DON'T READ IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN ANTM COMES BACK WITH ITS 14TH SEASON ON MARCH 1ST ON THE CW NETWORK.

Hi everybody, as we previsouly told you a big change is coming to ANTM this season. Ok now it's official, André Leon Talley is the new regular judge on the show. It's freakin' phenomenal y'all! The biggest fashion magazine in the entire world and the biggest most fabulous modeling tv series paired up! This is gonna be goooooooooooood I'm tellin' ya!

February 8, 2010 (Burbank, California) — AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL welcomes one of the most influential members of the fashion world, André Leon Talley, as a new judge during cycle 14 of the hit show on The CW. Thirteen new hopefuls from across the country are given the chance to prove they have what it takes when the competition kicks off with a 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, March 10 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET).

Talley, who will join Tyra Banks, photographer Nigel Barker and a weekly guest judge on the judges’ panel, is one of the fashion industry’s most influential style-setters. Currently serving as the editor-at-large of Vogue, Talley is prominent in the world of designer fashion and has a front-row seat to runway shows all over the world.

Miss J. Alexander, long-time judge, breaks free from the judges’ desk to take on a mentoring role during challenges with the models. “After cycles of watching the girls not get it right, I thought they would benefit more from my ‘high heels’ and hands-on approach than my sitting in a chair judging their photos,” said Alexander. “And with Andre Leon Talley, this should be the best cycle yet.”

Cycle 14 welcomes a panel of rotating guest judges that include: Sally Hershberger (Salon Owner/Proprietor), Rachel Roy (Runway Fashion Designer), Sean Patterson (President of Wilhelmina Models), Dania Ramirez (CoverGirl Representative), Patricia Cleveland (First African American Supermodel), Ann Shoket (Editor in Chief of Seventeen Magazine), Whitney Port (Star of “The City,” Runway Fashion Designer), Sara Tetro (Owner of 62 Models), Sara McLeod (Actress from “Lord of the Rings”) and “Top Model” photo shoot director Jay Manuel.

source: http://tvbythenumbers.com

This is the advertisement I shot for Pantene. Now read carefully the message of this ad to understand the final image which is a montage.

As you'all know, I've been a Diesel spokesmodel for quite a long time, I usually buy their jeans coz they're great, but now there's something new. I did the advertisement perfume campaign for them. Now when you buy perfume, I always say just make sure that the scent suits you and that there are no ingredients in the cologne that irritate your skin, it's very important whether you can afford high-end colognes like Fendi, Hugo Boss for Men and Giorgio Armani, or if you need to keep more budget-minded, choosing a cologne that matches your personality and the impression you want to create. Don't forget: the fragrance you choose should always reflect both who you are and the image you hope to project to others. Got it?!

affiche promotionnelle du film (sorti le 10 août 2007 sur internet)

Synopsis: Tiré du fameux livre intitulé "Le guide de la chiennerie ultime", véritable recueil de chroniques, messages, commentaires, textos écrits par plusieurs de ses amis et connaissances, l’étudiant en licence d’espagnol Bertrand Vergnes, brosse le portrait de la société du 21ème siècle, de sa meilleure amie Sandra et de ses meilleures compères et amies biterroises, célibataires et dans la vingtaine: Charlotte, étudiante en comptabilité; Céline, travaillant dans le secteur social naïve et romantique; Alexandra, sèche, cérébrale et étudiante en école privée et Sophie celle qui a abandonné ses études de dessin. Le récit se veut sombre et cynique. Bertrand quand à lui étudie l’espagnol pour être enseignant et tient un site internet dans lequel il dissèque les relations hommes-femmes.

Some countries shouldn't have the right to publish prestigious fashion magazines, because they're running these titles by producing lame shoots, uncreative and repetitive copy-cat covers and boring interviews with bad models/actors/entertainers! Want a hint? Have a look:

1) FIRST BAD CASE
Here on the left US Glamour magazine featuring actress Sarah Jessica Parker. The cover is cheesy, not inspiring and looks like a bad teen magazine. Now look on the right...



I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW ! Crazy right? It's the exact same shot for another magazine cover: there's a lot not goog going on with this let's try to enumerate:
- first of all any major fashion fan or editor is and should be against that, I mean, I'm totally against a cover copy. If a magazine is created, with the money for it, then it should be independant and not use other magazines' images and rely on other people's work! We all know that Vogue Australia is a world champion for that!!!
- second of all: how come Condé nast publications let this happen? I mean it's bad enough that a magazine alone uses the exact same shot, and it's rather ok when it's another international edition of that same magazine like UK Glamour or Spanish Glamour, but Vogue really???
- third point: does Vogue india is that poor and so poorly uncreative that they needed to take THAT shot and from Glamour magazine??? COME ON ! Vogue India should be banned forever!
- oh right I forgot, the Vogue India photoshop' skills are really aweful, look at her hair detouring? It's a 5 years old work! Geez ! Oh also lol I just checked another Indian magazine, just to see if it was only Vogue but no lol Harper's Bazaar India January/February 2010 featuring Lisa Haydon is crazy bad, the cover isn't as disastrous as I thought but the editorial pfff it's soooooo fake, and poorly made.
- last point (I promise lol) how come Vogue India exists with the crazy price it should be at, when the entire population there is amazingly and tragically poor??? This is one of the strongest worst signs of the "modern" society in which we're living in: people authorize the creation of a luxurious high fashion magazine that coasts lots of money to create and be sold, but people are dieying in that same country.

2) SECOND BAD CASE
Here on the left Chinese Allure magazine featuring canadian model (I don't like her lol) Jessica Stam. The cover is ... ok I guess. Now look on the right...



Yes! Chinese Vogue used the same exact shot from Allure... One day magazines will be original...

What's up with my life now? I decided to write ME a check up message lol so let's see: I'm studying on my master's thesis every single day since the month of december, I like what I do, I moved back to my home with my parents, but only for the holiday period I have until march's classes are back at the university. I watch the simpsons, project runway (s7) and desperate housewives (s6) until America's next top model (s14) comes back on march 3rd !!!!!!!!!!! Then what? I still have my friends in Perpignan that I enjoy being with, I love to have my best friend Sandra on the phone and on the web, and also to have news from my worldwide friends. I still wish to travel this year to visit friends and have fun coz I may be in "holidays" since january until march 1st but I ain't got fun or party time coz I'm studying every day reading or writing. I shot fashion stories for magazines and self portraits to relax lol. Iiiii heu I cook for myself, I go and visit my grand father, I read magazines to get my mind off my work or of the stress of the exams' marks I'm still waiting. Soon hopefully I'll see some friends to hang out with.

By the way I decided to illustrate this entry with that picture I found on deviantart.com one of my fav creative photo sites coz I love the emotion from it and it reminds me on of my dreams...

xoxo

I was shocked when I learned the news. Ok hi y'all lol as you may not know I'm a student/swimmer/model and I'm a HUGE fan of the Next Top Model franchise, I watch(ed):

America's next top model (cycles 1 to 13)
Britain's next top model (cycles 1 to 5)
Canada's next top model (cycles 1 to 3)
Australia's next top model (cycles 1 to 5)
Spain's next top model (cycles 1 et 2, I think there are 3)
France's next top model (cycles 1 to 2)
New Zealand's next top model (cycle 1)
Italy's next top model (only small clips from the 1st cyle, there are 2)
China's next top model (some episodes from the 1st cycle, there are 2)
Brazil's nex top model (somes episodes from the 1st cycle, there are 2)

I still have to watch Austria's next top model (cycle 1) and Germany's next top model (cycle 1 to 4) but I have to figure out how I'm gonna do it since I won't be able to understand the languages.

Now, a big news arrived from the BNTM show: Australian Supermodel Elle Macpherson has been named the new host of Britain’s Next Top Model. This 45-year-old beauty not only became host of BNTM’s next series, that will air this summer, but is ALSO executive producer! Elle Macpherson replaced Lisa Snowdon and is really enthusiastic and motivated to work with the team of Britain’s Next Top Model. Elle, replaces Lisa Snowdon, who left the show after four years to concentrate on her radio show on Capital FM. Elle told The Sun: “I am looking forward to finding the face to represent the next generation.” Like before, the quest to find the new face that will represent Britain will beggin once again: every week one contestant will get eliminated and one ultimate winner will get a contract with Uk's best modeling agency: Models 1 (which represents iconic supermodels such as Twiggy and Kate Moss), the cover and spread for glossy fashion magazine Company and a contract with Max factor to be the face of the campaign. Replacing her British colleague Lisa Snowdon, Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson is all set to host the much awaited show: Elle Macpherson runs her own modeling agency and lingerie label, plus she isn't new to small screen as she previously starred in TV shows including Ashton Kutcher’s The Beautiful Life and Friends.

