MODEL HEALTH: ABC News last week aired a picture of model Alessandra Ambrosio alongside Brooklyn Decker and plus-size model Crystal Renn, snapped while the trio was shooting a Glamour magazine cover together in St. Barth’s, saying Ambrosio’s figure bore “closer resemblance to a pre-pubescent teenager than a 29-year-old mother.” But it didn’t bother Ambrosio.
“I’ve been tiny since I was four, and I eat whatever I want,” she told WWD. “All that matters is that I stay healthy.” And while she agrees everyone is entitled to their own opinion about her appearance, Ambrosio maintains she is in great shape and has hard work to thank for her trim physique — and thinks the media should be more responsible while covering the model size debate. “If I’m two pounds heavier, I’m fat. If I’m skinnier, I’m sick. It’s ridiculous,” she said. “And that’s not coming from agents or designers.”
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Ambrosio said she stays fit through Pilates, yoga and running, and when she needs to tighten up a bit — for a swimsuit shoot or for the Victoria’s Secret’s runway show — she works with personal trainer Leandro Carvalho, who created the Brazil Butt Lift workout. “She has an amazing energy,” Carvalho said about Ambrosio. “In eight years, she has never canceled an appointment.” After gaining 40 pounds during her pregnancy, Ambrosio got back in shape after just two months. In true Victoria’s Secret style, the size-two Angel still boasts a curvy (read: 34-25-34.5-inch) frame. And she’s doing everything to make sure her 18-month-old daughter, Anja, develops a healthy body image and relationship with food. “Anja eats more healthily than I do,” she said. “I’m not a huge fan of fruits, but Anja has them three times a day along with a balance of proteins and vegetables. We certainly eat.” — Court Williams
CANADIAN STANDOFF: Fans of imported courtroom drama lost a potential epic Friday when Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygård dropped a copyright lawsuit against the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Nygård International Partnership brought the suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in December after, it alleged, a CBC camera team recorded the November grand opening of the fashion brand’s Broadway flagship without permission. The company said it wanted to stop the CBC from airing copyrighted portions of the event, including speeches and a fashion show. On March 5, a judge denied Nygård’s request for a preliminary injunction and gave both sides a week to explain the video’s legal significance. On Friday, Nygård instead submitted a notice of voluntary dismissal. In the two-page filing, Nygård’s attorneys wrote the CBC had assured them the recordings didn’t hold the entirety of the opening’s speeches and that any airing of the material would fall under “fair use” guidelines. A representative of the CBC declined comment Friday, while Nygård spokeswoman Sharon Clarke said, “We agreed to voluntarily withdraw because the CBC agreed not to violate our copyright.”
Nygård has a separate and ongoing court case against the government-owned media company in its hometown of Winnipeg. That suit, filed in March 2009, reportedly seeks to block a story on Nygård on “The Fifth Estate,” a CBC investigative newsmagazine. — Matthew Lynch
MAKING MORE THAN THE BOSS: According to a Securities and Exchange Commission proxy filing, The New York Times Co.’s chief executive officer Janet Robinson edged out chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. in total compensation last year. Robinson earned $6.2 million, while Sulzberger took in $5.9 million, which included stock options and restricted stock units. The company also has set its annual meeting for April 27. — Amy Wicks
SPRING ARRIVAL: Versace has tapped communications veteran Tomaso Galli to serve as an interim adviser, beginning April 1. Galli will focus on three areas: communicating any developments linked to the reorganization plan put in motion last fall by chief executive officer Gian Giacomo Ferraris; helping to find a replacement for Isabelle Harvie-Watt, the worldwide communications and public relations director who resigned in February to join Tod’s Group, and providing leadership during the transition and helping out with budgets.
The London-based Galli, who will end his consultancy at Prada at the end of the month, met Ferraris during his tenure at Gucci under Domenico De Sole’s stewardship. During his tenure, Galli played an integral role during Gucci’s initial public offering and was later wooed by Prada when the company first planned to go public, a project that has since been put on the back burner. Versace also has hinted in the past about a possible IPO.
Galli also is setting up Mercury Advisors, a firm that will support and advise companies facing critical reputation or business issues. The company will operate in Europe and Asia. — Alessandra Ilari