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New York Fugging City

5/15/08

1:20 PM

Whitney Is America's Next Top Model — Let's Discuss

Ta-da!Photo: Courtesy of CW

Well, well: Miss Tyra threw us a curveball! Instead of handing the America's Next Top Model title to the stunning size-nothing Anya, Tyra anointed Whitney, the plus-size dark horse who is not just the only girl with boobs and a booty to win, but the first even to get as far as the abroad episodes. Still, even though we gave Whitney the longest odds, we're not that surprised — after all, Ms. Banks is nothing if not an Issues Girl. (We can see it now: an entire episode of The Tyra Banks Show about Whitney's success, wherein the audience is forced to wear unitards with their BMIs printed on the ass.) But the question is, was Whitney really the best? Did she genuinely deserve the big win and all its riches?

More: america's next top model, fug girls, reality tv, tyra banks

New York Fugging City

5/14/08

1:45 PM

Fug Girls Handicap the Winner of ‘America's Next Top Model’

We're down to the wheat, if that's what you want to call it.Photo: Courtesy of CW

As tonight’s finale of America's Next Top Model looms — at stake for the "lucky" winner: a year of being relegated to terrible TV spots, traveling to CoverGirl factories, and getting almost no other work — we find ourselves struggling to decide which of the three remaining model wannabes is most likely to bring it home. There's Whitney, the first plus-size girl to make it this far; Fatima, an occasionally bitchy Somalian beauty with a heartbreaking backstory; and Anya, who gamely allowed the ANTM crew to wash her hair with peroxide, talks like a Russian surfer chick with an adenoid problem, and somehow manages to win a lot of challenges.

It's a tight contest — even resident horndog Nigel Barker doesn't seem to be batting his bedroom eyes at anyone in particular — but that won't stop us from making predictions about the contestants' chances.

More: america's next top model, fug girls, janice dickinson, nigel barker, tyra banks

New York Fugging City

5/ 9/08

12:12 PM

The Fug Awards: The Best and Worst of the Costume Institute Gala

Jennifer toes the line of indecency, Joy blinds us with Pucci, and Amber — yeah, we dunno what she's doing there.Photo: Getty Images

The Met ball is arguably even better than Oscar night: more fanciful fashion, more dramatic entrances, and a more perplexingly varied guest list that allows for the rare chance to see the likes of Hilary Duff in the same room as Julia Roberts. The only things missing are some actual awards. Until now. Herewith, our very special awards for the most memorable — even if we'd rather forget them — looks of that magical evening.

Best Argument for Panties: Jennifer Connelly's black and white dress could've been an interesting, girlie homage to the tuxedo — hey, Bruce Wayne was technically a superhero — but instead we were stressing that Jennifer was seconds away from flashing her bajingo on hostess Anna Wintour's dime. Which would be bad. Anna Wintour is not in the bajingo business.

More: amber valletta, bee shaffer, beyonce, claire danes, costume institute, costume institute gala, eva longoria, fug girls, jennifer lopez, joy bryant, katie holmes, maggie gyllenhaal, marchesa, mary-kate olsen, scarlett johansson

New York Fugging City

5/ 2/08

11:35 AM

Calm Down, Everyone: Miley's Just Following the Script

Oh, the scandalous horror.Photo: Vanity Fair

This week America has been rocked to its core, and not just because Lo is being particularly nasty to Audrina. No, we’re talking about the Miley Cyrus semi-nude Vanity Fair “scandal,” in which the fifteen-year-old Disney superstar posed for Annie Leibovitz with a bedsheet — er, a duchess satin stole — wrapped around her otherwise naked torso. The world thus got a look at her uncovered back and promptly flipped out. But why? It’s not like she left the photo shoot and drove her car into a tree with cocaine in her pants. And isn’t all this drama just part of the young starlet script?

A grown-up photo is nothing compared to Miley's grown-up life. »

More: fug girls, miley cyrus, vanity fair

New York Fugging City

4/16/08

2:00 PM

Test-drive: We Actually Try On Heidi Montag's Heidiwood

No, this is not a bordello.Photo: The Fug Girls

Heidi Montag has her talents — creating drama on The Hills without appearing to read laboriously from cue cards (ahem, Audrina), making us all wonder why she's still dating villainous Spencer when even his sister seems to dislike him — but design (or even getting dressed, for that matter) has never been among them. Hence our fascination with this week's launch of her creatively titled Heidiwood line for Anchor Blue. Say what you will about Lauren Conrad's collection — we called it tragique — but at least she studies fashion; when Heidi attended FIT (tellingly, for a day, before quitting), it was to learn about PR, making Heidiwood the equivalent of having once typed up a recipe and auditioning for Top Chef. Naturally, we had to investigate — the kind of up-close and terrifying recon that can only come from trying Heidi’s wares on our brave, implant-free selves.