Now people may think she is truly "more" appropriate fit for this role than her predecessor of course due to her fabulous modeling career BUT I also have to say I loved Lisa, she was very nice, good looking, supportive and had that good vibe about her. I'm glad a supermodel such as Elle will work on BNTM but I'll wait to see really how she performs on the show before sayin' "yeah it's a "much" better choice etc..." coz fans of BNTM know how the judges' seats work there I mean come on, first Lisa Butcher, then Lisa Snowdon and the regular judges also were "fired" or "replaced". So we'll see. I also want to give this quote from a celebrity gossip website I found:

"The big news for Britain’s Next Top Model fans is that Lisa Snowdon has retired from hosting duties in favour of a slightly older, but perhaps slightly more qualified replacement – namely, one Elle MacPherson. Anyone who watches the UK’s answer to the Tyra Banks franchise on Living TV will tell you that among the most annoying aspects of the show, besides the shrieking twigs that make up the contestants, is the previous host. Though she has a winning, Hertfordshire accent that places her firmly as a British representative, it was always difficult to take her seriously as the conducter of this particular symphony, as what started out as a strong modelling career, featuring work with Gucci and Vogue, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Elle covers, her career can’t really any longer be called ‘Top’ when you consider her work with Kelloggs Special K, Neutrogena and After Eight mints. Not wishing to be cruel, but that’s hardly supermodel territory, is it?"

Well every model has had commercial work (it's what pays the most guys!!! I also say that to the person who wrote this article) so we can't blame Lisa for leaving high fashion and going to a more commercial side in her career endeavors. But yes Elle is much stronger in terms of modeling work and statute. But nevertheless Lisa was great as a presenter, I fear Elle will be too "sweet" instead of being the strong head judge that the show needs.

Now as I said (for people who get lost in "who host and when?") Lisa Butcher was the head judge in cycle 1, then Lisa Snowdon and now Elle but meanwhile all of that was happening the job was ALSO offered to Naomi Campbell !!!

"Naomi Campbell turns down chance to host Britain`s Next Top Model: Supermodel Naomi Campbell has reportedly turned down the chance to host the next series of Britain's Next Top Model. The 39-year-old star reportedly pulled out of the deal at the last minute after changing her mind. A source said: 'The producers felt the last series wasn't taken as seriously as the American version because presenter Lisa Snowdon just couldn't carry it off on her own. What was missing was a real diva supermodel, a British equivalent to US host Tyra Banks. Naomi was really excited, but pulled out because she couldn't reach an agreement over logistics or the amount of time she would have to commit."

Ok I love Naomie's career but her character no, she is a great force in fashion, but a TV host? Hum also I doubt about her good persona even thoug she did the Fashion for relief etc. What I applaud her on however, is the fact she's defending the black models' cause:

"Miss Campbell has been vocal in her disliking of the fashion industry’s unwillingness to hire black models. She tells, “The only time they care about black models is in February because it is Black History Month. Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington would go to big designers and say, ‘If you don’t pick Naomi to be in your show, then I don’t want to be in it.’ That’s how I got Prada and Helmut Lang. The only reason I got the cover of French Vogue was because Yves Saint Laurent called up and told them he’d pull his ads if they didn’t. So of course I got the cover.”

Anyway let's us get ready for cycle 6 of BNTM with Elle.

We start March with Harper's Bazaar Australia and Kate Hudson is shot by Peter Lindbergh one of the greastest photographers in the world but I'm not a fan of Hudson + even though I like the concept of the shot, I'm not sure it's a cover worthy picture to be honnest. Looks kinda bland. Then Harper's Bazaar UK with Cindy Crawford = hum the orange is killing the cover for me and the styling is like slutty as opposed to high fashion and sorry for her but on this shot she looks trampy and granny, not sexy. A surprise however coming from Harper's Bazaar US with Kate Moss, I like both shots but she is missing somehow the electricity in the eyes but she looks lovely. Now I'm not gonna publish Mia Wasikowska by Norman Jean Roy on the Teen Vogue cover coz it's freaking uglyyyyy (still you can look for it on google). Dissapointing as always is British Vogue with MTV host Alexa Chung by Alasdair McLellan, looks bad not impressive or cool just there here I am lol not good and the styling... beurk!

Not HOT as usual: Vogue Australia:

Putain ! Pas de soutenance et 13 ! Voilà ce qu'on obtient après avoir VRAIMENT TRAVAILLE! Et ma mère: "Oh mais c bon comme note" NON 13 en linguistique alors que le dossier vaut au moins 16 et que j'ai lu 10 bouquins en moins de 3 mois et que je me suis arraché pr la recherche c pas bon non ! Bon sang le favoritisme et les élèves qu'il a eu depuis 3 ans et vas y les 15 à la pelle! Putain j'ai la haine c un truc de fou! Avant l'école m'importait peu, je bossais au collège et au lycée et j'avais toujours aux environs de 11 et 13 toutes matières confondues mais depuis que je suis arrivé à la fac, je veux les meilleures notes pr les travaux que j'accomplis, les autres m'importent pas c'est pas eux qui passeront le concours à ma place, donc tant mieux si ils ont mieux et tant pis si ils ont pire, sur le marché du travail, on a beau nous dire que la note importe peu mais c FAUX! C la note qui décide d'un avancement, d'une promotion, d'une augmentation de salaire, d'une embauche etc. Je suis pris d'une compétitivité non pas avec les autres mais avec moi même! J'arrive pas à comprendre le système de notation des profs à Perpi, franchement! Je bosse à mon max pr la matière, le prof ns donne pas l'oral promis et 13! OUAICH ! Faut arrêter! certes c correct mais ça n'atteint pas mes critères de "bonnes notes". Putain comme l'an dernier le 14 en civi espagnole faut arrêter yavé pas une faute d'ortographe, le contenu de la leçon + la réflexion y étaient. K PASA HOMBRE?!!! Le problème c koi? C que c une petite fac et que les profs connaissant les élèves depuis L1 beh les "privilégient", et je le sais de vécu j'était à Béziers donc qu'on me sorte pas de salade! Si jm'écoutais je redemanderais une autre notation par un autre prof mais c pas un concours c juste une misérable matière (dans laquelle cependant jme suis efforcé au max mais peut être le contenu était "trop volumineux" par rapport au nombre de pages demandées...) qui se perdra dans les autres notes du semestre, qui comme l'an dernier à Perpi, sera "moyen" malgrès mes efforts! Et le pire c que je suis pas de mauvaise volonté, depuis que je suis à la fac, et ça profs et élèves et membres de ma famille pourront en attester je bosse beaucoup! Donc forcément j'attends que les notes soient à la hauteur du travail donné! Bah tout ce que je sais c'est qu'à l'étranger j'ai obtenu 14,5 à l'année et que j'ai obtenu dans certaines matières de meilleures notes que les natifs !!!!!!!! Et que j'ai énormément bossé (quoique les détracteurs d'une année Erasmus voudront bien en dire), mais en France pr déccrocher des bonnes notes je ne dois pas prendre le chemin qu'il faut... Je ne démonte pas mes camarades qui ont eu de meilleures notes, bravo à eux!!!! Mais personnellement pour mon travail, j'espèrais plus! La biblio était bonne, grande, recherchée; l'intro, les arguments, les citations et le sujet étaient cohérents et le style d'écriture était aussi BON quoi alors BORDEL je comprends pas! J'ai jamais été aussi "à fond" dans la poursuite des bonnes notes mais la compétitivité personnelle et l'exigence que je me donne dans mon travail font que. Com je dis kan on fait qq chose, on aime le faire bien et on aime que le résultat soit excellent. En anglais j'attends aussi ma note... Les merveilles de la notation française...

