your perfect fit!

Embrace Your Genes

So it's been a while since I've commented on True Life. But I like to drop in every now and then to give you a heads up about things that I'm really excited about.  First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has taken time to make comments and contribute to this ongoing dialogue that True Jeans supports about fashion and style on our True Life blog.  True Life is becoming a really meaningful community, and yes... we are listening.

I am really excited to announce that True Jeans has recently signed an agreement as a core sponsor of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), which is the leading non-profit group in the fight against eating disorders. In January, we will be launching a campaign with NEDA called EMBRACE YOUR GENES to promote a healthier appreciation of the unique bodies that we've all be given, and to call attention to the growing epidemic of eating disorders which are seriously affecting thousands of people. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates of any mental illness. Prior to my recent involvement with NEDA, I was pretty naïve about how serious an issue eating disorders are. Last week I attended a benefit dinner for NEDA that was very educational and inspiring. Actor Jamie Lynn Siegel from the Sopranos was recognized for her ongoing support of NEDA and for the attention and awareness she has brought to this issue.

Dove was also recognized for Campaign for Real Beauty, a powerful voice in promoting healthier body images for women in a world that constantly imposes toxic images of unhealthy and unrealistic beauty aspirations. Dove has set a great precedent for young fashion companies like True Jeans to follow, promoting a healthy version of beauty. At the dinner, they showed a recent Dove ad on a big screen that I thought was very powerful. It made me think about my daughter and the bombardment of toxic media messages that she will be faced to defend herself against. The commercial is called Dove Onslaught, and I'd like to share it with you if you haven't yet seen it. Many people in the audience that night were left in tears after watching this commercial.

Big applause for Dove.

True Jeans has its work cut out for itself. Three positive things that True Jeans is working on right now to improve in this area, which some of you may already be aware of, include:

1. Continuous research and fit testing so that we can offer our services for larger sizes (plus sizes). We already have some great plus size brands on board, which aren't quite available on our site yet, but will be soon.

2. Over the next few months we will be making efforts to integrate more diverse body types in the imagery on our website. True Jeans' goal is to help people of all body types find jeans and apparel that fit and eliminate the dressing room forever. We would like to better convey that in our imagery.

3. We're sponsoring NEDA's EMBRACE YOUR GENES campaign to promote healthier body images and join the fight against eating disorders.

Please share your ideas or feedback with us about eating disorders or the unhealthy body images that pervade the media. Have you, or someone close to you, ever been affected by eating disorders? Do you think this is a serious problem or a vanity disease? What should fashion and beauty companies do promote healthier body images?

I look forward to hearing from you, and we'll keep you posted on the upcoming Embrace Your Genes campaign.   

Sincerely,    

Romney Evans
Co-founder / CEO
True Jeans

Mixed Messages from America's Next Top Model

As I was sitting down for my weekly dose of guilty pleasure also known as America's Next Top Model last night, I got to thinking. In between each segment of the show was commercial after commercial for beauty products, diet foods and other advertising that's supposed to speak to the show's target audience. Does it speak to us? You bet it does. But what does it say to us? We're too fat, our lashes aren't long or full enough, and we should vote for Hillary Clinton - ok, maybe the last one is just because of the time of year. But still! What is going on, Tyra?! And this is what made me think back to a few weeks ago.

This season, I was delighted to see Sarah, not only because she's from Massachusetts, but because she was the first girl to walk in who was right in the middle.  Not super skinny, not plus size. Don't get me wrong! Models of all shapes and sizes can be gorgeous, but I was just intrigued that she didn't fit the traditional mold of any previous contestant on the show. Instead of categorizing herself, Sarah walked in, told the judges to take her as she was, and they did. I remember Jay Manuel saying something like, "well she's not skinny and she's not plus size,....what is she?" and Tyra replied, "she's real size!"

They were all excited and were going to have this whole new category of model for Sarah, representing all of the ladies out there who really are just kind of in the middle. But THEN! As the weeks went on, she started losing weight. She insisted that she wasn't doing it on purpose, but the judges started complaining that she wasn't big enough or small enough, and thus, she was eliminated. And this is when I said, "What is going on, Tyra?!"

I remember sitting there with my mouth hanging open, listening to Tyra's reasons for eliminating Sarah, and I couldn't help but wonder what Tyra really thinks. The woman leaving this girl sobbing, packing her bags to go home with probably a worse self image than she's ever had, is the same woman proudly declaring her weight on her chest on a red bathing suit and encouraging the rest of her studio audience to do the same. Granted, they're not all contestants on America's Next Top Model, but there was certainly more to Sarah's beauty than her weight. The brief glimpses we got of her on the show revealed a bubbly person with a fantastic sense of humor, a beautiful face and body and the education and poise that I think anyone would agree shows the true spirit of a Cover Girl, and in terms of our topics at True Jeans, of true beauty.

Regardless of the reasons that she was eliminated, I grew to really like her by the end. Granted, that could just be what the editors wanted us all to think. What do you think? Did you think it was a fair elimination? Who was or is your favorite Top Model Contestant?

(the photo in this entry was taken from the CW website)