Beauty

I received this question from a reader, ‘Can I wear knee high boots with a little black dress?’ GREAT question! What you pair your little black dress with will make ALL the difference in the world in terms of what statement you are making with your outfit. To give complete justice to this answer, I typically need more information. Tell me more about the dress…Are we talking sleeveless? Halter? Long or short sleeved? What kind of neckline are we working with, and what sort of function are we talking here? Work? Cocktail party? Night with the girls? Either way, the answer is yes to all of these. You most definitely can! Let’s take this very simple
Pleated Tunic Dress
from Rampage and see what we can do with it!

Model2be from Columbus, Ohio, sent me an email this week:
I’m 17 and want to get into the modeling industry. I have the figure and the looks and know how to do all my poses. But I am really scared about how to do runway. Do you know any sites that offer runway tips or can you give any advice?

It’s Sunday and I am in relaxing mode which means I am getting caught up on my DVR which means I am in modeling mode today as I catch up on America’s Next Top Model and the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. This has me in model mode which is always a fun way for me to look at another side of the fashion industry – modeling is essentially what sells the fashion. Back in ‘the day’ I was finishing University and looking for a way to make some extra cash, and this is when I got really interested in modeling. I answered a classified ad for an open call, and away I went. It was a long process starting, but once it got off the ground, it was a lot of fun. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss those days.

But if you have ever watched any of the modeling reality shows, you will constantly hear them talking about how much harder it is than it looks. It really is, which is why modeling is not just about a pretty face. In FACT, you don’t even need a pretty face. If you know how to model, and have a few vital stats going for you (which honestly, height is the most important, weight not so much) then you can be a model. If you are a quick study, you can learn to model. But any agent or client will want you to know runway, and THIS, besides learning poses, is the hardest component of any modeling career. Models have been cut faster than a bunch of bangs because they did not have a signature walk, or could not walk at all. I got an email from a reader asking for some runway tips, so this is what we will look at today.

Yes, I will say it again. Runway is easily the hardest part of modeling, but honestly, it is the most fun. There is no other place in modeling where you can get live feedback from the audience and see the reaction of the crowd to the beautiful things you are wearing. This is why many models will say that runway is their favorite thing to do. It wasn’t mine, and I will tell you it is because I prefer to not guage that reaction, and not be in front of a large crowd when I am balancing myself on 4 inch heels. But if you can perfect it, or even better, create a signature walk, you can make a LOT of money from runway alone as these are the biggest jobs.

The two things you need to remember when you are doing runway – a.) you are a coat hanger that walks and nothing else, and b.) you are marketing yourself. More models have gotten bigger and better jobs by pulling off an awesome runway. So the advantage to runway is not only the bigger paycheck, but the exposure in live time you get as a model. And really, exposure is what the industry is all about, so soak it up.

On the coat hanger note, you are there to showcase clothing and nothing else. So your first tip is to know what your client wants. You will be briefed when you are booked on what is expected – smile don’t smile, etc. Follow these direction to a TEE. More models have lost bookings all together because they thought they knew better than the client. You won’t, and in fact, you will get more work from this client if you do it THEIR way.

Now, a few body language things you need to take note of:

1.) Do not move your shoulders,at ALL unless you are instructed otherwise.
2.) Keep your eyes straight ahead and do NOT move them at all. Don’t look at people, other models, or ANYTHING but something on the back wall. During rehearsal, find that something and look at it from beginning to end during your entire walk. Do the same thing on the other wall when you are going back down the runway for your next change.
3.) Chin *ever so slightly* down. This is because the rest of the people are sitting and will be looking up at you. You want them to see your face, not your neck. Keep it down just a smidge, and don’t move it, which you won’t be able to because you will be looking ahead.
4.) Your legs should be taking long strides. Not short little steps. Walk as long as you can.
5.) Don’t move or swing your arms unless you are instructed to. Keep your arms close to your body unless you are given something to carry.
6.) You need to have good posture plain and simple which is another reason I was so terrible at it. This will require practice. No hunching, no rounded shoulders, etc etc. Stand straight and tall. And unfortunately, the taller you are the more difficult this is to do. All I can say is practice.
7.) The most important tip is to be confident. Yes, you are a coat hanger, but a beautiful one. OWN the runway, show these folks that you have attitude and if they don’t buy this fashion they are fools. If you lack confidence, it will reek stronger than old Chanel No.5. practice, practice, practice.

