Supermodel

Victoria's Secret model and magazine cover girl Stephanie Seymour just published a rather snazzy how-to book, "Beauty Secrets for Dummies" (IDG Books Worldwide Inc., 1998). We really liked the basic how-tos of everything from hair care to pedicure. But in our continuing fascination with top 10 lists and magic potions, our favorite chapter was "Ten Terrific Items to Pick Up at a Drugstore."

Does "Sex With Cindy Crawford" sound like something you'd be interested in? Gets your attention, doesn't it? Give ABC credit for the title of the one-hour special (scheduled for Sept. 22), not to mention supermodel host Crawford for having a sense of humor. "Obviously, we want ratings," she said, referring to the program's come-hither hook. It's all part of a three-year development deal with ABC, Crawford told writers in Pasadena recently, and she hopes it will blossom into something bigger.

It is said that a picture tells a thousand words. However, in supermodel Gia Carangi's case, a picture didn't tell anything, as behind the glamorous cover photos lay pain, suffering and tragedy ("A Sleeping Beauty," Jan. 29). Her tragic, abbreviated life clearly shows that image and reality are often two different things. Undetected by the photographic lens were her drug abuse, sexual deviance, loneliness and bout with AIDS. A fashion model's life is not always what it's cracked up to be, as there is another side we usually never see. As it turned out, Gia's most formidable enemy was her success.

The models who took to the runway at a recent charity fashion show were a bit fuller and walked more rigidly than standard supermodels. A few looked as if they were walking the plank, not a ramp in the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis Club. Still, they held their heads high, looked great in their clothes and managed to avoid their deepest fear--falling off the stage. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs. Most of the 20 models were members of the Orange Coast Assn.

Is Carla Hall, author of the Elle Macpherson profile ("The Supermodel Who Survived Hollywood," Sept. 21) also the model's publicist? If not, Macpherson should retain her straightaway for producing that extraordinary piece of sycophantic puffery. Would it have embarrassed Hall to ask her subject a question of substance? For instance, just what are Macpherson's thoughts on the young women who have ruined their lives in pursuit of becoming the next Elle, or simply looking like her? Would such questions have destroyed the ambience of the breaded veal dinner they shared?

The Victoria's Secret runway show held Tuesday evening at the Plaza hotel here was anything but a secret. It was a brilliantly orchestrated marketing blitz that will ultimately reach an estimated audience of 200 million worldwide. With Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Tyra Banks, Yasmeen Ghauri, Stephanie Seymour, Laetitia Casta and Helena Christensen in the company's sexy wear on a makeshift runway in the grand ballroom, it was also the who's who of supermodels.

Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington aren't your average business partners. Nor would one expect to see these slender supermodels as part of a restaurant venture where apple-caramel pancakes and sirloin steak are the fare. But Tommaso Buti, the 29-year-old founder of New York's Fashion Cafe theme restaurant, persuaded these raving beauties to forget the rice cakes and join his team.

As trends go, the steady, stunning parade of fashion models marching to Hollywood is hardly a startling one. If we start with the premise that seeing a movie is like sharing a few hours with a film's characters, then the explanation for why models show up on theater screens could be stupendously simple: Most audiences prefer to spend time with attractive people.