In advance of New York Fashion Week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) did indeed issue a svelte two-page set of guidelines for the care and feeding of skinny models. Actually it's just one page, as the second page is dedicated to bios for the issuing committee. Predictably enough, the guidelines themselves are thin, bony, toothless, lethargic, and anemic. (Rumors that the CDFA guidelines were spotted puking up a lunchtime garden salad in the ladies' room may be exaggerated.) It's all about a "campaign of awareness," as opposed to the (curl lip in disgust) "policing" of model body weight. The committee that developed the guidelines included various fashionistas (e.g. Diane von Furstenburg) and their pet health professionals; strangely, though Vogue's Anna Wintour is mentioned in a few press reports, she didn't make it into the final committee roster. Look for her on the front lines of the awareness campaign for February's pre-Fashion Week public skinniness discussion/publicity event.

Designers suggest healthy lifestyle to models [AP]
Council of Fashion Designers of America Health Initiative [WSJ]

Contact information for this author is not available.