Gilles Bensimon

>> Tonchi: New W to Be More Accessible; Suggested T Editor Possibilities?— W's new editor Stefano Tonchi acknowledged earlier today that he aims to make the magazine more accessible, “probably to just make it more of a general-interest style magazine, and less of a fashion-obsessed publication.” Even before Tonchi was confirmed today, rumors were circling this weekend that W will be moving further away from its current "high art/high fashion/high society/token celebrity" cachet, as The Imagist puts it, and "swerving closer to the In Style magazine model. Or in other words, 'In Style Deluxe.'" Meanwhile, suggestions are already being made for T's currently empty editor-in-chief position: The Imagist suggests T features director Horacia Silva, while The Daily is leaning toward former Elle creative director Gilles Bensimon, former Interview editor Ingrid Sischy, Interview's editorial director Fabien Baron, Elle's fashion news director Anne Slowey, or T's fashion director Anne Christensen. [TI, FWD]

Continuing their adoration for bombshell bikini models, Rampage enlisted Bar Refaeli for their Fall ad campaign. Remember Gisele was their Summer muse? Shot by famed photographer Gilles Bensimon at an estate in Los Angeles, Bar appears totally collected in Rampage's clothing, accessories, intimates and footwear. The bombshell makes the feminine coats, flirty skirts, ripped jeans, and sophisticated workwear that much more desirable. Bar Refaeli commented, “The Rampage line is comfortable and the cuts are very feminine. It always fits perfectly to the curves of a woman’s body – I have curves and I feel really good in it!” Though I prefer Bar in her LBB, this is all pleasing to the eyes . . .

For more Bar for Rampage and a behind-the-scenes video, read more

>> Over the course of five years, Sara Ziff snuck her ex-boyfriend Ole Schell into fashion shows, shoots, and parties so that he could film "without other people realizing it."   Sometimes he got thrown out, but they were able to collection hundreds of hours of footage along the way, which they edited down to produce Ziff's documentary, Picture Me, which exposes the dirty underbelly of modeling.

In it, the stories are hardly pretty.  Ziff told the Guardian about a 16-year-old model who complained to her agency when a 45-year-old photographer made a pass at her: "Her agency said she should have slept with him."  She captures another model talking about how weight is approached: "In castings, people have slapped my thigh, and I'm not in any sense overweight, I never have been.  I've been the same weight for a long time, but they'll slap your butt and be like 'Oooh, fat' in Italian or in French. 'It's too big here.'"

"People touch you all the time." »

>> The shakeups at Elle just keep on coming.  Ever since creative director Joe Zee joined the team in January 2007, former longtime creative director Gilles Bensimon has seen his role at the magazine majorly diminished — his title changed to international creative director, his name moved from top of the masthead to the bottom.

He usually sits with the Elle team during Fashion Month, but during New York Fashion Week, he was a no-show due to a "top-secret project" in Paris.  He also didn't show at Elle's Women in Hollywood Awards Monday, and he has only photographed three out of the eleven Elle cover stories this year — compared to going twelve for twelve last year.

It comes as no surprised that Gilles would want to get out — and Nina Garcia may be just the woman to help him.  His contract with Elle expires at the end of the year, so it's the perfect time for him to make his move.  Rumors started flying when he arrived at the Chanel show last week in a towncar with Nina, his former colleague, who is now trying to increase fashion coverage in her new position as fashion director at Marie Claire.  Is Nina wooing Gilles, who used to be Elle's go-to celebrity photographer, to Marie Claire?  That is the allegation . . .
*image: source

>> This week's New York Magazine profile exploring the inner workings of Elle has editor-in-chief Roberta Myers less than pleased.

The article, written by former Jezebel editor and current Gawker employee Maureen "Moe" Tkacik, tends to portray current Elle employees like Myers, international creative director Gilles Bensimon, creative director Joe Zee, and fashion news director Anne Slowey in a less positive light than former fashion director Nina Garcia.  At one point, Tkacik writes that Myers had a "lack of jurisdiction over the fashion department," and at another point she reports on the power struggle between Gilles Bensimon and Myers:

Bensimon wanted little to do with [Myers]. In photos from the rare occasions they would attend shows together, his expression is dour. He saw Myers as ambitious, insecure and overly American; she saw him as an overpaid, out-of-control spendthrift who was losing his touch.

Myers tells WWD what she really thinks about Gilles Bensimon »