Emerging designer Mark Fast may be getting buzz for his body-conscious knitwear, but that doesn't mean he's a snob when it comes to embracing women's bodies.

For his London Fashion Week Spring 2010 show, the Canadian designer decided to use three "normal-sized" models: UK sizes 12 and 14 (that's a US 8 and 10), reports BBC News.

But rather than applaud Fast's stand against the ultra-skinny runway norm, his stylist and casting director walked out just two days before the show, according to the site.

The designer's managing director, Amanda May comments on the bad behavior, telling the news source that there were "creative differences with regards to casting those girls," but is mum on the details. "We don't want to talk about the ugly bits, we want to talk about the beautiful bits."

On using girls from modeling agency 12+ UK, May explained the designer's choice, saying, "There's this idea that only slim and slender women are able to wear Mark's dresses and he wanted to combat that," she tells BBC News.

But defecting stylist Erika Kurihara speaks out, arguing that the row wasn't over size at all.

Kurihara tells London Evening Standard, "Two of the bigger girls, although their faces were beautiful and their bodies beautiful, did not have the right walk for the catwalk. The walk is very important and I wasn't happy. Mark was very upset that I didn't share his vision, as he saw it, so he asked me to leave."


Luckily, at the last minute stylist Daniela Agnelli and casting director Natalie Hubbard stepped in and Fast's show went on. And quite a sexy and stylish one at that.

What do you think? Should larger (um, if you can call a size 8 or 10 that) models be featured on the runway or would you rather see designers stick with the super skinnies? Let us know in a comment!

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