as the world turns

I recently received an email from the @modelalliance asking to share our experiences in the industry. Here's my perspective.

Most of the girls just getting started are happy to wait for someone to tell them what to do and where to go while they wait for their boobs to come in. Everyone will coo and awe about you on set- how beautiful and pure you are. And you might be the face of the moment for a couple years. They'll fly you out to Bruce Weber's lake house and beg you to quit high school. They're so in love.

 As it evolves the agency model dynamic has the potential to be very controlling, especially when you're the fresh face, with no idea how the industry works. They'll coddle and fondle you until someone better comes along, or in my case, you want a hand in managing yourself. As anyone would you eventually get resentful and start storming in asking where the hell your check is from the job you worked six months ago. They'll tell you the client hasn't paid, but they already used it to promote a new stock of girls. It doesn't matter that you did the work and deserve compensation. Get "hostile" and they'll start telling your clients you're unavailable while you're sitting on your couch waiting for your phone to ring. The inconsistency of the job itself allows you to have a youthful, carefree existence, and the paydays are truly intoxicating - but it keeps girls from make anything else of themselves.

I broke it off with my big-name agency years ago when they told me I was to be at their disposal at all times, waiting around for my phone to ring. Which it hadn't. Sorry, I moved on with my life. Now I have a personal manager that I get along with dearly, and we make hand over fist as a team. As long as my beauty remains that is.

 I see girls hanging on- starting to to spend more money to be making less money so they can stay in the game. It's more than than the attention they're addicted to -  a models career depends on a beauty that is fleeting. This day in age, when women are standing up and asserting their independence, modeling gave us the fast track to our own apartments. As much as I don't want to be that girl, a huge part of my personal confidence and self-worth is tied to its ability to grant me independence at such a young age. to be my own woman.

But now signs are starting to show in the mirror. I can't stop. Not now. I've worked so long on this. I'm at the top of my game. I'm a respected professional and this is my career. Seems so unfair that as soon as I'm grown up enough to embrace and manage this, it starts to slip away!! So I ask: what does a girl do when she realizes that her entire professional existence is at the mercy of a slowing metabolism? Reject them first? Take that paycut and keep my pride is what I would tell a friend. This all feels so premature. I'm not tired, I don't want to stop- most people don't deal with this until their sixties! I guess that's how it plays out when you're making $2,000 a day at fifteen - starts early ends early. Another harsh realization is that any position I would be eligible for in the industry I know and love involves an income loss of at least 75%. This freaks me out. I don't, haven't, and wouldn't consider depending on anyone else. I read last night- "anxiety is the anticipation of something negative happening instead of positive." People say that you're less likely to be injured in a car accident if you stay relaxed as opposed to bracing yourself for a collision. That's not easy. But I'm trying to appreciate it while it lasts. Hell, this could be the peak of my existence so I might as well be happy during it and have a little faith.

I busted a pair of pants today

I knew it was coming. It was way too good to be true that I could stuff my face with baguettes for a week in Paris then come back to New York and fit into samples.

Getting measured for resort collection yesterday the design assistant asked me if I'd gained weight- to which I responded "well I have been in Paris surrounded by baguettes for the past week". As a joke, meant to be funny. Then she pulls out the measuring tape and tells me the exact change to my waistline down to the quarter inch. Good to know..*gasp*

So this morning I got on the scale to assess the damages. I only gained three pounds, which is really nothing- but it makes a world of difference in how good I am at my job. Sick and twisted? totally. Do I take it personally that the button on a pair of sample jeans flew across the room when I tried to buckle them at a meeting this morning? No, I laughed.

Because the fact that these pants were small on me is only in part my problem. I was forewarned that they had come from the factory exceptionally small, and had somehow managed to survive three markets with only a busted leg zip (samples are made fast, not to last).

These are realities that I must remind myself to avoid internalizing and stressing the fuck out that I'm slowly morphing into a ravenous unemployed whale. Because I'm not a whale, I'm just human and it happens. Not to say I didn't book my ass into a series of Bikram and spin classes that very moment. I'm going to pedal and twist until those baguettes are just a vague memory. Because I mean business. It can't become personal.

