The Moss Effect | Nicole Clinton

Nicole Clinton explains why Kate Moss is deserving of the title.

     When I came across a programme on Sky Arts a few months ago entitled ‘Kate Moss: Creating an Icon’ I was intrigued, not just because I have a personal fascination with the supermodel’s perfectly imperfect beauty and style, but also because I was interested in what makes her an Icon. Unfortunately, the programme never actually achieved its goal of explaining why Moss could be deemed an icon. However, it got me thinking: ‘What is the reason for her iconic status and her long reign over the fashion world?’ And this is my answer....She was the last supermodel. Fashion bible Vogue was correct last year when they exclaimed in their article ‘The History of the Supermodel’ that “after Kate, models just weren’t super anymore”. She was the last model to reach the level of fame or notoriety that made her recognisable to even the least fashion conscious. Whether that’s down to modern society’s short attention span or that today’s models fail to exude that special something, nobody can deny that it would be difficult to select a new model with a status equal to Kate’s, even in her early years.There are two stages in the history of the fashion model: Before Kate and After Kate.Previous to the arrival of Moss, supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Christy Brinkley were voluptuous, 6 foot tall, beauty-queen-esque creatures. On the contrary Kate’s teeth were slightly crooked, her skin was covered in moles and at 5 foot 7, she would have been considered a dwarf in the fashion world. After her arrival, modelling agents and designers lowered their minimum height requirements and began to give skinny girls with strong cheekbones priority over the rest. This was partly a result of the rebellious era that was the 1990’s but fashion experts agree that Moss was a huge factor in changing the face of modelling.Kate Moss caused controversy. Her first photo shoot for British magazine The Face with fashion photographer Corrine Day in 1990, established her scandalous ‘super-waif’ image. She appeared in a grotty flat, her skeletal frame wearing a thong and a stringy top.  In her early years she was blamed for everything from anorexia in young girls to elder women’s self-hatred. Even Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, attacked her for promoting the ‘Heroin Chic’ look during the nineties. The fact that the President took any notice of what a British model looked like just personified her influence. In fact, Moss was given the blame for a lot of society’s problems but people forget that she didn’t put herself in a magazine or award herself a designer contract. Fashion houses and magazine editors responded to her allure and used it to their advantage.One could also add that : She inspired the style of a generation or two, has been the muse for a legion of designers, appeared on the cover of British Vogue alone over 30 times, dated Johnny Depp, designed for Topshop and pole-danced in a White Stripes video. She lost most of her fashion contracts following her cocaine scandal in 2005 but regained them in no time. Why? Because she’s Kate Moss. And she’s an icon…