SympathysSilhouette

Her Letterman appearance made me wonder just how much English she truly understands...

I hope they invite her even if she doesn't win the stupid model search things. It's pretty clear that even the photographer was impressed by her on camera performance. Do the right thing for one SI!

If Michelle Lombardo slept with a guy to get in SISE, I want that guy's job!

Looks like I wasn't the only one who needed a change of underwear...

Disappointing second half performance by Barcelona. Does set up a terrific return leg.

Well I think the issue last year wasn't that we didn't like the locations. I loved the airfield for Morton's photoshoot. That could have been truly terrific, had it not been for the fact that Geneviève lacks that sparkle... If you put Elle at her absolute scorching hot apex in that same location, it becomes an instant classic imho. So I am not saying the models do not matter. They do. But you are more likely to create something special if you dare to shake things up a little. Now for the advertisers, I get and acknowledge your point. Though I'd argue that the SISE will be interesting for advertisers no matter what the exact content, just courtesy of its status.

Might be best to cover the sofa and rug with plastic too, come to think of it... :|

I have to say, that's a rather absurd answer. I don't personally know anybody who works on the issues, but I can guess that each issue is SI's attempt to do exactly what you recommend. It's not like SI is deliberately creating sub-par issues with models they don't think will amount to anything. Compare SI to VS. VS has dozens of catalogs a year, numerous promotional events, and the VSFS to cram certain models down our throats, and it's still hit-or-miss on whether the general public becomes even mildly interested. SI has one issue a year and only a handful of promotional stuff to go with it. They even got ten models on Letterman this year, instead of the usual one. I don't see what else they could be doing. That depends on how you look at it. I never said that those people involved with the SISE don't go out to make the best possible magazine. But many people have mentioned on here how the locations, concepts and poses for these shoots lack all creativity. How they prefer to get stuck in self-reference instead of trying something new. That's what I meant with focusing on the publication instead of the models. Ask yourself the question, was it Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson who made the SISE such a hit in the 80s or was it the other way around? Me personally I think it's a bit of both. It's the old Pavarotti/Nessum Dorma conundrum: did the tenor make the aria famous, or the aria the tenor? Now, which of the two do they have most control over: the basic concepts of the issue or the models they are able to attract to feature in it? IMHO, the easiest way to get out of their creative rut is to move away from their comfort zone and try something new concept wise. Bikini + tropical beach + same old poses isn't going to wow people any longer, especially if your models lack the raw star power of their 1980s and 1990s counterparts. I guess they need to decide if they are happy with perpetual mediocrity, or if they are willing to take some risks in the hope of creating an iconic issue that is worthy to be compared to their 1980s apex.

Has she lost a little junk in the trunk???

I might need a change of underwear before the end of Arsenal-Barça... Football porn...

In my humble opinion, she was at her apex there for VS.

I'm not sure if bringing in high fashion models would solve the problem. I think the issue is more the death of the supermodel. The SISE is really a perfect example of a product that needed the symbiosis between mainstream celebrity and modeling. With the decline in cross-over fame with high fashion models, we are left with this, a publication that is a shadow of its former self. Only I'm not sure there is an easy solution, just due to the change in the modeling landscape. I mean, where is this generation's Elle Macpherson?

Catrinel has jumped to 1st place, woohoo! Ooops, I guess I jumped to conclusions, she's only fifth on the all-time voting... Come on BZ, we need to vote her in!

Where can you see the current results? If Catrinel doesn't win that it'll be the dumbest thing ever, her shots are better than most of the models who actually made the issue this year!

Kate wasn't a bad rookie, I just thought she looks too much "all-American beauty" for my tastes. Anyway, this isn't a stand-out issue. I would rank it slightly ahead of last year's though. I'll probably only remember it for Alyssa grabbing my attention, Irina getting the cover (and probably just about deserving it?) and Hilary blowing my mind with her bodacious bod...

I want to do unspeakable things to her... :|

That's just preposterous! She should be winning with ease! No one of the other candidates comes even close to her in terms of sexiness...

I'm so disappointed we didn't get to see Joe Jordan beat the attitude out of that little Italian twat... :|

Obscure model w/ famous boyfriend > obscure model w/o famous boyfriend? SI has no stars anymore. So focus on the quality of the issue itself and create your own stars...

I think we should discuss SI's celeb obsession in recent years. It's not just the model with the famous boyfriend getting the cover, I'm also talking about the Beyonc

She would instantly become the greatest rookie EVER.

I think you've identified the main problem: most of those shots, poses and locations are interchangeable. SI lost their edge years ago...

Same shoot, slightly different pose.

Can we call that VS disease?

I'm not a big Alyssa fan, but I'd love to take her and Hilary and have a threesome in which I pretend they're sisters. In my fantasy, they're just cousins.