My body is my business, and business is about to get bangin'.

Jetlag and Lipstick

Transatlantic flights are the worst. You leave the plane feeling like you've been in a cold air drying machine- no idea which way is up and totally washed out.

Must haves for a 911 dinner do-up with clients right off the plane:

-1.5 L smart water for the plane (the electrolytes make a difference)
-bold lip I can apply without liner
-a swipe of mascara
-basic black pump

And I'm ready to go!

The High Road has its place on Fashion Avenue

There have been a lot of petty accusations of "roostery" in the fashion industry as of late. In New York City, where it's a struggle to be seen much less heard, we have forgotten that achieving confidence is much simpler than it seems. By nature confidence is the single most attractive quality that a person can possess, so it is only natural that we all strive to achieve it.

Contrary to popular belief, the most confident person rarely demand the attention of the room or carries the most expensive handbag. In fact, oftentimes it is the opposite. The most flamboyantly dressed person in the room feels he has something to prove, therefore creating a false sense of esteem I like to call Johnny Bravado. Johnny is a borderline obnoxious persona that plagues many, many people in New York City and especially in fashion. For years editors (and now bloggers) have been adorned with gifts and trips on a regular basis in exchange for a good review or a deal on advertising pages when the people who really should be front and center at the shows are the buyers. This is bribery, and for editors to be angry about having to share a status they should never have reached in the first place. This is literally a fight over free handbags.

Fashion blogging is a relatively new phenomenon, so there's an influx of candidates taking a shot at succeeding in this blossoming industry, but few will last. The disappointment for me is in the magazine editors, who through out of insecurity are pointing fingers and talking sh*t, are perpetuating the horrible cliché the fashion industry unfortunately holds.

When I began this blog my friends suggested I make it about my experiences in the fashion, and I found that a little too self-important for my comfort level. I have more to offer than what shoes I'm wearing that day. It's just not what life's about.

In an industry where so much emphasis is on the surface, I want The Supermodel Method to be a breath of fresh air. An intelligent take on an industry that doesn't have the best of priorities right now. I believe that blogging is coming around to its potential, with blogs like Thought Catalog that keep the conversation going and allowing us to connect through this new medium that gives a voice to intelligent, genuine women. The negative stereotypes about models come from a place of insecurity that I reject completely. There are the select few who misbehave, but most use fashion as a stepping stone toward their true purpose. I know many models in the process of becoming engineers, doctors, and political activists between bookings. That is my fashion industry. Now if only the editors and journalists could learn how to share maybe they will be able to find contentment in the value of their own talent -as writers, not celebrities.
There are those who struggle desperately to beat everyone no matter what the cost (the Bravados) - and there's the high road. Make the right choice.

model gone vogue

Between my Russian bathtime and juice detoxes, I've been reading Grace Coddington's new memoir, "Grace".

I love a good story of a woman beating the odds- and her accomplishments are definitely impressive. Women of her generation have always interested me- it was the first time women went for what they wanted, there's a drive there that I admire, a rebellious independence I intrigued by. As a young woman today, I appreciate the struggles they faced as pioneers for generations of woman to be able to work if that's what made them happy. And who wouldn't be positively overjoyed to go from a small town in Ireland to the creative director of the biggest fashion magazine in the world? This isn't the first time she's found herself on the pinnacle of enormous change in fashon. She was on the forefront in the sixties when modeling first began to push the envelope with artistically liberated imagery, taking models from stiff mannequins to dynamic and intriguing creatures in the eyes of the American public and changing the industry forever.

So understandably I fancy Grace as a personal role model - not only for having quite possibly one of the most interesting positions in the industry but even more so for having turned her days propped in front of the camera into such an amazing career. It takes a very intelligent and confident woman to accomplish what she has, and that is precisely the kind of woman I truly madly deeply girl crush on. So as soon as I heard of her memoir I ran to buy the enormous book that very day and have been lugging the brick of a thing around to jobs with me all week trying to get to know her.

