Vuitton goes for the party look with 'new face' Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is better known for being one of Hollywood's bad girls than for her achievements as a model, actress and singer.

Despite dramatic weight loss, the friend of Paris Hilton denied claims of bulimia and drug abuse and shrugged off the three car accidents she was involved in last year. And she's still only 19.

But now, Lohan, star of Mean Girls, The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, is reported to be in line to become the new face of Louis Vuitton, the sophisticated French label and purveyor of handbags, luggage and accessories to the rich and famous.

If confirmed, the move would be the latest in a trend of celebrities and models being picked for endorsements and advertising campaigns despite their activities, rather than being sacked. Kate Moss was recently chosen to front a Virgin Mobile campaign despite claims of extensive cocaine abuse, while several advertising campaigns using Hilton trade on her party girl image.

According to reports in the US, Marc Jacobs, the head designer of Louis Vuitton, part of the vast LVMH empire, is keen for Lohan to become the "new face" of the label, which is likely to mean fronting the autumn/winter advertising campaign. It is not known if that means she will be replacing Gisele Bündchen, the girlfriend of Leonardo de Caprio. Uma Thurman and Jennifer Lopez have also modelled for the label.

Although Lohan, who has been quoted as saying she is tired of her "teen" image, might see a deal with the company as taking herself upmarket, US Weekly Magazine quotes sources from inside the label as saying Mr Jacobs is keen to find a more youthful and "cartoony" campaign for his designs.

A spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton in London said last night they were unable to confirm whether or not Lohan would be engaged by the company. She said: "The spring campaign is definitely being fronted by Gisele, but we have not yet announced who will be the face of the company for autumn/winter."

Lohan began her career as a child model and by the age of 10 was appearing in US soaps. At 11 she starred in The Parent Trap, playing both roles in a pair of twins, and then with Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday, winning critical acclaim for both films.

Her biggest success came in 2004 with the lead role in Mean Girls, a teen comedy; last year she also appeared in Herbie: Fully Loaded. She has also released two albums and several singles.

But she has been the subject of regular media attention for her nightclubbing and party-going alongside Hilton, rumours of a breast enlargement - which she denied - bulimia due to dramatic weight loss, and drug abuse.