Face Value

A diverse résumé like Turlington's is nice, but is it enough to persuade shoppers to part with $2,000 for a dress, especially in an economy where consumer confidence continues to weaken? Despite strong second-quarter sales by certain luxury brands (Hermes's leather goods are up 17 percent), overall retail spending is down. Banana Republic's second-quarter sales, for example, have dipped 6 percent. "Everybody everywhere is affected by the economy, even if it's not in their pocketbooks," says Jeffrey Kalinsky, founder of the Jeffrey stores and executive vice president at Nordstrom. Still, he's inclined to chalk up the resurgence of the supermodel to creative coincidence. "It's just the same as when you start to see a lot of the same lengths of skirts on a runway," he says. "It's people thinking alike."

But Premier Model Management's Carole White, who represents Turlington, sees a direct correlation between a weakened economy, lower magazine page counts and her client's renewed popularity. "The advertisers are saying to their customers, 'Look, we can afford these amazingly beautiful iconic women [for our ads], and we know you, the customer, can relate to them'," she says. "The customer feels comfortable with the models' very famous faces, and the customer likes familiarity and success."

That familiarity, as well as nostalgia for the booming economy of the late 1990s, is the primary reason for the supermodels' return, says Kaye Davis, executive director of Fashion at AmericasMartAtlanta. "Christy, Linda, Naomi and Claudia are women we admired. They represented the good times, economically, 10 years ago—and still do today. With the uncertain economy, people are purchasing brands they know. These supermodels are women we know, therefore they ensure confidence in consumer purchases."

Mizrahi would rather believe a certain je ne sais quoi keeps these lovely old-timers on the pages of fashion magazines. "They've hung in there, and they enjoy themselves, and you can tell. And, they look beautiful in juxtaposition to some of the new girls," he says. "Today, I saw a Prada ad with Linda in it, and I said, 'Is that Linda? That's amazing!' I don't think [Italian designer] Miuccia Prada sits there and thinks, 'Uh oh, it's a bad economic time, so I'm going to put someone older [in my ad] so the consumer can relate to it.' I think she does just the opposite. She's trying to keep it interesting."

And who would argue that a fortysomething supermodel in a black lace number and sky-high heels isn't at least a little interesting?

© 2008