Mise à jour:

bon lol jviens de me calmer mais j'étais stressé de pas avoir eu mes autres notes (je ne les ai toujours pas puisque ces dernières apparaitraient autour du 15 février). J'attends donc avec impatience. Depuis jeudi (cf précécents articles) j'ai pas arrêté de bosser sur l'écriture de mon mémoire de master 2 et aujourd'hui n'a pas fait exception à la règle, il est minuit et jviens de finir de taper des citations et la biblio se complète petit à petit. Cela fait du bien de savoir que ça c'est la seule chose importante dans laquelle je doive avoir une bonne note puisque cette dernière conditionnera mon accés en doctorat et/ou mon acceptation pour le poste de professeur-assistant en Espagne pr l'an prochain = bref pas mal de choses à penser, du stress et du travail sur ce mémoire voilà pk j'étais un peu énervé du 13 en linguistique voilà.

Bonne soirée à tous.

Being a model isn’t easy, you are being judged everyday, in every single job, on your natural talent and beauty, your potential to be the face of whichever company is willing to hire you, your personality, as well as your performance on your previous photoshoots and your ability to give the feeling that the client is looking for, on that particular brief.

I have been in the modeling world for quite some time now. I started at 16 and I’m now 24, I totally have the passion for fashion, whether it’s knowing my angles and posing to make my body looking insane, or whether it’s knowing every single world-renowned fashion photographers, designers, make-up and hair stylists as also my peers: the other high fashion models that I totally respect. First in my long list of favorites I have Miss Tyra Banks. Tyra became one of the world’s favorite supermodels in the late 90’s, and her face was featured everywhere: runways, magazine covers, editorials, commercials and she made a career with her long list of firsts before becoming a worldwide television icon. Next we have the trinity Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell; they were known everywhere and did everything. I also respect the incredible careers of Kate Moss, Carmen Kass, and the other fabulous girls in that time as always the new top working girls such as Raquel Zimmermann, Coco Rocha, Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez, Caroline Trentini Doutzen Kroes etc. Then I also admired fashion first male supermodels: Marcus Schenkenberg, Mark Vanderloo and Tyson Beckford to which level I got to strive to be at. I started to see brand new male models in the persons of Jon Kortajarena, Andrés Velencoso Segura and Brad Kroenig. Fashion legends also include the major fashion editors at the biggest fashion magazines ever, such as Diana Vreeland, Anna Wintour, and Grace Coddington.

This job really requires a major attention, the passion and drive and the ability to reinvent yourself in order to work with all the major modeling agencies and clients to determine which boys and girls they’re gonna feature in the fashion editorials and campaigns. Landing a cover, a cosmetic or perfume contract isn’t easy, it’s hard and it requires determination, business savvy and persona appeal. Staying at the top is also tough; you also have to keep that status high, fight for your position and stay on you’re ‘A’ game.

Modeling is almost like science, you have to possess the knowledge before doing anything. Lots of people are good looking but they wouldn’t be good models because, really really I have to repeat it a thousand times, modeling is really not just about the exterior appearance. If a model doesn’t know how to move on a set and evoke whichever emotion the creative director is looking for that day or if the model doesn’t deliver, she/he is out. Selling yourself is way harder than just smiling of a picture or having abs, I always have to explain that to my friends who don’t know the business very well or to the people who think they have what it takes just because their body is in a good shape, modeling comes from inside: the art to move, the fire in the eyes, the chameleon attribute etc. Many successful models don’t even look that good and my friends, when I tell them those are fierce and earn a good living in the business with contracts and editorial jobs, they always ask how come? Because they project an image, they have something that works in the fashion industry; they convey an emotion and sell it with strength and beauty. If a model is not great, then maybe it’s because they rely only on the physical aspect of their body. There always has to be a basic something there to work with when it comes to good models. You have to have that personality inside of you; that drive. Certain things you can work on, but I think the bulk of it: you have to be born with.

I remember when I shot my first calendar test shots, I was in the south of Spain, I had go-sees that day, and I got to work with an acclaimed Spanish fashion photographer, Andrés Ramirez and we shot my first major fashion calendar shoot. I also remember that I was quite tired because of the castings, I was also nervous because he was so big in the Spanish industry but I didn’t shake, I went, I had personality, style and we did it. When I shot in Germany, I was visiting a friend and it was also big because it was my first abroad shoot but the photographer saw my ability to move on the set and even though I feel he didn’t think I was that typical photo-beauty male model he was impressed because of what I brought to the set; it happened also in England and Spain. I believe my looks didn’t get me through the doors of French and Spanish modeling agencies, what got me, was my personality and my pictures.

But I’m not gonna lie, when I did my first go-sees to see designers’ show rooms, and castings to be hired by fashion agencies alone with my book, I was nervous. I was like, “Oh, my God what is gonna happen, will they be nice or bitchy, and will I be hired this time?” I was like shaking when I got in those places but then after a couple of weeks and bookings and shows and shoots I felt really good and when I was in there I wasn’t the same person: I was cocky confident like “Yo! I ain’t got a vogue cover but I can walk and I have 2 portfolios so you better hire me.”

When you had your first professional photoshoot you feel really good and on top of the world because you think you made it already, but I always say: watch out, the competition out there is crazy ferocious, people are good, and clients really want just “la crème de la crème”. So always keep your game on, your body in good shape, a good attitude and you know have fun, modeling isn’t brain surgery is about fantasy and selling imagery.

Now being an entrepreneur is another business; at which Vergnes is becoming stronger every day.

"I want more drama here and try guys to have the copies ready when I get back from my shoot alright?!". Vergnes commands, yet totally professional and respectful of his crew. France’s first black male supermodel, Bertrand Vergnes, works at The Bertrand Times magazine’s office and work with assistants for the launch of their upcoming march issue. Vergnes is most known with his entertainment company BVS, that he created at the age of 12. He’s also responsible for the creation of 10 web television series; among them comes the hit reality series "Chronicles of a top model" that brought the viewers attention to Vergnes' company and career. Since the show ended (after 6 seasons) and many ventures opened, Vergnes is now working on his talk show and magazine.

Genetically blessed with creamy caramel skin, powerful dark eyes and an exotic pout, Bertrand Vergnes made a name (and a company) for himself as the first male model on Chinese Vogue and Sports Illustrated only male swimsuit edition. Stomping down fashion runways from the age of 16, he is 24 now, an unmitigated modeling machine. He can flip through a dozen looks — sexy, pensive, dreamy, and flirty — in a dozen seconds. Even in front of a wind machine, for our covershoot here at Entertainment Weekly, he seems able to control every part of his body: muscles, legs, head, and hair. Bertrand Vergnes is making an incredible run at becoming the next Tyra Banks/Will Smith for the younger male and female set in Europe, a role he finds cool and hard to match. “A lot of friends, who’ve seen my modeling pictures or who watch web shows I created are sort of astonished when they see that I keep creating: magazines, shows etc. But for me it’s like I live for entertainment you know. I love to laugh and to travel and I love being happy and to have people around me in that same state, so I think this company is doing this role. When people call me a “supermodel”, an “icon”, a “legend” etc. it’s crazy because to my eyes I’m just a young man who is just having fun. But yet it feels great to have people who are feeling my job, that they love what I do and ask for more. What I do is only for entertain people and have fun with my life.”

The Supermodel tale: Bertrand, an adopted boy turned mogul

Call him "real life Bertrand" and "cyber web Bertrand."

By day, in the real world, Bertrand Vergnes is a student with a master degree in Spanish who has had a swimming career for more than 16 years and who have learned 7 languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Korean, Chinese). By night, in the World Wide Web, the same boy is a real web fashion editor who has created many fashion magazines (among them “The Bertrand Times”) and is a real supermodel turned web television personality, who has created an entertainment company at 12 and presides over now a talk show known for bringing a message of uplift and empowerment to young men and women.

From Student to Supermodel, Bertrand Vergnes opens up.

