"We had this great idea that we wouldn’t use a card" - Sarah Murdoch on the ANTM fiasco

screen cap/ACA

Belated congratulations to Amanda Ware, the – eventual - winner of Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6. On July 16, after the series launch, frockwriter did say that our money was on Ware. Of this year’s field, she looked to have the most international potential - one of the reasons, presumably, that the show’s producers reportedly wanted her to win the series so badly. Or at least that’s what Edwina McCann, the editor of ANTM partner Harpers Bazaar Australia claimed on Nine Network's Today show this morning. McCann - who, once upon a time, was Murdoch's personal stylist - said the show's producers left the voting lines open in the hope that Ware might “get over the line”. Of course the main ANTM topic of conversation today was not Ware’s win per se – but rather the debacle of last night’s finale, at the climax of which anchor Sarah Murdoch declared Kelsey Martinovich the winner. Only to announce moments later, ashen-faced, that a terrible mistake had been made and that Ware was in fact the winner. But not before the pyrotechnics had fired and Martinovich had delivered her victory speech. Total ballsup in other words. What really went down is anybody’s guess, with numerous theories and explanations offered. Murdoch finally broke her silence on Nine's prime time current affairs show A Current Affair earlier this evening, interviewed - very sympathetically - by her former Today show colleague, Karl Stefanovic.

Australia's next top Photoshop job?

foxtel via sassi sam

As frockwriter’s Twitter flock may have spotted, last night we headed to the Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6 launch at the heritage-listed Inglis Stables in Randwick. The season begins on Tuesday 20th July at 7.30pm on Fox 8. Although we weren't exactly invited (we tagged along with a friend), co-hosts Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson don't appear to hold a grudge over this blog's coverage of last year's Cassi van den Dungen fracas - which was ignited by incendiary Facebook comments made by Perry and Dawson and resulted in quite some publicity, not to mention the threat of a defamation suit against Foxtel by van den Dungen’s agent. The duo ran over to crash one model shot we were setting up, mugging for frockwriter's camera, with Dawson noting, “We thought you’d like to include us as well!”.

The power of hubris: Should Bonds' charity have begun at home?

grazia

A Bonds charity singlet emblazoned with “The Power of Humanity” Red Cross slogan and launched a week ago in collaboration with ACP's Grazia to raise $50,000 towards the Victorian Bushfires Appeal, may come back to haunt the intimate apparel giant in the wake of this week’s news that Bonds’ Pacific Brands parent plans to axe 1850 jobs. And notably of course, following today’s revelations that PacBrands executives gave themselves 170percent pay hikes in 2008, with remuneration for the company’s 13 directors more than doubling from $7million to $15.5 million – a move that has been branded "obscene" and a "corporate crime".

The $25 singlet was apparently initiated by Grazia, with product and services donated by Bonds and Wazzup Screenprinting.

Two thousand singlets were made, with half distributed through General Pants.

In its February 16 edition, Grazia encouraged readers to buy the “exclusive and strictly limited edition” feelgood merchandise, devoting a corner of its front cover to a shot of Bonds ambassador Sarah Murdoch in the garment:


grazia via GWAS

On February 18, Australian fashion media-specialist blogger Erica Bartle criticised the initiative on her Girl With a Satchel blog.

Noted Bartle:

“Grazia is well-meaning, no doubt, but I can't help but feel its fashionification of this unfortunate event borders on being tacky… I can't help but feel I'm being served a tabloid Big Mac with a charitable, calorie-free side salad”.

On Wednesday this week – prior to the retrenchments announcement by Pacific Brands – Bartle (an ACP contributor) posted an apology to Grazia, saying that she had had a change of heart.

The post prompted a barrage of commentary from readers (including this journalist), many of whom thought that Bartle had gotten it right the first time.

In the comments on Bartle's latest post, one anonymous poster claims that the photograph of Murdoch in the slogan-emblazoned singlet was a retouched version of an earlier image from the January 2008 edition of ACP stablemate, Harpers Bazaar.

While this remains to be seen, the singlet and image appear to have been organised with the blessing of Murdoch, who released the following statement to Grazia for the February 16 edition:

“The Power of Humanity has been well and truly witnessed with so many Australians banding together to support those devastated by the fires. Every dollar raised from the sale of these Chesty singlets will go to Australian Red Cross to continue that support. Thank you.”

You have to wonder just how Murdoch is feeling about her ongoing Bonds ambassadorial role today.