America's Next Top Model Attempts to Get Fancy
It must be the influence of new judge André Leon Talley, but Tyra Banks' public access-grade reality competition America's Next Top Model is getting a high-class make over for its 15th "cycle." They even tricked Vogue into taking part.
OK, it's Vogue Italia, but that has the word Vogue in it. That should count for something. Anyway, the winner of the latest season will get a spread in Vogue Italia rather than decidedly downmarket Seventeen (does that mean we get to kiss perpetually smiley Seventeen EIC and frequent guest judge Anne Shoket goodbye as well?).
The show has also got some gussied up new guest judges like stylist Patricia Field, photographer Patrick Demarchelier, and designers Zac Posen and Roberto Cavalli. Doesn't Tyra realize that the appeal of the show has always been its outlandish campiness? It's sort of like when Julia Roberts gets all her new clothes in Pretty Woman—she may look high fashion on the outside, but she's still the same old hooker inside. André must not get this, because we have a feeling that without his influence, the show never would have been able to make this happen.