It's only around 350 pages, but it only comes in paperback and is full of illustrations which makes it seem enormous. The first chapter is a long description of her really quite bleak and depressing childhood in Ireland. Then the book completely changes pace (thank god) -when she moves to London and starts frequenting dinner parties with David Bailey and his many friends and conquests (he was a notorious flirt). She mentions none of the beauty of that freeing moment in time, where the world was suddenly open to all kinds of possibilities. No sexual liberation, political or social inspiration. She briefly mentions AIDS in the seventies, but it played no significant role in the book as a whole.

She does mention that the time when Yves Saint Laurent ruled fashion the seventies inspiring her greatly- she lived in Paris at the time and frequented cafe select, sipping on café with Karl Lagerfeld, and embarking deep, longstanding friendships with characters like David Bailey and Manolo Blahnik - in the case of those of you who don't know who David Bailey is, look him up. He was a super hot, immensely talented notorious flirt and womanizer who hang out with Andy Warhol and dated one of the first supermodels, Jean Shrimpton. But much to my disappointment there were no examples of wonder or extravagance, nor any of the edgy, creative.. or progressive talk I would have imagined swirled around the table of the "fabulous freaks in their seventies chic." Only a long list of her YSL outfits and descriptions of the fashion girls' obsession with anything and everything from his collections. Maybe I'm a little book snobby but it would have been SO much more entertaining if she had delved in on some of their wild times and actually developed a plot line! But she's not about to give away any of the nitty gritty details of her seemingly amazing life, which I sigh and accepted as I crawled through the end of the book.

There is one particularly beautiful photo I really would have liked a back story for -she's in the south of France with Helmut Newton, David Bailey, Anjelica Huston, and Manolo Blahnik looking beautifully tipsy and having a great old time. These are the moments I bought the book to hear about. I want to know who these iconic personas are as human beings, what they fought for, who they loved.

  As the book progresses it becomes more of a glorified list of all of the people she knew, her favorite outfits, and the drama that is the high school cafeteria culture of American Vogue. There are lots of cool photos from when she used to model and the shoots she directed at British and French Vogue, as well as many of her own personal sketches and shoots -but she hardly touches on her personal life- coldly mentioning first, second, third husband before moving on to her monumental YSL suit or Kenzo moment.

Truthfully I think that's what she thought the people wanted to hear - about the clothes and the business - the woman is her business. And thats alright. But she decided to write a memoir - which is to be personal in essence. The frigidity of her prose and lack of emotional description during pivotal moments in her life was completely estranging. Her life has an incredibly rich story line, that she could drawn me in with far more than "one time on this shoot.." "then another shoot.." its interesting - but there needs to be some kind of progression or personal growth in there somewhere. When her sister died (leaving a young boy for her to care for) would have been a great time to humanize herself into a flawed emotional creature like the rest of us and talk about her no doubt complex emotions. But she quickly changes the subject to less vulnerable topics.  I didn't end this book feeling like I understood any more of the genius behind the woman for which the book was named. Some kind of development in herself as a character, lessons learned, desires and passions, any insight into how she had evolved as an individual would have been nice.

Honestly, you could have opened up a little more, Grace. We look up to you.

She does get a little more into detail later on in the book, with Anna seemingly as the main protagonist - giving her credit for changing the way fashion operates (namely far more celebrity oriented), turning it into a much more successful marketing tool instead of a form of artistic expression. Which is what I think this book is.: a marketing tool.  She obviously doesn't trust the reader enough to actually share her life with us.

Her most prophetic moment in the book is a blurb underneath a chapter heading "In which our heroine recognizes that life is often a long series of losses." Quite telling as to why she didn't include any of life's ugliness. And she's right- it's not as perfect as fashion- its ugly and transient and flawed - but that's what makes life beautiful.

At the end of the day, I would recommend you giving it a try. I personally would appreciate a little more depth from her - but this way it' s quick read with plenty of picture booking.

