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The first official image of the Broderick family’s latest arrivals has made it here: pictured are Sarah Jessica Parker holding daughter Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick, the couple’s son James Wilkie Broderick, and Matthew Broderick holding Tabitha Hodge Broderick. We wish them well.

We know this is one Lucire team member talking to another, but considering the subject is Summer Rayne Oakes and her fantastic new book, Style, Naturally, it’s certainly worth it. Fashion editor Samantha Hannah speaks to Summer Rayne, filmed by Snap Star.

It’s been a wonderful few days chilling out with our ed.-at-large, Summer Rayne Oakes, in Lucire’s home country of New Zealand to promote her book, Style, Naturally.
   Summer Rayne was out this way to attend Greenfest in Brisbane, Queensland, and decided that she should venture to New Zealand to see us and to give Style, Naturally, which launched here earlier this year, a push.

Summer Rayne interviewed by National Radio’s Jim Mora, broadcast live on June 9.

With David Farrier for TV3’s Campbell Live, which aired June 11.

Checking out Trade Aid on Victoria Street, Wellington, with Carolyn Enting; and Summer’s subsequent interview at Mojo Coffee on Bond Street.

   Barbora Hromadova of Southern Publishers Group, which distributes Style, Naturally here, did an incredible job of arranging the Auckland media. While I cannot mention who has interviewed Summer until their pieces run, some of you will already have seen her story in The Dominion Post and Campbell Live, as well as on two radio stations, including Radio New Zealand National.
   I flew up on Sunday, a few hours ahead of Summer, to collect her from Auckland Airport. We’ve been seeing the journalists that Barbora arranged initially, and thanks to Mark Patterson at Volvo, had a very comfortable ride in the form of the XC60 diesel SUV.
   We had plenty of comedies of errors with the keys at the Cintra Lane Apartments, my regular haunt, which are too plentiful to list here.
   I introduced Summer to Bridget Saunders and Miss New Zealand Katie Taylor, both of whom have interests in sustainability, during the evenings, and spent quite a bit on food to boost the Auckland economy.
   Here in Wellington, I was adamant that I would at least show Summer Rayne a bit more of this part of the island than the central city, and got to drive her around our south coast.
   She mastered the use of the Kiwi superlative suffix (the use of as at the ends of adjectives) and the distinctively odd ‘Flag it’ (‘Ignore it’), and I admit I was more liberal with the former than I otherwise would be.
   But the highlight was probably dinner with fashion editor Samantha Hannah and some of our crew on Wednesday night. We invited Laurie Foon of Starfish, whose label was featured in Style, Naturally. Laurie had bought the book many months before without knowing Starfish was in it. She had it for two months before getting to the references’ section; and was further surprised when I called her to ask if she wanted to meet the author.
   Earlier today, Samantha filmed an interview with Summer Rayne for both Snapstar and Lucire TV.

After her final Style, Naturally interview on this leg, Summer Rayne relaxes with the Lucire crew in Wellington and at Te Papa Tongarewa.

Summer Rayne Oakes at the Bush City trail at Te Papa Tongarewa—before the joke that the water could be from the toilets.

   Afterwards, we hung out at Te Papa before I drove Summer to Wellington Airport as she left our shores, only to be dicked around by Air New Zealand over an error in her ticketing, which spoiled an otherwise enjoyable tour.
   The error seemed to emanate from the Brisbane end, when the booking was originally done, and some of the Air New Zealand staff here tried their best to remedy the situation.
   These five days in Auckland and Wellington were thoroughly enjoyable. We’re looking forward to seeing more of the press that Summer Rayne deservedly received during her time here; and needless to say, we recommend Style, Naturally wholeheartedly as the definitive guide to sustainable fashion and beauty.

Our good friend Pamela Miller is behind the Summer 2009 Bikini DJ Series by STADJ. This venture launched June 7 at the Soho Grand, and is a way of bringing the beach to New Yorkers. The series runs at summer brunch every Sunday from brunch to sunset (1–10 p.m.) this summer, and features sexy DJ–models, Vinyla and Nelly, spinning house music.
   The Soho Grand is located at 310 West Broadway (between Canal and Broome).

Above: Doutzen Krœs remains in fifth place in 2009, with US$6 million earned between June 2008 and June 2009, says Forbes.