In the course of his unique career, Vergnes, 24, has pulled off more than one unlikely transition. He changed his family life when he was adopted from Brazil by his mother Michèle, before becoming a top French southern swimmer who was featured more than once in newspapers and has competed for more than 16 years in club. Vergnes also went to drama club, dancing and pottery with his sister at the MJC of their city. He then created an entertainment company at the age of 12 years old and entered the modeling industry at 16 in the south of France. Along the way he shot in Germany, England and Spain, becoming then one of the few mix-raced models to be signed in 4 real modeling agencies in Madrid. Very focused Bertrand went at the same time at the university to study Spanish and earns now a master degree and has studied in 3 universities: Duguesclin (Béziers), Complutense (Madrid), and Via Dominitia (Perpignan). He conquered web reality TV as the producer of 10 web television shows including "Chronicles of a top model" where he served as a host on this worldwide sensation for 6 seasons (winners include French edgy model Yoann, Dutch gorgeous model Lotte, Australian beauty model Josie, Korean sweetie model Minna, American handsome model Patrick and Spanish rising star model Ivan).

Vergnes then confirmed his drive, intelligence, and web skills had no limits when he created several web fashion magazines (Supermogul, Icon magazine, The Bertrand Times, Vergnes looking-forward, and Worldly Editorial) and proved the skeptics wrong by launching his own talk show – a French student in Spanish with a swimming and modeling background with a talk show? - And making it a hit. Today he keeps working as the editor in chief of The Bertrand Times magazine and keeps on studying at the university… pursuing a PhD… Can you believe some people doubted his ability to make it that far?! Vergnes sat down with Vogue recently to talk about his younger years, his life as a supermodel and making the switch to web TV. He discussed the potential contradiction between the message of self-empowerment on his talk show and the culture of judgment on his daytime life.

Bertrand Vergnes: Early Years

When he was a teen in the south of France, in Béziers, Vergnes said, becoming a supermodel wasn't a goal, or even a dream. “It wasn't something that I wanted to do because I didn’t pay attention to that by that time - it wasn't like I grew up and looked at magazines and said, oh, that's so glamorous, I want to do that”, he said. “I began to swim at 4 and until I was 12, I was only emerged into that competitive world. I had times where, obviously I found it hard, well not because of the level of my competitors but about the crazy pace of championships, because I literally had to compete some years: every week end of the month! I was most of the time alone near the end of my swimming career because I arrived to such a level where not many of my club mates where with me, but it didn’t matter coz there was a lot of times where the entire group was there. You know I have such a great time remembering those years: the older guys and girls I swam with really were cool and I enjoyed swimming at that club (Club des nageurs biterrois), the presidents were really supportive and I loved being with those friends and having my own world. I always had this connection with the water; I feel at home when I swim, I just love it. Then as everybody knows it, I created a web entertainment company at 12 with the first series “Argeles Beach” and it was a blast. I don’t want to show off about it but I’m glad I started young with that company coz it allows me to have that recognition right now. I created several shows along the way and at 14; while I was still swimming and at the top of that sport (I actually participated for the first time in “Les Championnats de France” in Cannes that year) I started to pay attention to languages, culture, mainstream and high fashion and I felt in love with it. I started to buy clothes, to go to night clubs and hanging out with girlfriends and you know: growing up as a teenager.”

The world of fashion found him when he got to 16. “I did send my own pics to an agency in Montpellier and started to shoot there. I was the same eight I am now, so very tall, and slimmer than I am now”, he said. “However my look isn’t the conventional typical French-face boy, so I had a tough time entering the industry because people didn’t get the look by then, they’re just like, what's-wrong-with-him looking so edgy and atypical, and I had low self-esteem because I couldn’t change my physical appearance, that was my look, they either had to accept it or move on to another model. But it’s funny coz, even though I know my look isn’t commercial type stuff, people who don’t know me at first believe I’m a model or an actor (several people told me that when I lived in Madrid for years) and ask if I ever tried modeling. A University friend saw something in me when I was 18. This one girl comes up to me,” Vergnes said. “And the first thing she says is, 'Have you ever thought about modeling? You’re so tall and you look different. You look like you could model.' And I was like, ‘Huh?’ I mean, it sounded almost like an insult to me lol coz I was thinking does she think I’m weird-looking? And so the journey began. But along with success came heartbreak. To go to an agency or go-sees for me was exciting and hard too; and for them to say, ‘No thank you, you’re too edgy, you’re not the type we’re looking for, we have enough black boys’ it was tough, and to hear the last statement was like a bomb, I swear! So that was weird. I remember so vividly when they asked about my runway walk, to show them my portfolio, to talk to them about my experience (when I had practically none by then) etc. There was one man, in one of my agencies when I started, who said to me, 'I know you are tall but I’m not sure about your looks. Two months later he booked me for a catalog and sent me to castings every Friday, it was crazy. But after that period of uncertainty I started to shine lol I did runway shows, casting for commercials, editorials all over Spain and shot with greatest photographers… but no cover then.

Bertrand Vergnes: In front and behind the lens

Ignoring the naysayers, and after a stellar start in the world of fashion, Vergnes came back to France to finish his master degree in Spanish and kept modeling on the side with his 4 modeling agencies. He was so in love with art, photographers, and fellow models, that he created his own covers among them: the Sports Illustrated male swimsuit edition and Chinese Vogue and then became a fixture of the pages of high profile magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, Vogue, The Bertrand Times etc. But even as the ultimate champion of his field, he said, he started to see things in the world of modeling from a different angle and started to question the nature of beauty, and the role race played. “I know that I got those editorials and shoots because I’m a tall mix-raced boy, obviously it had to do with my coloring and the fact that my eyes were big and expressive and my hair is straight and my skin is caramel-colored. And I look at who society puts on a pedestal when it comes to black beauty, and a lot of the times it's a biracial girl, or a girl that does have lighter skin. Now my role icon all those years has been Tyra Banks. She has made one of the missions of her life to redefine and to open up the small box of what beautiful is. That mission, to redefine beautiful, has become the core of Tyra’s brand and I support her 100%.”

Hundreds of people tune in each week to find out what’s going on in Vergnes’ latest web television series: Desperate Housebitches and Perpignan 66100 and also daily to read Vergnes’ latest articles on his magazine and now they’ll watch his talk show. “It’s not that I’m trying to stay under the lights but I enjoy so much creating entertainment for me and my people that I believe being in front and behind the lens gives me that power and somehow every new project has me in it as a mentor.” Ironically enough, Vergnes is known worldwide throughout his business endeavors and modeling photographs, however none of the winners of his most successful television series have actually become a working top model, as the title would suggest. So is it all about Vergnes? “I’m not sure people really understand how it works, so what those boys and girls haven't been top models in the industry?!” Vergnes said. “First of all, after they win, I’m not taking care of them, it’s up to them to go and have their career taken of, I’m just giving them the tools and opening the door, now they’re the ones who have to convince clients they’re viable for the industry. Also we are fighting against a time when a supermodel is not a supermodel anymore. Back in the day, people could name 10 supermodels, 20. Can you name five now? Can you really? No you can’t, it’s the state of this industry that has actors on magazine covers and entertainers as the faces of cosmetics and perfume brands. Even the top campaigns and editorials are now filled with celebrities. All those actors on web TV series I created are in demand now. I'm creating careers for these boys and girls. Sandra Giner, one of my oldest friends, who has graced the January issue of my magazine, is now considered a powerhouse actress because of all the jobs she had with BVS and she’s now a teacher. A lot of my boys and girls are very successful around the web world,” he said.

Vergnes, whom Vogue magazine famously calls a "Mogul," might just be the most frugal mogul going. In any case he deflects the label. “I think I'm too young to be a mogul, one day I hope I’ll be that,” he said. “When I think about moguls, I think about Oprah, Michael Jackson, Tyra Banks, Will Smith, or Donald Trump – these are iconic moguls to me, but I’m on my way!”