Spa-at-Home: The Russian Method

January's so drab. It's freezing and we're all still broke from Christmas. I literally have been losing feeling in my fingers lately and can not get warm for the life of me. It's times like these that I take a page from the Russian girls, seeing as they're the experts on surviving through long, cold winters.

I once had a Slavic friend who liked to go to the bath house around this time of year. There she would warm herself in the sauna for as long as she could, then quickly jump into an ice cold pool. The Russians are not ones for subtlety, and let me tell you- this one's a real eye opener. I squealed like a little girl the first time I took the plunge. But afterwards, I noticed I could stay warmer for much longer. In addition to increasing your circulation, it is somewhat of a detoxifier - which some say rids you of contagions, keeping you from getting sick. Smart.

For me (ever the American princess) the bath house is a little too public. No offense, I'm just not about to pay to watch a bunch of half naked Russian men whip one another with tree branches while I'm trying to relax in the sauna. Or watch two guys make-out. Or have to listen to somebody else's drama..blah blah blah.

So for obvious reasons, I've turned the process into a more private, at-home spa experience. Here it is- I sit in a hot bath (read, listen to music, whatever) until I start to sweat, then I stand up and turn on the shower as cold as it goes. A couple seconds of cold and your body gets the message - your metabolism will rise to the occasion - on no uncertain terms.

Try it out! It's quick, it's free- it's exhilarating actually.
(not to mention really good for you)

Frenchpop Singer Yelle Rocks VEDA LiveLoveGive Charity Launch

 

The runway show for the launch of women's charity LiveLoveGive was not only a blast - with a live performance by French popstar and all around badass Yelle, but also supported a good cause. Taking place at Seven Bar on the water outside the United Nations, they debuted their charity to the world with a rockin' lingerie show and concert party.

The weather has been freezing here, so we all wore our coats (and socks!) until the last minute, but once that runway rush kicked in- none of us noticed. I always appreciate when women are able to use their love for fashion for a good cause, and this organization does just that. Their program enables women to live out their dreams by providing financing and support to start-up companies through VEDA Financial and member donation.

Since its the UN, security was super heavy, with airport level security and badges to go into each building - which was definitely a Lara Croft moment in my full length black wool coat and ruby red lips. There's something about national security that immediately brings the James Bond theme song to mind, bringing whole new meaning to "Agent Provocateur". The theme was "redefining the corset"featuring unique pieces from Guy Laroche, Erin Fetherston, and yes pun intended, Agent Provocateur for the six of us to wear. Not all of the "redefined" corsets were sexy though..

One of the models had to wear a "head corset" that she couldn't see in. It was like one of those ridiculous challenges off America's Next Top Model, no joke. She was freaking out at the end because she got so claustrophobic! 

But overall, everyone was alright and it was a really interesting show for a good cause. 

pour some sugar on me

This weekend I was having brunch with an Indian girlfriend of mine, dreading my impending bikini wax that afternoon - when she tells me she “sugars”. After a little “pour some sugar on me” we all tuned in to what she had to say. This model-turned doctor is one of my most well-informed beauty confidantes, and she strongly advocates this method for sensitive skin types like hers.

Sugaring - also referred to as “Persian Hair Removal”, is an ancient Egyptian practice made from all-natural ingredients to remove the hair follicle from the root. Similar to waxing, sugaring is the perfect solution for sensitive skin, because the there are no artificial ingredients that could possibly irritate the skin.

There are a few different types of “sugaring” on the market – the traditional method is the one with paste, which is the ideal since it’s more gentle. Some salons use a combination of sugar and wax or gel and advertise it as sugaring, but it isn’t the same. If you have sensitive skin, be sure to ask whether the paste is pure and wax-free. It can be difficult to find a professional that does the sugaring with the paste, but it’s worth it if you have trouble waxing.

How does it work?