Forbes this week released its list of the world’s top earning models, estimating their income earned between June 2008 and June 2009.
   The magazine notes that the recession has hit earnings. While Gisèle Bündchen remains in the top spot with US$25 million earned, it’s US$10 million down from her 2008 figure. While Victoria’s Secret is no longer part of Bündchen’s deals, she still has Versace, True Religion, Dior and Ebel. She added Rampage to her brands.
   Heidi Klum retains her number-two spot, this year at US$16 million, thanks to her endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Volkswagen, McDonald’s and LG, and programmes such as Project Runway and Germany’s Next Top Model. Klum improved on her 2008 figure by US$2 million.
   Kate Moss remained at third with US$8·5 million, with Versace, Longchamp and Topshop among the brands using her face.
   Adriana Lima stayed at fourth, half a million dollars behind at US$8 million. Victoria’s Secret is her most popular endorsement deal.
   Both Moss and Lima increased their earnings by around US$1 million since 2008.
   Doutzen Krœs remained in fifth with the same figure as 2008, at US$6 million. Forbes notes that while her de Beers contract ended, she replaced it with one for Seven for All Mankind.
   She was joined in fifth by Alessandra Ambrosio, buoyed by a Victoria’s Secret contract. Ambrosio was not in the top 10 last year.
   Natalia Vodianova remained seventh (US$5·5 million) and Daria Werbowy came up one place to eighth (US$4·5 million). Australian Miranda Kerr also went up one place, to ninth equal (US$3 million). Carolyn Murphy fell one spot to equal with Kerr.
   New Victoria’s Secret face Emanuela de Paula is new to the list, with US$2·5 million.
   Forbes did not list to the 16th place this year.

While the political media were either praising or criticizing US President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, IMG Publishing has published a collectible called Michelle Obama: 100 Days of Style. The new 116 pp. volume details every outfit worn by the First Lady from the Inaugural Ball to her high-profile trip to Europe. The edition is available at newsstands, major bookstores in the US and online at fashionweekdaily.com.

[Cross-posted] If a Twitter presence is de rigueur in 2009, then who is using it as a tool for generating dialogue and connecting with stakeholders?
   A few weeks back, I posted my top 10 reasons for following someone on Twitter. While not everyone agreed with the 10, I dare say that the majority struck a chord. And one of the things many of us agreed on was that certain celebrities wanted the same level of worship on Twitter as they had in the offline world—and how that wasn’t exactly encouraging for some of us to become one of their followers.
   That’s fine: it’s their prerogative, but I see it as rather self-centred. ‘Come, look at me, I am Tweeting,’ doesn’t seem as accommodating—or even human—as, ‘I want to hear about you, too.’ All the ideas about modern marketing—from Christian Gronröos and relationship marketing, to the Medinge Group’s writings about humanizing branding, to Stefan Engeseth’s One—are summed up in the latter quotation.
   Part of the reason for President Barack Obama’s campaign’s success was his staff’s use of the service. It should be noted that since winning his election he has been an irregular Tweeter, which suggests to me a reduced desire to interact with the Twitter community, but only he really knows for sure. What is less arguable is that the President has a reasonable following-to-followers ratio: he is following 766,815 people, while 1,044,307 follow him.
   It means that if the President ever logs in to his account, he’ll see the latest updates of some of these 766,815. And if he does want a feel of the Zeitgeist, he can do that very easily. As Barack Obama is probably the most tech-savvy American president in history, this would be a good way for him to keep his finger on the pulse—and ignore any biases in opinion polls.
   One can compare this with the other extreme: actor–producer Ashton Kutcher. I recently saw that he had proclaimed himself ‘Mr Twitter,’ which is laughable, considering he doesn’t have a grasp of the service at all. Mr Kutcher follows 142 while he has 1,542,437 followers. If the internet is this great equalizer, one where there’s one-to-one or even one-becoming-one communication, then Kutcher fails terribly based on his ratio: he sees Twitter as a one-way service, another channel to broadcast without needing to hear back from his supporters.
   It’s his right, of course, and we all have our ways of using Twitter. I just don’t see his as being particularly fruitful for his personal brand, and I see the proclamation of ‘Mr Twitter’ particularly arrogant. That would be like my calling myself ‘Mr Branding’ just because I wrote and co-wrote a few books.
   There are in-between cases, such as actor Stephen Fry, who maintained a very healthy ratio before he gained more followers than he could handle in a very short space of time. Cases like that are totally forgiveable, in my book. I understand, though I have not known of his account for long, that Hugh Jackman found himself in a similar boat.
   And perhaps some of us are on information overload. For my first year on Twitter after I joined in April 2007, the only people I followed were those I met in the real world, because I didn’t need another thing to follow. After a while I opened myself up to reading more from others—it helps one feel connected to the dialogue on our planet, if that’s what one wants.
   So by this reckoning, how are others’ ratios? As of this Friday (this post was written around 1.30 p.m. GMT), we are looking at the below numbers for a few people I can think of. And with the exception of a few politicians, many in that field are doing a terrible job of listening to the people: I’m talking about Sens. John McCain and Claire McCaskill in particular. Politicians should be doing better than that.
   Gov. Sarah Palin’s account is still, from what I can tell, very new (started April 29, 2009), and I’m prepared to extend to her the same courtesy as I have to Stephen Fry and Hugh Jackman—for now.
   With an emphasis on American politicians, here’s how things are stacking up in terms of Twitter ratios. Does it say much about their egos or how much they wish to interact with the public, or does the ratio cease to mean much when we talk about the very well known?

