It's not like Vogue regularly has black people on its cover. Maybe if it did, a lot of would-be critics would shrug off as coincidences the horribly unflattering (and unfair, I think) Jennifer Hudson cover and the latest cover featuring Lebron James and Gisele doing a King Kong and Fay Wray imitation. As it is, many black media and fashion insiders think this is a troubling trend. A handful of experts were polled on the issue by WWD, and most were not amused.

• Roy Johnson, editor in chief of Men's Fitness: "It's a reminder that as African-Americans, we have come very far to have an African-American male featured on the cover of Vogue, but we have very far to go to continue to educate people within our industry regarding the power of images and the potential impact they can have on their readers."

• Helena Andrews, culture editor of Politico.com, contributer to TheRoot.com: "It's not something that people are going to start picketing Vogue for, but it brings up the question of whether people are asking these questions in the editorial meeting of doing the sorts of images that conjure up those sorts of [feelings]. It's clear no one raised their hand during the editorial meeting and said, 'Wait a minute.'" [I'm with Helena -- Lauren]

• Emil Wilbekin, editor in chief of Giant: "That raises my eyebrow as to how African-Americans are portrayed on mainstream magazine covers. You would not show Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johansson screaming."

• Bethann Hardison, modeling and fashion veteran: "Every photograph that they've put of a dark person in recent years has never been good. Jennifer Hudson has her mouth wide open. LeBron James had his mouth wide open. We have other expressions."

• Vogue Spokesperson: "The Shape Issue celebrates athleticism from start to finish. LeBron is on the cover with Gisele because he is a basketball star and he was photographed in that spirit. We think LeBron and Gisele look amazing together on the cover."

There’s a growing movement afoot — led by industy-vet Bethann Hardison — to get more black models on the runways. But has it worked? Hardison told Stereohyped last month that she wasn’t expecting any changes to be made overnight, describing the issue as a “slow tsunami.” Nevertheless, I decided to do a little survey of Style.com’s extensive fashion week coverage to see how many black models are gracing the runways in Bryant Park.

The results of Monday's installment of BMW wasn't much to write home about, but the shows over the past couple days have been worse. Most of the shows I surveyed only had one black model, and it was usually Chanel Iman, Liya Kebede, or Jordan Dunn. Three designers — Jill Stuart, Monique Lhullier, and Rodarte — get a big fat F. Although I didn't include him in Black Model Watch, veteran black designer Stephen Burrows showed his smaller collection yesterday. Speaking of black designers, rumor has it Diddy's show on Friday will feature only black models. While some in the industry say that's almost as bad as having an all-white show a la Jill Stuart, I say more power to Diddy — and the black models who are finally getting some work.

After the jump, the check out the BMW stats from a select group of shows.

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Bethann Hardison — former model, modeling agent, and modeling agency owner — isn't really trying to break new ground by getting more black models on the runways — that was done in 80s and 90s when they were far more prevalent in the world of high fashion. What she's trying to do is get the fashion industry back where it was then, and she's looking to the modeling agencies to lead the charge.

At Wednesday night's Out of Fashion Forum in NYC, Hardison leaned heavily on modeling agencies for not actively seeking out the best black models to offer clients. The agents in the crowd said that they have the goods, but the people who cast the fashion shows don't want them. One agent said he gets requests for the girl next door, and he responds, "The girl next door to who? Because the girl who lives next door to me is Filipino." But not all of them challenge the powers-that-be, Hardison says.

When it comes to challenging the powers-that-be, she knows what she's talking about.

Stereohyped spoke with Hardison about this movement she's spearheading, where she sees it going, and why she thinks the agents should take a lot of the heat.

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Last night I had the distinct pleasure of attending a forum called Out of Fashion, which is the third in a series of events that fashion-industry-great Bethann Hardison has organized to address the lack of models of color on the runways and in the fashion mags. Tyson Beckford was there, Jessica White was there, Damon Dash and (randomly) Jim Jones were there, and, although Andre Leon Talley — pictured here with Hardison at Tracey Reese's Spring '08 show last year — was too busy campaigning for Barack Obama to come, he wrote a rousing email which was read aloud.

The purpose of the forum was to discuss how the people in the industry can get more black models on the runway. Some blamed the modeling agencies and some blamed the designers and stylists. There were no outright solutions, but the hope is that, as Fashion Week approaches, everyone in the industry feels the heat from these ever-growing public discussions. I spoke to Bethann Hardison a few minutes ago, so look out for part deux tomorrow.

Blacks are into fashion. It's not really a secret. Listen to a rap song — depending on the artist, the lyrics might sound like the rapper's reading the Style.com homepage. Or look at the stats — black women spend more tha $20 billion on apparel each year.

Yet, the industry seriously takes us for granted. Or doesn't take us seriously. Or wants to pretend like we don't exist. This was directly reflected in last months runway shows, where black models were rare and sometimes completely missing. And black women should be represented on the runway as they are in the marketplace, it's that designers and models set the mainstream Western standards of fashion and beauty.

And if there aren't any black models wearing the clothes in magazines or strutting down the runway, what exactly are they trying to tell us?

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How can we really blame model-agent-mother-of-Kadeem Bethann Hardison for dumping on the newest crop of models strutting the catwalks this fashion week. You know they don't really excite us either.

We asked her opinion of young Chanel Iman, the single African-American model to grace the recent "The World's Next Top Models" cover of Vogue magazine. Surprisingly, Ms. Hardison made a gagging motion.

"I don't think she's exciting!" she shrieked. "Get me as controversial as you want, because that's who I am! I think she's very childlike. I like her—I think she's a very wonderful little girl—but there's no one exciting out there right now."

A couple of years back, Ms. Hardison was behind another, now-legendary, Vogue photo spread—organized in collaboration with the original Iman—which showcased an intergenerational coterie of black models who broke ground in the business, beginning with Iman herself, leading to Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, all the way to the French beauty Noémie Lenoir. Today, Ms. Hardison lamented, the pickings are slim and slimmer.

Hardison did give Wakeema Hollis a shout out, because she shows a "lil' personality." It goes a long way.

[NYO]

Super-designer Tracy Reese (shown here with Veronica Webb, Deborah Cox, and fashion industry maven Bethann Hardison), showed her glamorous, retro, resort-chic collection earlier today at Bryant Park. After the jump, check out her famous guests, some runway shots, and the scene backstage.

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The new blood (Chanel Iman) came out to party with the veterans (Iman Iman) at a celebration for a NYC celebration of Trace Magazine's "Black Girls Rule" issue, which Iman guest-edited. Fashion world celebrities were in attendance, including Bethann Hardison, famous black model guru and mother of Kadeem. More pics after the jump.

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