One of 2010's biggest news has already been running on the web. It's about one of the major fashion supermodels of all time... on one of the world's most sold magazines... Have you guessed yet? Ok here comes the news courtesy of levangelista.net: The Harper's Bazaar's family is about to be completed with a Spanish edition of the magazine hitting the newstands on 19th February 2010. Its director is Melania Pan, who at 27 years becomes the youngest responsible Harper's Bazaar magazine in the world. And what a publicity coup the magazine realised by reusing the September 1992 cover of the American Edition of Harper's Bazaar for its advertising campaign! This stylishly striking cover was designed by Editor in Chief Liz Tilberis to relaunch the mag in USA and it features no other than Linda Evangelista. 18 years later this cover proves to be timeless - no wonder it was ranked #9 greatest cover in the latest 40 years by ASME. Rumors say that the magazine will come with a cover price of 3.50 euros and a minimum of 300 pages. I also want to quote a male blogger from London, KissMiss, from thefashionspot.com that I feel thinks exactly like me:

"Yesterday, I've been looking through three magazines... Vogue UK, HB UK, HB US and OMG!!! All articles are about upcomming movies and generally film industry, there are NO! proper Fashion articles... I don't mind articles about movies and actresses... but for goodness sake... there were times when people were buying magazines because of spectacular cover images... and this cover is a wonderful evidence... I miss these times when models were doing their job... and great job... especially shameful is that the horrible celebrity trend which does not seem to go away any time soon affected so drastically such an iconic magazine like HB... HB US has an article about Warris Dirie and the movie based on her life... she is played by Liya Kebede... and it is generallyabout FGM in Africa, etc... so magazine has such an amazing cause to promote, such amazing models and they put Miley on the cover... why could not they have Warris/Liya cover... that would be sooo fantastic... I don't knoooow... we seriously live in the times of recession... in all senses of this word;-)"

Here's now in spanish a promo text to announce the mag arrival in Spain, courtesy of prnoticias.es

La mítica revista Harper's Bazaar, fundada en 1867, llega la próxima primavera a los quioscos españoles, de la mano de SpainMedia Magazines (editora de Esquire y Robb Report), pero ya ha comenzado su campaña de publicidad. Los quioscos de Madrid aparecieron la noche de reyes empapelados con la increible portada que la editora de Harper´s Bazaar Liz Tilberis diseñó para Linda Evangelista. Al mismo tiempo frente al Parque del Retiro, la portada de Harper´s Bazaar viste uno de los mejores edificios, en la esquina entre la calle de Alcalá y la calle O´donnell. La campaña ya lo dice todo, Harper's Bazaar hablará de la 'moda inteligente para gente inteligente'... en marzo podremos ser testigos de ello.

WORK, LIFE & LOVE

Every month of February it’s the same story: people want to be utterly in a couple so then they won’t have to pass the Valentine’s Day alones. I find it quite strange that some people feel the need to find someone just for that particular day and for the society not to judge them but automatically those same people will forget that the next day, life has to go on and being single doesn’t mean you’re gonna be less happy. Years ago, when HBO launched the hit phenomenon Sex & the city everybody finally understood that having a successful career, a bunch of great friends, hobbies, a good apartment and dreams to fulfil didn’t mean at all having to be with someone. However I do applaud people who are in a couple and who are truly in love, they show us that it’s possible. Looking forward, travelling and achieving goals in life can be very exciting but that’s also true that having someone by your side on that ride is extremely thrilling. February symbolises love, family, and that time of the year when you realize it’s up to you to have your future at the best height possible. For those who live near the sea or the mountains, don’t forget to go hiking and get in a good shape. Happy Valentine’s Day everybody.

Editor in chief

Bertrand Vergnes

Top American Working Supermodel Chanel Iman, is gracing the february cover of The Bertrand Times magazine. Also on the supplement for The Fun Issue, is French actress Agathe Vergnes.

part 1/2

THE BERTRAND SHOW - EPISODE 2 (28min)

Les journées passent et on a l'impression de ne rien avoir le temps de faire... ce n'est que moi ou vous sentez aussi cette impression??? Rien qu'entre jeudi et aujourd'hui j'ai pas encore touché terre: jeudi midi resto, jeudi aprem dernier oral d'anglais (il me reste encore l'oral de linguistique prévu... on sait pas quand...), jeudi soir préparer la valise et prendre le train, vendredi matin ménage, vendredi aprem aider une amie à ma mère à installer son ordi, puis aller rendre visite au grand père, puis aller ramener des livres à la médiathèque, vendredi soir resto pr mon anniversaire, samedi matin très tôt préparation du cours d'anglais de mon élève de 1ère, ensuite aller donner 2h de cours, manger, se doucher, encaisser des chècos (mdr), remplir le dossier social étudiant pr le logement de 2010-2011 (date limite le 15 février ouaich mais heureusement consciencieux et ordonné je viens de le terminer), puis voir pr les aides des écoles doctorales ! YEAHHHH il est 14h, samedi après midi et maintenant 5 heures de recherches (histoire de bien avancer et de garder le fabuleux rythme du fait que je n'ai pas pu écrire quoi que ce soit lors du 1er semestre vu les heures de cours, les livres à lire et les dossiers à faire de 20 pages!!!) pr le mémoire de master 2 = c bien quand on peut profiter de la vie ! PUTAIN !!! 3jours où j'ai pas encore attéri bordel !

MISE A JOUR:

Finallement après 5h de boulot sur le web et sur word et 1h de lecture et un repas g fini la journée ! oufffffffffff enfin je peux souffler. Certes j'ai aussi eu le temps de voir le nouvel épisode de Project Runway saison 7 et qq minutes des Simpsons mais j'ai aussi du faire une machine = résultat il est 23h56 et ça fait 3 jours que j'ai pas pris une seconde pr vraiment attérir. J'espère pouvoir le faire demain, dimanche!

Bonne soirée à tous.

Hi everybody I just come back from the chinese restaurant where I celebrated my 24th birthday. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE WHO THOUGHT OF ME TODAY - THOSE WHO DARED TO CALL - THOSE WHO SENT ME SMS ON MY PHONE - SENT ME THEIR SUPPORT HERE ON THE ONLINE MAGAZINE - SENT ME COMMENTS ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE - SENT ME MAILS AND TOLD ME IN PERSON. Even though I still maintain some people are 100% shitty (you know those who are acting cheery and sugary just for that day and they didn't send any news yesterday or will do tomorrow after my day is over or called or etc. you might be one of those by the way...) I have HOWEVER to thank those who truely thought about me and those who are TRUE friends : calling anyway in particular, send postcards, mails, sms, comments etc. I really am very happy to be with people who care about me. Thank you all. Here is a gift (coz I'm not gonna thank every person in particular.) Why?

- Because my true friends will call tomorrow or next week or will send messages
- those of you who just sent the "happy birthday" message because you sort of "had to" because of the facebook notification element, well you aren't that related to me in my everyday life so you don't deserve a special "thank you M. or Miss ...". Sorry that's me, and if you don't like it then don't bother sending a "happy b" for my next birthday :))))))

xoxo Bertrand

24... 24 years ! I can't believe I'm 24 years old today, it feels very weird to now being in my twenties and really feel this passage to the adult sort of stage; like first comes the twenties and then you know all what it means = getting older lol. It's funny I had a dream last night, very funny and weird actually and it felt very strange to me to realize "oh gosh tomorrow I'm 24". It feels good to be 24 and to be where I am today but also quite I don't know, strange I'd say coz you just get it now: like ohhhhh waw already 24 years in that earth, like already that much time passed?! Years feel to me like they're flying and going very fast... Too fast maybe? I don't know. So I woke up this morning and I opened my mail and BOUM 60 mails, it was only 10h30 and obviously I had 2 emotions at that moment:

- the first one being "great so many friends already think of me" it's very cool and it means being myself and gentle and smart really works and then came the other one
- ok usually people take 30 years to answer to a single mail and now as we say in french "comme par hasard" 60 mails instantly? Come on, somehow I find it quite disgusting coz people don't say that much in the year or don't call and then magically for this very day they ALL call and do the "facebook reminder move" which is = sending a "happy birthday" sentence! (it's also the same for family members!). I find it dumb but hey that's what our society is now = people are selfish and careless and they apparently need the technology to remind them a close friend has his birthday coz they can't remind it on their own. Guess what I don't care.

