Paris is the city where everything starts to make sense (trend-wise, at least). It remains the ultimate accolade for a model to score, even though Parisian law says they have to be 16 or older to walk the French runways.
These are the faces that launch the big names, land on the billboards, as well as make the headlines. These models are the ultimate canvas on which designers and artists can create.
When Gisele Bündchen first came to Paris, John Galliano said, “It was like putting my fingers in an electric socket.” Personality counts as much as presence (though you don’t necessarily have to electrocute designers, especially ones I like).
There is no method to getting booked, but, along with being beautiful and having a body to die for, these steps will get you extra credit:
1. Get Sam McKnight to cut your hair (look what he did for Agyness Deyn and Linda Evangelista’s short ’dos).
2. Step out and about. Look where you’re going when you cross the road (photographer Mario Testino leapt from a cab when he spotted Jacquetta Wheeler, and stylist Isabella Blow did the same when she spied Sophie Dahl).
3. Work your way up the ladder. Raquel Zimmermann was one of John Galliano’s favorite “fit” models in the Dior studio before becoming an “It” model on the runway.
4. Does makeup artist Pat McGrath need a new driver? Is designer Jean Paul Gaultier looking for a new photo copy assistant, or perhaps photographer Nick Knight seeks a new PA…Who knows what could happen?
How To Survive Fashion Week: Episode 8
Keeping your cool backstage. What to do, who to chat up and how to get invited back next season.
How To Survive Fashion Week: Episode 7
Stay stunning even when sleep deprived! Camilla’s tips for looking good even during a 16-hour day.