Well, it's no couture. Or even Juicy Couture. »

More: fug girls, heidi montag, heidiwood, lauren conrad, the hills

New York Fugging City

4/10/08

2:10 PM

‘Sweet Valley High’ Gets a Fashion Face-lift

Oh, yes, they're back! (And they're played by Leven Rambin, apparently.)Image courtesy of Random House

As ardent fans of Sweet Valley High, we eagerly awaited this week’s rerelease of the prudishly soapy, good-twin-bad-twin saga's first two books, freshly modernized to appeal (and pander) to kids today. The plotlines remain the same, but tiny details have been updated: The school paper is a blog, top band the Droids have been renamed Valley of Death, and yes, there is one mention of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield's new, smaller, "perfect" size 4 figures. They're even allowed to say "crap." But who cares about that when there are clothes to be discussed? With eighties fashions again at the forefront — we still can’t forgive Leggings 2.0 — we compared the crazy-bad outfits in the original eighties Sweet Valley High books to those in its supposedly with-it progeny. Did Elizabeth's infamous tuxedo outfit survive? Read on — and bring a hanky.

More: abercrombie & fitch, fug girls, j crew, roberto cavalli, sweet valley high

New York Fugging City

4/ 4/08

12:15 PM

Carla Bruni Ups the Ante for Models Worldwide

Yeah, you'd be glowing tooPhoto: Getty Images

At first it was strange watching ex-supermodel Carla Bruni snog her way through state visits to the U.K. with her fancy French-president hubby. For an American parallel, imagine if Barack Obama won the election in November, immediately fell for Janice Dickinson, and brought her to a peace summit. (At least three dignitaries would leave with intimate knowledge of the contours of Janice's thong, for starters.) Granted, Carla Bruni is not a Janice-caliber nutjob, but her light-speed ascent to First Lady and media darling — plus the sight of her rubbing shoulders with the Queen — must have sent the rest of her generation’s supermodels into a serious midlife crisis. The career bar has officially been raised.

More: carla bruni, heidi klum, janice dickinson, models, tyra banks

New York Fugging City

3/27/08

2:30 PM

‘Vogue’ Shape Issue Is Anything But

Every year, as a nod to the abnormality of its bony universe, Vogue publishes a shape issue purporting to spotlight non-model bodies for a change. It often feels as perfunctory as it sounds — like alpha-twigs know anything about cellulite? — but this year we dove in with extra curiosity thanks to Anna Wintour’s recent criticism of runway models’ diminishing frames. Would that sentiment bloom into an issue that actually honored real clothing sizes and three-dimensional shapes?

More: fug girls, rodarte, vogue, weight

New York Fugging City

3/20/08

12:45 PM

Dear Kate: Those Who Do Not Learn From a Topshop Line…

From left, the Star Print! The Kate Face! The Clown Top! The Horror! The Horror!Images courtesy of Topshop.

When Kate Moss's Topshop line first debuted last April, we made no secret of the fact that it wasn’t our cup of Earl Grey. Indeed, the words “crap” and “fashion myopia” may have been invoked to describe what was, essentially, the clothing equivalent of designer-imposter perfume: a stale take on looks more talented people had already executed. Now, almost a year later, a sneak peek of her latest collection merely affirms our opinion that Kate Moss, a supermodel for practically half her life at this point, brings about as much fresh perspective to fashion as Lauren Conrad does.

Let's talk about tailcoats and hotpants, shall we? »

More: avril lavigne, dkny, kate moss, pete wentz, rachel bilson, topshop

New York Fugging City

3/12/08

4:00 PM

Inside the Sad, Bizarre World That Was the Lauren Conrad Show

We're not sure even Audrina would wear this stuff.Photo: Getty Images

Attending last night’s Lauren Conrad Collection show at L.A.'s Fashion Week felt a lot like being dropped into the middle of an episode of The Hills — potentially juicy, questionably styled, ultimately a bit plotless, and yet strangely amusing. The celebrity turnout was limited to exactly the people you’d expect from that show and its sister soap, Laguna Beach. Well, and Lisa Rinna, who would attend the opening of a mouth. Presumably Putty Lips was there as a buyer for her L.A. store, Belle Grey, because after the show we heard her waxing annoying about how quickly her store sold out of Conrad’s first line; she called the latest collection “fresh, young, innovative…and fresh.” She had one of those things correct.

Oh, L.C., what have you done? »

More: fall 2008 women RTW, lauren conrad, los angeles fashion week, the hills