Tommy Hilfiger clarifies Gigi Hadid weight remark: 'She's perfection'

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Tommy Hilfiger is setting the record straight on his recent comments about Gigi Hadid's weight.

The 65-year-old designer called the 21-year-old model the "epitome of perfection" in an interview with Page Six after revealing Hadid once wore a poncho on the runway because she wasn't "quite as thin" as the other models.

"The casting people put Gigi in the poncho, and I was not happy. I was saying, 'Don't hide her body,'" Hilfiger said. "The suggestion that I thought she wasn't thin enough upsets me to no end. Gigi is the epitome of perfection."

Hilfiger had said Wednesday on Yahoo! Style that Hadid wore an oversized poncho in his New York Fashion Week show in February 2015 because of her size. He himself described the model as an "all-American girl next door with an exotic twist."

"Our casting director said, 'She doesn't really fit because she's not quite as tall as the other girls. She's not quite as thin,' so they put a red, white and blue poncho on her. Covered a lot of her body, unfortunately, but it received millions of hits," the designer revealed.

Hadid was named the face of Tommy Hilfiger in 2015 and has since designed a Tommy x Gigi collection with the brand. Hilfiger told Page Six he is "proud" to have the star as a spokesmodel and collaborator.

"There's no other girl like her in the fashion world -- not only because of her beauty, but because of her style," he lauded. "She would not be the Tommy girl if I didn't think she was perfection, the It Girl of today, not just because of her face, not just because of her body, but because of who she is."

Hadid is the daughter of Mohamed Hadid and former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid. She is also known for her modeling work with Chanel, Balmain and Victoria's Secret.