Intelligencer

Skinny Starlet Stylist’s ‘Slim’ Cell Sell

Is the phone anorexic?

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By Amos Barshad
Published Dec 31, 2006

(Photo: Rabbani and Solimene Photography/WireImage)

Should Rachel Zoe be shilling for a “slimmer” cell phone? The celebrity stylist, called a “starvicist” by the New York Post, rose to the top with her superthin-plus-big-sunglasses look, adopted by Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, but has had a rough go lately: Richie not only fired Zoe in November but also wrote a “blind item” on MySpace that began, “What 35-year-old raisin face whispers her order of 3 pieces of asparagus for dinner?” Now the woman behind anorexia chic is appearing in Samsung’s new ads for the “slimmer” BlackJack cell phone. Kirk Heinlein, a general manager of Samsung’s ad firm, Cheil Communications, denies a connection between the slim cell and Zoe’s trademark style. “The advertising we do is for the mainstream population. Very few of them would even know Rachel’s name, certainly not any of the rumors that surround her.” Lizzie Grubman, a self-professed “huge Rachel fan,” thinks Zoe’s recent bad press is unwarranted. “It’s definitely an unfair situation because right now just in general girls out there are very thin.” Robert Verdi, Eva Longoria’s personal stylist-slash-best-friend, says Zoe and Samsung know what they’re doing. “Some tongue-in-cheek humor about the skinny thing” makes sense, he says, “from a marketing standpoint.” Zoe couldn’t be reached for comment.