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Model Tip: Take Advantage of Travel and Culture

It's really important when you are traveling as a model that you take
advantage on your time off of the local customs. Try to find out the
local free paper for expats where they show what's happening in and
around the city where you are working for the next 3 months. A lot of
models fall into the trap of partying all the time, because usually a
local club hosts a "model night" to attract wealthy business men and
fashion-wannabes to a club. They are making money off you at the same
time as giving you free drinks. I know it's fun and a way to socialize
with the other models who are on-stay. It's a common meeting point,
but it can also get you into trouble: drinking too much can lead you
to do things you regret the next day and can damage your reputation.
Along with smelling like alcohol and not feeling good on your castings
the next day. Try to keep it to a minimum. You have a great
opportunity to make money in that city--and you can party later or
when you are back at home.

Instead grab some of your roommates and get out to see the cultural
places where you are. Take advantage of the agency paying your ticket
and the fact you have a place to stay to experience something other
than the bottom of a glass of vodka and the inside of a club. Learn
something about the customs of the people and the culture where you
are staying.

It is now the end of the Chinese New Year and they always end it with
a Lantern festival at the Tienamen square. Should be great with
beautiful lanterns like these ones. There is also a Lantern exhibition
in the SanLiTun Village. I want to go to see the lanterns in the
square and experience for a minute what it feels like to be in the
minority and have another language. Try it! You will bring home some
special memories instead of just the normal stories that everyone can
tell you about models and modelling.

Model Fitting: How to fit it all in!

 

When you are on a fitting, it's the final frontiere: if the shoe fits, so to speak, you got the job. If it doesnt fit, you are not invited to the ball, Cinderella, and there are no mice or fairy godmother gonna wave you a pumpkin or dress in this case. So how to conduct yourself?

The fitting is when they are making the lineup and outfit choices, so fit is what is most important. Suck in that gut, tighten those buttocks, make sure you can walk smoothly in those heels because this is the last "casting" before you are confirmed. Make the dress fit. You know you can do it.

If the bust is too big, and the dress if falling off, INHAIL. Try to hold your breath and keep the dress up.First impressions last. If they like it, the dresser will come and make it tigher and pin you up, but make sure when you walk out, it looks like it fits for a few minutes until they decide they like you.

If the skirt is too tight, cross your legs when you stand so that the hip area is smaller and you dont have that vertical wrincle. Tighten your bum as much as you can, as this will lift your butt and make your legs slimmer. Hold in your stomach (if you have one).

When the designer is tugging at you, lift your arms out of the way so that he / she can pin you without problems. If they ask you any questions about the fit, answer them truethfully but size up the situation and feel the vibe of the designer.

A lot of a fitting is also the designer checking out if you match his style and vibe, so pay attention to the personality. If they are quiet, be quiet. If they are chatty, chat and be friendly.

Smile. You cant imagine how far a smile from a model who likes their job can get you. It brightens anyone's day during the fitting. When you are walking, wipe that smile off your face and be graceful.

Its a great relievf when you see them write your name on the posters that the designers put up with the collection order. It generally means you got the job! Even if the model is not yme ou in the photos because it's the fit model, I like to see my name written...anyway...If this girl had red hair she could almost be me! See more photos from the show on my Anina China blog.

Model Controll: What to do when they are going to destroy your body?

Your body is your way of making money and you have to keep your hair, nails, face, skin, shape in top condition if you want to be paid the big bucks. Destroy your hair? No hair jobs (and they pay those box covers!). Destroy your nails and forget about that editorial beauty shooting or that potential watch campaign! Get fat and forget about walking for any fashion shows, you've just upgraded to catalog model only--in the USA! Yes, your body is your temple, so what to do when you are on a fashion show and they are threatening to destroy your livelyhood with fake nails.

It recently happened to me that I was on a makeup artists fashion show and they had a nail artist there who proceeded to GLUE with superglue, the fake nails to every girls hands. I dont speak Chinese but I could tell from the supermodels faces and their tone of voice that they were all pissed off about it, so what to do in this situation? Be the sacrificial lamb or raise your voice?

Normally, the nail artist would do the following:

1. Use adhesive tape to stick down the nail. This is the normal, professional way to do it. And put them on after all the girls have dressed so that they do not fall off while getting changed.

2. Drop ONE small drop of glue on your nail and then press it down--this is not optimal but minimizes the damange. What the nail artist here was doing was FULLY COVERING the back of the fake nail and fully covering the real nail with a TON of glue as if they were going to stay on until the next milllenium. NO WAY.

Why was the glue method not good? Because it will be very hard to get off--you have to soak your nails in acetone for over an hour, and it will strip off the top layer of your nail leaving your nail looking uneaven and weakend to crack and break--not good for beauty shootings.

Model Goal: Getting into Photographer's Printed Books (Zack Image)

Photographers need to print books--I dont know why but believe me there's some editor somewhere who has their coffee table book on their coffee table. Some art directors somewhere have a bookshelf full of photographer's "portfolio's in print". I think it is because with a book photographers have the ultimate controll on the color saturations of their photos and can also go down in history and prove their manhood/womanhood or show to the world--I dont know--but they are nice to look at while you are waiting for the castings. For a model, you can believe me, you have just made history if you have the honor of getting your photo selected to be in a top photographer's book. They really only select the best of their best photos, so if it's you, girl you are boomin' and can show it to your children when you have them and say to yourself, "I have arrived to be timeless."

I am really honored to be included in Zack Image's book. He's one of Beijing's top photographers and it's really hard to get to shoot with him as he's really picky. I've only shot with him three times! Why? Because he only likes long hair. I managed in this photo to get away with being shot with my short hair, otherwise he always puts the long hair on me. I love going down in history and he even gave me a copy for my nostagic records.

Essential Model Gear: The Tall Tight Boots

Essential Model Gear: Suede Tall Tight Boot with rubber flat soles for walking and keeping your legs warm and fashionable.

So you are supposed to wear the shortest of black mini skirts and you are supposed to show your legs on the castings. You are supposed to wear the thinest stockings so as not to add any extra inch to your microscopic stick figure legs and you are supposed to walk around in sub-zero temperatures on casting--Riiiight! What planet do those bookers live on?

Your cold weather weapon is a very tight black over the knee (keep those joints warm for when you mature) boot with rubber soles having grip (dont slip on the ice for fashion sake). This will keep at least half of your legs warm, are easy to remove when you get to the casting place, have soles so you dont slip and break an ancle while rushing around town, and are slim--so if you do meet that famous photographer, casting director, magazine editor on the street you will keep your twiggie figure and they will be green with envey.