Beautiful but Overpaid, and Vacuous.

Are you smarter than a supermodel? Sybil Buck does the legwork (and cheesy interpretive dance style acting) to find out in this vintage House of Style clip.

How the hell did that girl know the capital of Mongolia? Cudos, my pretty friend, cudos!

Warm It Up, Chris.

You need heating up. Watch the late fashion photographer Herb Ritts' gorgeous dramatic-photos-in-motion video for Chris Isaak's Wicked Game:



I love this video. It's been around for twenty years! It still looks fresh and timeless and like the perfect way to spend warm day day. Oh, and Helena Christensen still looks that good too. Here she is talking about Global Warming in Peru. Again, warming you up, while making you more socially conscious.



Yes, I know Global Warming isn't to be taken lightly, but I just wanted to throw the word warming in the post. It's barely breaking 30 today people, I need to do what I can. I'm going to say it again: warming. Waaaaarmmmmmming. Ugh. It's still 20 degrees outside.

Two Minutes For All Time

A few years ago Nick Knight lined up some to the world's most cherished human resources (supermodels!) and snapped their photos for a model-heavy issue of British Vogue. Before the gorgeous creatures escaped his studio to return to their natural habitats, he pointed a digital film camera at them and let it roll for two minutes in a Warholian exercise. The project, called More Beautiful Women, was for Knight's brilliant fashion/web love child, SHOWstudio. No instructions were given; there was no goal, no endgame- just two full minutes of permission-granted voyeurism. The videos are like mini-psych experiments. The models mostly begin with fierce stares, or some sort of strong, put-on pose. Then they giggle and loosen up. Then they attempt to regain composure, but we've seen through their pay-per-hour stare and it doesn't last as long this time. They look away, they fidget, or they become mannequins. They get bored. They are no longer models, but women watching their own thoughts, unaware of the camera. Then they are relieved when it's over. Here's a play-by play of Helena Christensen's two minutes:

The opening stare into the camera is fierce and sexy from behind a half curtain of perfectly tousseld hair. That's why she gets the big bucks.


Then the arms relax, a smile cracks.


She tucks the fierce hair behind her ear.


Makes a brief attempt to get the fierceness back.


But melts again.


Gives us a stellar, goofy eyecross.


Gets bored.


Is no longer vamping in the least.


Gives a goofy, girlie grin when the timer buzzes.


Leaves the set giggling.

It makes for great watching. Click here to see Christensen in full. Erin O'Connor and Kate Moss also took turns staring down the lens.

kate moss in more beautiful women


I wish there were better archives of this project. Knight had so many women participate, from Twiggy to Naomi, to Penelope, to Shalom. If you hunt down anymore beautiful creature clips, send 'em my way!

Model Citizen: Helena Christensen

If I were the type to make overreaching superlative statements, I'd definitely say that Helena Christensen is the most dynamic model to have emerged out of the supermodel-saturated '90s. With a Danish father and a Peruvian mother, Helena's integrated genes produced some seriously sexy, exotic features. Her dark complexion, green eyes, and full figure were enough to propel her into the spotlight and keep her there for nearly 20 years.

Christensen has always been more than a pretty face, which makes her even more beautiful. She was a photographer before she was a model and started posing to pay for her photo trips. In 1999 she co-founded Nylon and served as the indie mag's original creative director. She's opened Butik, a Chelsea-based housewares and clothing shop with a vintage focus. She's friends and creative collaborators with Michael Stipe and Bono, and co-designs an eponymous clothing line. Simply put: She's a talented lady.

Today Christensen's latest photographic works go on display at the Dactyl Foundation. The show is called "Far, From Close" and features a wide array of the model-snapper's landscapes and abstractions. With an eye for angle and a penchant for perspective, the images share an isolationist vibe and get a heavy dose of texture from Helena's blurred aesthetic.