Anyway I'm glad to be alive, to have REAL friends worldwide, to have my own life with my own aesthetic, choices, ideas, fashion style, future goals, personal opinions, and just being who I am = a free spirit. Since I was adopted to this day and to the days and years to come I always knew I'd do something great with my life and that's what I do: I live it without questionning what people might think or what people might consider good, hot, smart OR not. I always did and will always do my thing, wanna join, then come in the train. Life to me is very short, so you better make the most of it:

- having HUGE dreams and try to realize them as much as you can
- being yourself and expand your vision but also respecting other people's ideas
- achieving goals and future plans and making yourself as much as a powerhouse as you could possibly be
- loving yourself and others
- inspiring and giving back
- being aware of this world and its necesities and disfunctions
- being a happy person and always cheer yourself up and others
- being intelligent and smart about things and every move

Now I discovered the most fascinating book ever published, it's called "LE PROGRES POUR QUI?" I looooooooooooooooooooooove this book, I found myself crazy about it. I will immediately give you the references so you can also ALL read it (come on it's only 137 pages, very very short):

BORDIER Roger. Le progrès : pour qui?. Belgique : Casterman/Poche. 1973, 137 p. (Collection Mutations. Orientations)

If you don't want to miss that HUGE book, please feel free to read it whenever you can and now I'm gonna speak in french coz the book is in french and I'm sure only french people would like to read a unknown book ok here I go:

Ce livre est tout simplement fantastique, rarement des livres ont cet effet sur les lecteurs, des livres qui VOUS parlent directement, qui vous font réaliser des choses, qui vous permettent de VRAIMENT vous poser les questions qu'il faut... ce livre le fait. Je l'ai trouvé en faisant mes recherches du mémoire de master 2 de cette année et j'en suis tombé amoureux lol. Je ne peux pas vraiment vous le décrire, c'est tout simplement une oeuvre de génie, je le recommande à TOUT le monde, vraiment: il parle aux étudiants, aux riches, aux pauvres, aux intellos, aux gens sans connaissances extrêmes du monde, il parle de sociologie, de politique, de comportements humains etc. IL EST A SAVOURER, il se lit d'une traite et est tout simplement GENIAL ! Les phrases sont vraiment très bien choisies, la morale est à décider par vous même. Il y a du sérieux, beaucoup d'humour et d'ironie sur notre monde, il pff il est GEANT. Vraiment, je ne conseille jamais à personne de lire un magazine (même si vous devriez mdr) mais ce livre c devenu mon livre préféré. Voici une citation représentative du questionnement du livre:

« Progrès : mot-clé de notre monde moderne. Que représente-t-il en fait ? La société de consommation, le confort, l’automatisation, la télévision sécurisante, les loisirs ? N’est-ce pas aussi une certaine aliénation de la vie ? On va dans la lune, mais il y a encore des pays où l’on meurt de faim. On technocratise, on modernise, mais la frange des mécontents et des contestataires ne cesse de s’élargir. Pourquoi ? »

Le livre revoit tous les sujets: la grande société de consommtion, la vie de famille, la sexualité, la religion, nos concepts fondamentaux mais VRAIMENT VRAIMENT pour ceux qui détestent réfléchir ou qui n'aiment pas lire ou qui pensent que cela ne les interessera pas ou que le contenu sera ennuyeux DETROMPEZ VOUS ! Et faites vous LE PLAISIR de lire ce petit livre !!!!

Bertrand will be featured in the february edition of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Here is a sneak preview.

Being a model isn’t easy, you are being judged everyday, in every single job, on your natural talent and beauty, your potential to be the face of whichever company is willing to hire you, your personality, as well as your performance on your previous photoshoots and your ability to give the feeling that the client is looking for, on that particular brief. Modeling is almost like science, you have to possess the knowledge before doing anything. Lots of people are good looking but they wouldn’t be good models because, really really I have to repeat it a thousand times, modeling is really not just about the exterior appearance. If a model doesn’t know how to move on a set and evoke whichever emotion the creative director is looking for that day or if the model doesn’t deliver, she/he is out. Selling yourself is way harder than just smiling of a picture or having abs, I always have to explain that to my friends who don’t know the business very well or to the people who think they have what it takes just because their body is in a good shape, modeling comes from inside: the art to move, the fire in the eyes, the chameleon attribute etc. Many successful models don’t even look that good and my friends, when I tell them those are fierce and earn a good living in the business with contracts and editorial jobs, they always ask how come? Because they project an image, they have something that works in the fashion industry; they convey an emotion and sell it with strength and beauty.

I've just received between yesterday and today amazing early gifts (as my birthday is tomorrow). My friend Sandra called from Scotland, my friend at the residence Magdalena offered me little special gifts she knew I'd enjoy, my chinese teacher-turned-friend Baokun offered me a stylish head piece to wear and we also ate together this morning before my last english class (the option from the 1st semester) and I received the february issue of American VOGUE magazine y'all and we're january 28th ! How cool, can't wait to read it (yes the cover looks like crap and not only looks it does, sorry Anna this times it's not a money covershot). Anyway my family also told me they have a surprise for tomorrow evening so I'm very excited, good evening to you all.

xoxo

Bertrand will be featured in the february edition of Chinese Men Vogue. Here is a sneak preview.

Call him "real life Bertrand" and "cyber web Bertrand."

By day, in the real world, Bertrand Vergnes is a student with a master degree in Spanish who has had a swimming career for more than 16 years and who have learned 7 languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Korean, Chinese). By night, in the World Wide Web, the same boy is a real web fashion editor who has created many fashion magazines (among them “The Bertrand Times”) and is a real supermodel turned web television personality, who has created an entertainment company at 12 and presides over now a talk show known for bringing a message of uplift and empowerment to young men and women [...]. In the course of his unique career, Vergnes, 24, has pulled off more than one unlikely transition. He changed his family life when he was adopted from Brazil by his mother Michèle, before becoming a top French southern swimmer who was featured more than once in newspapers and has competed for more than 16 years in club. Vergnes also went to drama club, dancing and pottery with his sister at the MJC of their city. He then created an entertainment company at the age of 12 years old and entered the modeling industry at 16 in the south of France. Along the way he shot in Germany, England and Spain, becoming then one of the few mix-raced models to be signed in 4 real modeling agencies in Madrid [...].

(image source W Korea - january 09)

After nearly 3 days without the internet... I'm back y'all. Ok something I really can't stand are celebrities with no talent who are "allowed" to do everything other people work hard at, just because they have the money or the celeb status, this disgusts me very much. I mean come on, how many actresses or celebs (such as Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie) go from sluts to wannabe fashion designers??? Too much if you ask me! How many people in the business industry with no talent at all become singers, actors, designers, television hosts JUST BECAUSE they know other people or have money from their rich parents? Gosh what a world! I don’t envy them, at all coz in comparison to them I have skills and I rely on what I can do and what I know, they can’t say the same. Now I was surfing on the web after I worked on my master thesis for 2 days ½ and I’ve find this article about 90’s iconic black supermodel Tyson Beckford who talks about Lindsay Lohan (another slut in the Hollywood crowd who is only famous for her trash attitude, her bad fashion tastes, her endless magazine covers because her “crazy life” is soooo freakin’ fascinating for people who have no dreams and who take her as an example to follow… anyway) who wants now to be… a model???? GOSH!

“Supermodel Tyson Beckford appeared at the Make Me A Supermodel party in New York City on Tuesday. While at the bash, Tyson weighed in on Lindsay Lohan’s desire to become an IMG model. “She has the partying part down right. But I don’t think she’s got the focus. I mean, it requires a lot of focus and a lot of people think they can do it, but they really find that it’s a lot harder.” “Ask anyone – it’s a lot harder than it looks. I guess that’s why they call us supermodels – we make it look easy. But it’s not as easy as it looks, so I wish her the best.” It’s not often that you hear us sticking up for Lindsay but we’re going to give it a shot. Mr. Beckford seems very full of himself and his hard job. Lindsay has graced all the top magazine covers and dare we say…she looked fabulous. As far as Lohan’s career, she has been talking about how hard it is to get hired, which is quite likely her fault. After all, she does have a reputation for letting down countless directors, producers and fellow actors with her unpredictable behavior. If she wants it badly enough, she’ll start working on getting her act together and ditching the drama. A stretch? Absolutely.”

Ok, first of all the source is US Weekly (one of the USA’s proudest trashy celebrities’ magazine) and they aren’t even shameless sayin’ that Tyson is full of himself WHAT??? He isn’t first of all and with his stunning career he could be come on = “Mr. Beckford seems very full of himself” and Lindsay isn’t??? The girl is pure shit! She isn’t even a good actress, she is trashy, went to rehab several times, has no beauty (except when Photoshop’s editors work on her for loooong hours to make her looking ok on the magazine covers). “She does have a reputation for letting down countless directors, producers and fellow actors with her unpredictable behavior” YOU THINK???? What a bunch of assholes! IMG is the premiere modeling agency in the entire world now I just hope they won’t sign her just because of her celebrity status coz she doesn’t have the face, the body, the height, the savvy or the modeling poses! PLEASE! And congrats to Tyson to say the truth!

