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Lauren P. Bush, niece of U.S. President George Bush, displays an outfit created by Jorge Galinanes during the Spring/Summer 2003 Pasarela Gaudi Fashion show in Barcelona, September 5, 2002. (Gustau Nacarino/Reuters) - Sep 06 4:07 PM ET |
Posted on 09/06/2002 2:10:03 PM PDT by Tancred
Lauren Bush Falls Ill at Arab-Look Fashion Show Fri Sep 6, 4:08 PM ET
MADRID (Reuters) - A stomach bug rather than diplomatic jitters kept President Bush's niece Lauren from modeling an Arabic-inspired collection at a fashion show in Barcelona, fashion house Toypes said on Friday.
Lauren Bush was due to model three Arab-style outfits by the Galician label on Thursday. But she graced the catwalk only at the end of the show, hand-in-hand with designer Jorge Galinanes after the rest of the models had left.
"She had three appearances planned but she had a stomach bug," Carlos Quinta, commercial director of Toypes, said.
Local press reported on Friday that the model's mother had refused to let her 17-year-old daughter model the collection when she saw the silk tunics and turbans.
Lauren's uncle spent Friday making phone calls to the leaders of France, Russia and China, trying to win support for military action against Iraq to oust leader Saddam Hussein.
Lauren's agency Elite, and the organizers of the Pasarela Gaudi fashion show declined to comment.
Toypes called a news conference to deny local press reports that Lauren had refused to model the collection because of the impending anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
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Lauren P. Bush, niece of U.S. President George Bush, displays an outfit created by Jorge Galinanes during the Spring/Summer 2003 Pasarela Gaudi Fashion show in Barcelona, September 5, 2002. (Gustau Nacarino/Reuters) - Sep 06 4:07 PM ET |
How neat to dress up the president's niece in Arab gear and get those photo's spread all over the world, to embarrass the prez.
Here's the article...
"That's one of the conditions she put in her contract," label Toypes export manager Belen Conde told BBC News Online. "She wouldn't wear anything too Arabic, like a turban."
The spring-summer collection of the Spanish fashion house was full of elaborate embroidery and included Arabic-inspired touches like turbans and pantaloons.
But the 17-year-old daughter of the president's brother Neil appeared alongside Toypes designer Jorge Galinanes clad in a simple black dress.
Ms Conde said three outfits had been brought to the model's hotel room in advance, and Ms Bush had rejected one of them on the grounds that it was "too Arabic".
But the president's niece knew all along that the Toypes collection was inspired by the Middle East, she added.
Ms Conde said Toypes' use of flowing cloth and Arab styles was a "feminine style", not a political statement.
Brief appearance
Ms Bush made her appearance at the end of the fashion show, walking onto the catwalk hand-in-hand with the designer.
She was originally slated for a larger role in the show, but Lauren, who is the face of Tommy Hilfinger and has appeared in numerous international fashion shows, felt ill on Thursday.
The fashion house selected Ms Bush as a model because she is an "international personality who had never modelled in Spain," Mr Galinanes said.
"This is fashion, not politics. You can't politicize fashion," he said.
Ms Bush pulled out of at Barcelona's fashion week last year because it occurred only a few days after the 11 September terror attacks.
prisoner6
As I suspected, class runs deep in the Bush family.
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