Fug Girls: Naomi Campbell Works HardAs Nemo kept people inside, Nigel Barker explains how impressed he was by his “tireless” new model and television colleague.
Fug Girls Handicap the Winner of ‘America’s Next Top Model’As tonight’s finale looms, there’s a lot at stake for the lucky winner — but just who will go home with the crown is going to be a tough call. Not even flirty Nigel is playing favorites.
cult of personality
Nigel Barker: Champion of the Baby SealNews flash! We have officially confirmed noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker does in fact have a soul. Also, Tyra might want to practice introducing him as “noted fashion-slash-nature photographer,” as we’ve just learned Barker has embedded with the Humane Society and selflessly flung himself into the cold nether regions of Eastern Canada to photograph fluffy, white baby harp seals.
new york fugging city
Betsey Johnson’s Errant Shoe Puts Joan Jett in DangerUsually by this point in Fashion Week, we’re so tired that we start hallucinating celebrities everywhere we look. While this would be divine if we were having visions of Matt Damon, instead there was a split second in which we were convinced we saw Kenneth Branagh wandering around aimlessly in a full-length man mink (strike one), and we thought this one short dude at Carolina Herrera was Lucy Liu (strike two, and we’re sorry about that gender mix-up, Lucy).
show & tell
Tyra Takes Her Claws to Karlie KlossModel Karlie Kloss is on the rise, but we’re not sure if that’s a good thing if Tyra Banks is in the audience.
show & tell
Super Bowl Reduces Tuleh to a Ghost TownWhen we saw Nigel Barker Saturday after Sass & Bide, he was cheerfully fielding questions from reporters from Us Weekly and Life & Style and posing for nearly a dozen pictures. You know, the usual Nigel Barker scene.
The Fug Girls Tackle Laura Bush and Liza Before NoonIt’s a tough call as to which was the more outstanding beginning to Fashion Week: seeing Liza Minnelli burst into “New York, New York” at the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection event or being handed a free Diet Coke in a frosty bottle after we fought our way out of the tents.
party lines
Nigel Barker Is a Real Photographer, Okay?Last night we ran into noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker at Maggie Norris’s pre–Fashion Week party, and we’re happy to report that the man who can most often be found sitting behind the judge’s stand on America’s Next Top Model does in fact have legs. We asked him if he was going to be bringing his expert opinion to Tyra’s new show, Fashionista, in which women will compete to become assistant editors at Elle. “I was asked to come onboard today!” he said. “I said I’d love to.” So what is it going to be like? we asked. Will it be like America’s Next Top Model only less pretty, and more passive-aggressive? “I think the fashionistas are going to go out there and realize how hard and how cutthroat and ruthless this industry can be,” he said. But won’t it be kind of mundane? He waved this away. “People are obsessed with all aspects of this industry,” he explained. “It’s sexy, it’s cool, it’s unattainable.” Which is why, we guess, none of the Top Models have gone on to become, you know, top models. Speaking of the industry: Doesn’t Nigel ever miss being a real-life fashion photographer? Apparently, this hit a nerve. “I shoot all the time,” he huffed. “Every day! Yesterday! I’m doing a big David’s Bridal campaign, and I just did some stuff for Microsoft. I’m a photographer, that’s what I do.” But what about, um, fashion? He nodded sagely. “You never see me when I’m taking pictures because I’m on the other side of the lens. Look closely at their eyes, and you’ll see my reflection.” —Amy Preiser
For more up-to-the minute Fashion Week madness, check out New York’s new blog: The Cut!