I'm glad hollyscoop.com agrees on that point: "Can’t blame the guy for telling it like it is! Plus, not for nothing, but there aren’t too many models that are making a living at Lindsay’s height. It’s not one of those professions you can just decide one day that you want to do. We just think Lindsay is lost right now and she’ll do anything to be making the money she used to make."

I just wanted to add this, from bet.com, I loooove that answer: "What do you think about all of the hip-hop and R&B artists who have become fashion designers or released clothing lines? No offense, you can call it what you want, but it's not high fashion. That's cool but that's doing nothing for the cause. What we need are the designers for high fashion. So, I salute them, but step your game up. It's cool to be in Dr. Jay's but get yourself into Macy's, get yourself up there. If Dolce & Gabbana can open a high-end store why can't we?"

Alright what do we have here, if not the most creative image campaign I have ever seen yet! Brazilian Supermodel Raquel Zimmermann (that was our covergirl on The Bertrand Times november 2009's issue), lot of snakes and one pair of killer platforms - the season’s most inventive campaign has arrived courtesy of Nick Knight and Alexander McQueen. Do you love it? Personnally I find the shot striking, crazy imaginative and bold. I mean this is really the NEXT level and as always Raquel is blowing me away. Good work! Check! lol

Eventually the week end is here :)) good, not that I've worked like crazy coz I haven't had my classes back but I've been studying on my master 2cd year's thesis anyway, I've found this article while I was surfing on the web and I really feel you all should read it. It comes from the famous american gossip website jezebel.com:

"The other day, when there emerged another photo-illustration of Demi Moore, smoothed and tightened beyond the point of recognizable humanity, we wondered when it was the Photoshop-embattled actress would release a "before" picture. Turns out, there kind of is one. A tipster alerted us to the fact that on March 4 of last year, the actress's husband uploaded this slightly blurry picture of Moore reclining in a near-identical pose to the eventual ad. Let's examine them side-by-side, shall we? We're not out to play "gotcha" here — as far as we're concerned, the main thing this behind-the-scenes snapshot proves is that Demi Moore is a fucking gorgeous woman.


But given the raft of manipulations her photograph underwent in the course of its transformation from something resembling the shot on the right to that creation on the left, it's clear that to the contemporary beauty industry, being gorgeous is not enough. Breasts need lifting, hair needs thickening and cloning, little bits of flesh around the shoulders and upper torso that might bulge out when lying down on a hard surface need siphoning off, cleavage needs enhancing, the little lines on palms and neck that show skin, you know, creases with movement — those need to be liquified away. And skin needs a plasticky airbrushing, a total post-production resurfacing, because anything on a billboard that had a visual artifact of the texture of a human being might...might what? Alienate the audience? The point isn't that Demi Moore looks bad because of this Photoshop. It's that Photoshop this thorough makes her look nothing like a human being. We now live in a world that forces us to consider every image of a woman we encounter to have been extensively altered, unless and until proven otherwise. And yet, unretouched shots of models and actors are just a click away — whether they be paparazzi snaps or candids tweeted by a loved-one. In these circumstances, it only gets curiouser and curiouser that beauty companies insist on pursuing their relentless campaign of visual manipulation. We can disprove these fallacious accounts of the stars' appearances in seconds; why the pretense?"

Ok now I and you shouldn't pretend we ignore what the media and beauty and entertainment industries are up to, so we can't say "we weren't aware of that kind of actions (cf: retouching every picture with photoshop) and we can't either close our eyes on such type of distortion of OUR reality so what are we supposed to do? Frankly the main thing should be "WE DON'T AGREEE" and we should stop buying magazines (I'm talking for myself too), we should stop watching those shows etc but are we really gonna do this any day whatsoever? NO and we all know that. We have to always remember that reality is ALWAYS paired up with that part of "creativity" that is being involved in those shots and try to not feel bad about ourselves because we don't look THIS way. Got it?

Remember itt's not the first time an ad has been photoshopped and it won't be the last one. EVERY star/actor ASK it and editors do. It's that simple.

Where are those years? Those of fun and youth and not worrying about life and the future and having a job and ... gosh I miss those years sometimes where I had fun with my friends every summer. It's also the time when I had great moments with my best friends in Béziers while I was in high school. Those photos are "frozen moments in time" with each of those people I shared laughts with. It's also funny when you look at those pictures I appear to have a different hairstyle and color in each single picture lol isn't that right?! I miss those sundays with my best friend at the mcdonald's talking about life, I miss those saturday afternoons at my home with the gang with Cha, Alex, Céline and So, I miss those wednesdays shopping with them, I miss my 3 regular weeks at Argelès with the entire cast of "Ageles Beach". Where are those years?

I guess they're part of the past but not in a bad way, they're here to let us know we can still have that same fun again. That's why I like to look back at some of those moments in pictures from time to time, because I know I have great friends. Not only those in those pics but those I've made along the way: the swimming pool world, the modelling one, the university one, the foreign one, the Madrid one, the Perpignan one, and all those other great friends around me since I started to make my print in this life and those I had the chance to meet from all over this world.

Lots of xoxo to my friends worldwide.

我今天学汉语

我应该多运动, 应该少吃, "还可以。你好像比以前胖了一点了。是吗?" loool 对 "你吃得不多" 对我体会, 我明白. 今天我去大学了也我离开吃饭店。好吃！

风格看点, 美体, 星客厅 TBT

I was talking to one of my Spanish friends like a few months ago and I sent him the video of Super Junior M (see previous posts) that a Chinese friend of mine sent me in the first place and then my friend from Spain said that he liked that song "supergirl" and that he knew boys bands from the 90's that were playin' that kind of music in Spain so I asked him to send them to me. Well they aren't that impressive but I find them cool and here they are:

I know a lot of you might hate that video but I really love it, it's funny coz when I think of jazz I'm like "gosh it's old, it's not current, and not cool for my age I guess" BUT now I find jazz very interesting. Well I have to say I started to like it when I was watching SATC show (sex and the city) when Mister Big used to take Carrie to jazz clubs (season 3-4 I think) and then once there was that episode on the Simpsons and they played that song and I felt so in love with that rythm that I jumped on google to find the original one and here it is, check it out:

Life is so weird to me, but also interesting in many different ways. Everyone who knows me instantly have, I think, a word that comes up when they think about me or my personality: crazy, funny, athletic, role model, driven, extremely ambitious, smart, stunning, vivacious, bold, confident, and harsh. As a student, swimmer, model, magazine editor and web series’ producer I’ve always done my things without really asking myself, why? I mean I did those things to entertain people and myself in the process but where does this drive come from? Why am I that driven and determined in life? Why do I want to accomplish so many things? Does it have to do with the fact that I’m an adopted child? Is it because I come from a poor country? Is it because of my family’s wealthy life that people feel that I can’t do things on my own because of those assets? Or is it because of the people’s criticism I used to receive back then in college before high school: “you’re not gonna go far, you’re not smart enough to go to university, you’re too tall and weird” etc.

As a polyglot student, confirmed national swimmer, registered model in fashion agencies host and producer of various web television series, editor of my own online magazine, and as whip-smart business mogul, I am all those things. It’s not going to make my detractors happy but who cares? I live my life every single day thinking “think positive and have fun”, yeah that’s my motto.

I'm not surprised that, people who don’t know me very well, or who just happen to be jealous of my skills or to misconceive any of the shows I created, may believe I’m some sort of a haughty guy. I don’t blame them, I don’t have an ego problem, the fact is that I’m 23, and have achieved a lot of success in various fields in my life such as having learned 7 languages, have been in the swimming pool world and have become a small southern French legend or have been modelling in various countries despite the fact people would say I looked too exotic. What’s the truth uh? Well, I believe I’m a very hardworking man and maybe an overachiever. But I do those things in life, I think, to be taken seriously I guess, I want to prove myself I can do all those things, just by applying some discipline and hard-work and also being taken seriously by people I may encounter in the future. This necessity I have, to prove that I’m good enough for anything I’d like to try, may comes from insecurities I did have while growing up: being the tallest, being adopted, having those exotic features within my face and looking/acting different than other people my age etc. but also to make from my life experiences a type of example to others who would like to achieve things but don’t know how or when. I don’t want to set those examples; I guess people decide to follow my magazine or to follow my web TV shows because somehow they think they may relate to me in a lot of levels. They know I’m like them, I think, I want a good living and I work for it. People come to me with messages and mails and ideas because I’ve became over the years someone that they can look up to, because of my various business endeavours I set throughout my web entertainment career.

