Thank heaven for Mark Fast and All Walks Beyond the Catwalk

In an era when rail-thin models have ruled the runway for way too long, designer Mark Fast took a stand at London Fashion Week last week.  Proposing that regular-sized women can wear his garments and look good doing so, he used three models sizes 12-14 in his runway lineup, causing a rift between him and some of his staff members who chose to leave over “creative differences.”

Fast catwalk, London 2009

How refreshing to show that size 12 women can have beautiful, healthy bodies and can in fact “look even better” [than size zero models] in Fast’s tight-fitting knits according to Fast’s manager, Amanda May.

(Random Related Side Note:  Surely I’m not the only one who thinks a young Cameron Diaz was MUCH more stunning as the curvy love interest in “The Mask” than she is now, way too many pounds skinnier…?)

a younger, curvier Cameron D. in "The Mask"

an older, skinnier Cameron D. (where'd the cleavage go??)

Don’t get me wrong – I know there are some naturally thin women whose genes make it difficult for them to gain weight.  As long as they’re healthy, that’s great.  But when you have size zero models who are too big for current runway outfits, that’s a problem.

Enter a new solution:  All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.

Fast is involved in a wonderful project called All Walks Beyond the Catwalk in which designers used more a diverse model pool to showcase their Spring/Summer 2010 collections.  They include models from ages 18-65 and from sizes 8-16.  Let’s hope this is the dawn of a new era in the fashion industry.