For all of these tips, you just need to practice. Pick a hallway in your house and walk walk walk walk walk. Get a full-length mirror and put at either end of the hallway so you can see what you look like. Have someone videotape you. Watch yourself, catch your mistakes, and fix them. I also recommend you watch some on YouTube or on Fashion Television and take notes on what every model is doing. You will find they are all VERY similar. When you get a go-see for a runway booking, you will be ready.

Here’s one from the Stella McCartney 2007 Spring/Summer Collection to get you started.

Best of luck model2be! Come back and let us know when you get your first booking!

We’ve received a question from one of our readers, flowergirl. Let’s have a look:

I’m not a big clutch fan, not alot of opportunities to clutch them with! I do have a dress for a wedding for which I am -desparingly- looking for a bag. The dress-a DARK grey jersey knit,very plain, mid calf, with a foldy-turtleneck type of collar. Chic but not too dressy. will be paired with a pair of thick tights and my black patent leather boots. The wedding is being held in a huge white tent and its bound to be chilly so I’ve got a cheecky little cape-black of course! now all I need is something to put my cell, lipsstuff, and a few other things in….but what? Everything I’ve tried looks dorky or too casual! Any ideas?

The first thing I am going to say, I love this outfit. Consider this, you will be wearing black patent leather boots. The word dorky just does not belong in the same lifetime as black patent. Consider the second thing. Black patent leather boots. Really, there is not much you can do to screw up this outfit, from what it sounds you have pulled together all the basics. Add those awesome boots to a dress in this season’s hottest color, you really can’t go wrong. OH and black patent will dress anything up. Denim, khaki, whatever. You can not do too casual when you are wearing black patent so that eliminates your other concern So what bag are you going to bring if you aren’t a clutch girl? For starters if you are taking a cape, forgo the clutch all together regardless if you like them or not. You will end up having too many things to do with your hands, and you will be too busy to be bored, I mean, excited for the joyous occasion. Back to bags. Hmmm……I am going to suggest a small bag with handles, in black patent if you can find one that will match your boots. Definitely get one that matches those boots. Over the shoulder bag is going to look too “totey” and you don’t want that look at a wedding, and besides, it won’t work with the cape either. A clutch, well, we’ve already ruled that one out so you want to go in between for this one. Something like the Franco Sarto Knotting Hill Large Satchel - that you see here. See, the beautiful thing you have done now is chosen boots and a bag that are so versatile you can do anything with them any day of the week or for day or evening. So many people get the wedding outfit they wear to the occasion and never wear again (and yes, I’ve done that too). But pulling an outfit together like THIS will last for a very long time. If you don’t like this bag, the key you want to look for is small straps that you hold in your hand, and DEFINITELY black patent. Great question, flowergirl! Thanks!

This one is pretty simple, and you know you are talking to a high heel lover here, so I am going to say that absolutely ANYTHING will pair very nicely with a 4” heel. For length of dress, honestly, the shorter the better but that goes purely for aesthetic purposes. There is nothing that won’t look beautiful with a heel of this size. One of the purposes of the heel is to elongate your leg and to accentuate those pretty calves of yours. So if you can wear a dress that will show those off, then you are good to go. Long gowns, long skirts however also look very pretty with a heel, particularly if the back of the dress drapes over the back of the heel to leave about an inch of heel view. However, again, you can not go wrong with any length of dress or skirt in a heel. I love this look by Lanvin, the classic black monochromatic silhouette that is MAJOR this fall and the knee length skirt with the heels. So yes, you can even wear heels in appropriate business attire at the office and still look stunning. Why not wear something edgy and masculine and pair a knee length skirt with some heels? That will still show off your amazing sex appeal, but let everyone know you mean business. If you like heels, and you can wear them without pain, go for it. The world is your oyster.