This Article is From Nov 03, 2016

When Even a Supermodel Isn't Thin Enough. Why Gigi Hadid Wore a Poncho

When Even a Supermodel Isn't Thin Enough. Why Gigi Hadid Wore a Poncho

This image was posted on Instagram by Tommy Hilfiger

Highlights

  • The poncho ended up being the best-selling piece from that collection
  • Tommy Hilfiger says Gigi Hadid is the 'epitome of perfection'
  • They also collaborated for a fashion line recently
New York: Designer Tommy Hilfiger has revealed that the poncho supermodel Gigi Hadid wore in last year's fall collection show was added after his casting director said Gigi was "not as thin as the other girls." In an interview to Yahoo! Style, Mr Hilfiger said that he was "not happy" with his casting director's views and the decision, even though the poncho ended up being the best-selling piece.

"Our casting director said, 'She doesn't really fit because you know she's not quite as tall as the other girls, she's not quite as thin'," the fashion mogul recalled. "So they put a red, white and blue poncho on her. It covered a lot of her body, unfortunately, but it received millions of hits," he continued.
 
 

A video posted by Tommy Hilfiger (@tommyhilfiger) on



After the interview was published, Mr Hilfiger received criticism but responded to the backlash by explaining to Page Six that it was not his decision to put Gigi in the poncho.

"The casting people put Gigi in the poncho, and I was not happy. I was saying, 'Don't hide her body.' Even though the poncho ended up being the best-selling piece, I was very unhappy," he explained. "The suggestion that I thought she wasn't thin enough upsets me to no end."

Mr Hilfiger said that Gigi Hadid is the face of his brand and to him she's "the epitome of perfection."

"I am proud to have her as the face of my brand and proud to have her collaborate with me. There's no other girl like her in the entire fashion world - not only because of her beauty, but because of her style. We worked with her to design a line - designers don't usually let models design with them - she had a style we thought was incredible," he told Page Six.
 
 

A photo posted by Tommy Hilfiger (@tommyhilfiger) on



He also pointed out that Gigi Hadid wore a bikini during another of his shows in New York. "She opened and closed the show in the bikini, because she's our No 1 model," he said. "She would not be the Tommy girl if I didn't think she was perfection, the It girl of today, not just because of her face, not just because of her body, but because of who she is."
 


Last year (and just a few months after the poncho incident), Gigi Hadid, 21, wrote a lengthy Instagram post about being body-shamed: "No, I don't have the same body type as the other models in shows. No, I'm not the first or the last model of my type in this industry. Your mean comments don't make me want to change my body. If I didn't have the body I do, I wouldn't have the career I do."
 
 

A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on



Recently, Gigi Hadid launched her fashion line in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger - Gigi Hadid x Tommy Hilfiger.
 
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