Revlon has announced that Jessica Biel has become its latest ambassador, joining Halle Berry, Jennifer Connelly, Jessica Alba, Beau Garrett and Elle Macpherson.
   Biel will also be involved with Revlon-sponsored philanthropic activities and charity fund-raising. As part of her first engagements as a Revlon face, Biel will join Connelly and Alba at the EIF Revlon Fun Walk in New York on May 2.

Above: The 2000 Honda Insight for the US market.

[Cross-posted] I get a bit bored of the media—this includes The New York Times today quoting ‘analysts’—saying that the Honda Insight (which got way better mileage than the Toyota Prius, and which was on sale in the US before the Prius) did not succeed because it didn’t signal to others that the car was a hybrid. And that’s why the new Insight looks like a Prius.
   Bollocks. If I remember correctly, the Insight looked far more distinctive than any car on the market at the time, including the Prius. (The Honda Civic IMA Hybrid—my preference among the Japanese models—meanwhile, did look like a regular Honda Civic.)
   People have short memories. The first Prius—the one that was on sale when the Insight was—looked like a dull econobox that seemed inspired more by the 1975 Toyota Corolla 30 than anything else. It was only the second-generation model, from 2004, that had the more familiar shape.
   Still, the environmentally conscious flocked more to the Prius than the Insight, despite its granny looks. Actually, I know a few grans who would probably disapprove of the styling.
   The Insight was an efficient small car that looked like something in the 2000s should, with its rear wheels partly covered and getting over 80 mpg (Imperial). That makes any Prius look like a gas guzzler.
   And Honda had enough faith in its 1999 Insight to launch it in the US for the 2000 model year. It didn’t wait for years as Toyota did.
   The Insight didn’t do well because it cramped down the back, and Americans used to their SUVs and overhead-valve V8s couldn’t fathom the idea of an engine having less than a litre in cubic capacity. Consequently, Honda built around 18,000—a tiny number compared to the Prius.
   But it was far more advanced than anything Honda had ever built. Or, for that matter, anything Toyota offered. Insight had aluminium and plastic bits, a wonderful lean-burn engine, and a drag coefficient of 0,25.
   This time, Honda has built a new Insight with a Prius-like shape, using stuff from its parts’ bin, and made it a bit larger. It should do well, but we shouldn’t buy the mainstream media’s assertions that it looks the way it does because its predecessor wasn’t distinctive.The new Honda Insight is unoriginal where the first was fresh, and stylistically, it plays to expectations rather than exceeds them.
   Karmically, I wish Honda well, but the new car hardly lives up to its tagline of ‘The Power of Dreams’ when it aims to conform. I can’t help but notice the irony, especially those who will buy the Insight because they think it makes an original statement about their green credentials.

Above: This time around, Honda is all about conforming with its new Insight rather than pioneering.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell (left) and hotelier Vikram Chatwal will hold a Fashion for Relief benefit, called Mai Mumbai, for the victims of the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai during Lakme Fashion Week, announced event organizer IMG Friday.
   The benefit is scheduled for March 28, with proceeds to Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an organization aiding the victims.
   Indian-inspired gowns from international and domestic designers will appear. IMG listed labels such as Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Zac Posen, Roberto Cavalli, Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Karan, Ungaro, Matthew Williamson, Naeem Khan, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Valentin Yudashkin, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Nanette Lepore, Dennis Basso, Diane von Furstenberg. It will also feature shoes by Manolo Blahnik.
   CJP was founded by Mumbai citizens including Alyque Padamsee, Javed Akhtar, Rahul Bose, ‘to promote communal harmony and friendship between the people of India and to fund much needed ambulance services, trauma centres and community hospitals,’ said IMG. Vikram Chatwal Hotels is one of the sponsors and has already earmarked $20,000.
   CJP says the support from the event will go toward emergency services and ambulances.
   A T-shirt supporting the event will soon be available for purchase.
   Lakme Fashion Week is held March 27–31 at Hotel Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.