I don’t really have a strong code to respect, I just go with the flow, and people who have seen me work know what I’m talking about. I mean they saw me go straight from a late fashion or fitting to an early-morning class at the university and then on a 3-days trip with friends with no complaints. Not to be a total jerk about it, but I believe it is obvious to anyone who knows her, whether personally or professionally or just from my shows that I’m a hard-worker and that I’m real, but I may come bitchy to others who just see the surface.

Don't forget one thing: "drive is attractive"

I can’t describe what it feels like when I’m emerged into the fashion industry. It’s crazy lol I mean I really love fashion and I can’t explain it to people who doesn’t know it or don’t feel interested by in or who just mock it because of their lack of culture. This reminds me one sentence US Vogue’s editor in chief Anna Wintour said in “The September Issue” movie last year: “when they feel they’re not part of the cool group, they just mock it”. The fashion world is so me: creativity, worldwide cultures, travelling, colors, high end photoshoots and hot pictures, designers, runways with presence and points of view and fun and empowerment, beautiful clothes, interesting people etc. My favorite thing? I love being a model and taking pictures with photographers, to inspire others and to transform in front of the lens, and also to take pictures myself for this magazine The Bertrand Times. So you might understand a little bit why I love so much reading fashion magazines: fantastic models, crazy poses and pictures, great articles about life, music, cultures, movies, lifestyles and people who have a point of view and who think out of the box not just the typical girl and boy, I sort of see in France; but the funny, weird, crazy, glam characters you only see in the fashion world: one friend used to tell me “you can’t wear what they’re designing for the runways” or “this is reality, you can’t wear that” or whatever… This is exactly what I don’t want for my life: boring mold and lack of passion and what another friend calls “conventionality”. I love this industry so much I entered it as a model when I was 16, then there was web shows with still this appeal for fashion, now there’s this magazine and my upcoming web talk show. I believe I should have trusted my friends who used to say I should work in a fashion school to get a degree and then look for a job in there: a designer, an editor, a fashion assistant, etc. But in this frightening world, dreams aren’t always what you immediately go for because of the economic aspect. Anyway I love languages and I’m quite good in them (as a manner of speaking lol) so I said “let’s do that!”; but I still live my fashion dreams modeling from time to time, taking photos for this magazine and still learning and getting inspired by models, designers, editors and magazinesssssssss. Get my passion for photography and fashion now? So do YOU also have a passion for fashion?

Hi my dear readers, the topic today is quite disturbing and will have you blogging I think. The theme is "plus siz models". It's really interesting these past months how the fashion industry put that much focus on that part of the business. When Tyra Banks and the judges crowned Whitney Thompson the winner of the 10th season of the worldwide tv sensation America's next top model, everybody said she lost her mind, but after a while nobody was questionning that choice. Thompson was previously signed with Elite Model Management and is now working with Wilhelmina Models in New York, one of the biggest modeling agencies in the world. The girl on the left is actress Gabourey Sidibe who is featured in one of the two covers that V magazine launched for january 2010... Quite a mixed message to send to readers and people worldwide because in a way the industry promotes now the full figure bodies but maintain still the size 0 with another covergirl... Hum this smells like to me that those people are hypocritical but want to send a positive move from their part. I found the next lines from Tyra.com about the same issue:

"Question: If 67% of the women in America wear a size 12-14, should “Plus-Size” really have to be a special division at modeling agencies? We think not, but we’re surely grateful for the agencies that do have these stand-out divisions. The fashion, publishing and advertising industries are slowly getting a clue. Of course, America’s Next Top Model has definitely been doing its part to put full-figured women on the map." As more and more models that represent the average American woman in size emerge, the need to dispel the myths about what it means to be a plus-size or full-figured model grows. For one, plus-size models are not just pretty, “thick” girls. Proportion, shape and tone are really important in getting booked—if not more so than for traditional models. "We make most of our money in lingerie in this division", says 8-year modeling agency veteran Aida Brigman, director of Plus Size at Click Models. "Let me tell you something, most plus-size girls have flat stomachs. They eat healthy and they work to stay in shape. Just like the size 2 and 4 models have to stay in shape, same for plus-size girls."

Of course when I think about PLUS SIZE I instantly have in mind Toccara Jones. If you don't know who she is then you better watch ANTM's third season where her big personnality made her a star. I didn't know that but she won "CoverGirl of the Week" five times! She has worked for clients like Ashley Stewart and Essence magazine, served as television host on BET ad has cool video called Toccara's Fabulous Workout for Real Size Women and her biggest accomplisment yet : she is the FIRST EVER full figure black woman to have appeared in Italian Vogue shot by legendary photographer Steven Meisel!!! Not only she appeared in the issue but she has 14 pages editorial spread among all the top models featured in this issue!!!

“Big, little, pint-sized, plus size–everybody is beautiful. And this issue is out to prove it,” says V magazine editor Stephen Gen. Models which include Crystal Renn will be shown clothed and nude in photos shot by Karl Lagerfeld and others.

Powerful music presence, Beth Ditto is an American singer-songwriter who happens to rock magazine covers and editos from time to time. She also graced the V cover and is one of Kate Moss' friends.

Now the most famous plus size model happens to be Crystal Renn. Everyone knows Crystal Renn. You've seen her in magazines.

"Yesterday, when I met her at the 34th St. Lane Bryant — which is decked with pictures of the dark-haired plus-size supermodel — even a customer was telling Crystal's life story. "I read about that girl!" said the woman. "It's like, I think she was anorexic, and then she gained all her weight back, but she's still a top model." Crystal's agent, Gary Dakin at Ford, smiled wryly."

This girl is big according to fashion people but so what? She embraces who she is and her body: she appeared in a LOT lot lot of editorials and magazine covers including Elle and Harper's Bazaar. She also shot editorial spreads for Vogue US, Elle Italia, Vogue Paris, i-D Magazine etc and shot with Meisel, Demarchelier, Von Unwerth, Knight, Afanador etc. So yes she is very very popular in the fashion industry y'all. A handful of other models have gone from disordered misery at straight-size, to self-acceptance and a new career at what the modeling industry calls plus. (Kate Dillon and Carré Otis are notable examples.) But perhaps most importantly, Crystal seems to be slowly helping the notoriously sizist industry change its ideas of what a plus size model can be: she rarely looks like the typical friendly, smiley, approachable stereotype of the larger model. Although she can look adorable styled as a pin-up, she's also booked for jobs that require a confrontational look, an overt sexuality, or a darker kind of beauty — it's probably no coincidence that she says she was a high school goth; she particularly likes the designer Rick Owens and so am I.

So what do YOU think? Are PLUS SIZE girls in? Do you believe in them to change the fashion mainstream acceptance? Is this a good idea to promote full figure body to erase the thin anorexic models? Or are we (once again) going to far and to the extreme instead of picking OUR normal sizes? One thing is for sure, the movement is launched, but is it going to keep on rising? You tell us.

but before answering take a look at this... You might feel different about full figure bodies...

http://models.com/v-magazine/v-size-1.html
http://models.com/v-magazine/v-size-2.html
http://models.com/v-magazine/v-size-3.html
http://models.com/v-magazine/v-size-4.html
http://models.com/v-magazine/v-size-5.html

The Bertrand Vergnes Show, also known as and shortened to Bertrand or The Bertrand Show, is a French talk show hosted by Bertrand Vergnes, but presented in English. It will premiere on January 23, 2010 in front of a live-to-tape audience at Béziers, France. The series was created by the BVS.

While the show is set up to cover a variety of topics, there will be a sensationalized focus on current issues facing young men and women, with often special episodes focused on Vergnes himself or his friends. The show is aired worldwide throughout the internet. Future topics will be based on people with problems, political debates, sex and relationships, fashion and lifestyle, education and empowerment among other subjects.