With the traditional sugar paste method, the warm paste applied first in the opposite direction of hair growth and then in the direction of hair growth using the hands. It's then flicked off in the in the direction of hair growth. It is completely safe to apply repetitively over recently sugared skin to grab missed hairs and can be done in large sections. She reports that her hairs are finer and lighter than before she began sugaring – and her skin noticeable softer and smoother.

Upon doing some research, I found that if you’re on a budget, you can  make your own at home, however reviews suggest that it’s difficult to find the right consistency. Quite frankly it takes a certain kind of woman to be able to her OWN waxing. It is less painful than regular wax, but let’s be real here you’re still pulling your hair out from the root! Things could get sticky if you get my drift. It is much cheaper though – sugaring is slightly more expensive than waxing, ranging from $65-$85 for a full Brazilian.

If you live in the Manhattan area, there is a salon in Union Square that offers the traditional paste method and comes highly recommended. They occasionally offer discounts and specials at well. If their prices are a little high, they have been known to offer a 50% off Bikini Area Sugaring specials on YipIt.com  

Saloni Threading Salon

853 Broadway suite 612

New York, NY 10010

www.salonithreading.com

Tips from Coco: how to be successful featuring Mac Folkes

Mac Folkes is the mastermind who taught me how to work it down a runway years ago. Now here he is collaborating with supermodel and impeccable businesswoman Coco Rocha in this article for Milk Studios on how to conduct yourself as a model in the industry. I have to say, they can be harsh- but this is some dead on advice ladies so eat it up: How to be a Successful Model

Runway class with Mac Folkes at the ModelLounge NYC

Blinded by those headlights

Thank all of the sheer tops in the prefall Valentino collection for this post about dimmers. "Dimmers", also known as breast petals, are round shaped covers fashion models use to cover our nipples with minimum coverage, We've been using plenty of them to avoid shocking the poor buyers into distraction. With silk shirts on trend, this isn't the only client I'm going to need these for. Definitely a must-have for the model bag this season.

They're also of use in your daily life for situations like headlights through thin shirts in the summer or if you're wearing a lacy bra under a sheer shirt. Hollywood (the makers of fashion tape) also offer an adhesive lifting cup if you're feeling a little too saggy without any support underneath.

Most brands are shaped like flower petals but I've seen discs and butterflies as well. They sell silicone options that you can reuse but honestly go for the disposable ones - they're cheaper and more
adhesive. The silicone tends to make an odd shape and is a little heavy, where the paper petals are completely weightless.

Petals are not meant to replace a bra, they are only meant to cover your nipple. If you need a bra for support, please wear one. no one wants to watch your boobs giggle down the street. So you can stop worrying about "headlights" poking through your silks. Unless you're into that.

These are the best I've found. Available online for around $10.

Insider Tip: Camouflage

When you love fashion, your first priority isn't always practical. One of my stylish girlfriends just bought a pair of vintage high waisted Ralph Lauren peg leg pants in white satin. It was love at first sight, and she bought them because they were reasonably priced. They're absolutely beautiful, the only problem was that the seams from her everyday nude underwear showed through the thin fabric every time she sat. Not a good look!

Being the true friend I am, after admiring her new find I complimented her on the white piping peeking through her pants. She had a moment of shock and recognition, then we had a long debate as to whether commando was an option. We concluded that considering the fabric of the silk pants make that a no go. What she needed were some MySkins.

I wear MySkins almost five days a week because they are completely seamless, and they offer twenty different colors like "peaches" and "chocolate" to blend perfectly with your individual skin tone. Many of the outfits I find myself wearing in the showroom are samples. Due to time and budget constraints, many designers choose not to put lining in their samples. So it's important come prepared to provide the illusion of the finished product while remaining covered.

These underwear are an absolute essential in my bag. The brand has many options for women with ethnic skin tones as well, which not available from popular brands like Commando or Cosabella. MySkins are only $12 each - so you can try a few tones until you find your closest match. So see what they have to offer! www.myskins.com

I am a tried and true fan of their thongs, they also offer bras and other panty shapes as well. Let me know what you think!