Ordinary sized women have smashed through the skinny ceiling with Chanel giving the coveted role in its haute couture show in Paris to a 'curve model', writes Kerry Parnell.
In the drive for diversity, one of the last groups to get represented in the fashion world continues to be ordinary-sized women. Never mind Romeo Beckham going gender-fluid for YSL’s latest campaign, or pneumatic Kim Kardashian walking for Balenciaga, it’s still a pleasant surprise to see anyone who eats cake on the catwalk.
I’ll give you a moment to get your breath back, but it’s true. The designer brand sent a normal-sized woman down its couture runway on Tuesday and it wasn’t for a gimmick.Dutch model-of-the-moment Jill Kortleve – who at 175cm tall is an Aussie/UK size 12 – got the coveted bridal dress in the Chanel Fall 2022 haute couture show in Paris.
Why it’s a big deal she again walked in the couture collections this month, is because it means she’s burst the lockdown diversity bubble, when fashion brands rushed to cast inclusive models post-pandemic. The question is, did they mean it? According to The Fashion Spot’s diversity report, International Fashion Week has enjoyed an up-and-down record of using plus-sized models over the past five years, but the most recent shows were a record high.
However, it’s a good sign the magnificent Kortleve walked for Chanel, as well as MaxMara, in the couture collections. She also recently graced the covers of Vogue Netherlands and US Harper’s Bazaar, who say she is “shifting the paradigm” of fashion.
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