Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Models can be Green and help perfect the world


My question for 2009 is: "How have you thought of the earth today?

Do you recycle your beauty products?

Do you waste paper? Flush the toilet a lot?

Do you throw your cigarette on the ground carelessly? First quit smoking, yuck, think about what your heart thinks of that smoke? Then stop littering.

Have you ever picked up any litter? Even that newspaper flying on the subway platform. Or that gum wrapper stuck to your shoe.

Do you waste water and let it run rapid while you brush your teeth?

You can start to be more thankful for what you have and the earth, by taking care of some these things I mentioned, because you can work in a business of perfection and also help perfect the world.

Strippers are not Models - My opinion of Strippers

There is a guy on the corner of Wall and Broadway who hands out NY DOLLS coupons or some shit, and today his hand went towards me, and I brushed it off... I wanted to tell him to “Truck off.” I felt like he was saying I look like a stripper or something.

I recently did portray, act, the role of a Stripper on ABC's, Life on Mars, but I have never been a stripper. I did have my share of amatuer modeling mistakes with guys with cameras and their garage but I learned that was pure BS, and real modeling doesn't happen in a basement in Queens, or in a dim lit strip club.

Strippers are not models. But sadly some think they are. I have gotten a few lap dances at Scores and let's cut to the point:I think strippers are gross. I am not just saying this because they are half naked with razor burn and have cakey makeup that stains your clothing, but because the expressions that they make as they give you a lap-dance is so nasty. So fake. Rolling my eyes at them.

I remember the girl, her eyes slant and naive, looking down at me, since I am so small her whole body almost covered mine, she was a little heavy putting all her weight on my left knee. Watched her slow movements, her finger in her mouth, the other hand, stroking my hair, she said "you're pretty." I felt like I should have said it to her back to be nice, but she wasn't that pretty. I didn't find her little thong that sexy, and instead wondered how many times she wore it without washing it. I thought of all the guys she had danced with and after the song I gave her a $20 and asked another girl in a little outfit for a drink.

I couldn't tell these girls I was a model, because they would just say to me with a hyper smile, "I am too!" I think I would have started a massive fight right there, maybe even stood up on the stage and gave a lesson on why these girls are not models.

Strippers have a choice to be more, they are girls who choose to be strippers. No matter what it is a choice.

I think daily about long term goals and how a wrong one in the short term can change my life, and when you are 30 and have been swinging on the pole for ten years or longer, what else will you have on your resume and how will you feel about yourself before you have a nervous breakdown, go into depression and feeling like your life is shit?

I think a stripper doesn't really know her real potential in life. I mean even if the girl thinks she has a nice body and is hot, ok...great...and?

And?

Maybe she doesn't have the confidence to really chase what she wants. I think there is always more you could be doing with yourself than grinding on some guy just for money. What type of purpose does that really give you? Hi, I grind people. What's your name?

If you have a nice body, and you did want to REALLY be a model, try parts modeling, or modeling for a swimwear brand, or a lingerie company, get some quality photos, and stop calling yourself, "a model" you are not. Modeling involves brands, not just having dark eye liner and the smell of an over-dose of bad cheap perfume.

Sure I will play one for a film, or Law and Order, but really spending my days or nights at a stuffy, lipstick smeared, musty strip club would make me bored as Truck.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

comfortably Dumb Models and Girls

There is something going on with girls being comfortable being dumb. Dumb and filmed being dumb. It goes for models too. And by dumb I mean not caring how careless they are. Talking through their nose all nasal and snotty, whiny. Yuck! Did Jerry Springer start this egomaniac drama on TV?
I notice how obsessed people get over reality TV, and yet when I put it on for a second I can hardly handle one minute of it before having to change the channel. I don't understand why these shows are popular and how these girls get TV Shows?

I especially can't stand modeling reality TV, it is sad, I really want to puke over internet modeling sites, and girls flashing their boobs on Myspace. I had this conversation with a photographer recently, about all the amateurs out there, and he said, “It is easy to be a star in a sea of shit.”

In the underground bubble of amateur modeling and photography there is so much shit, people living this fantasy and not a good one, a bad one, where they think their reality is reality, but really it is a self image problem. They are cool and so respected within their amateur circle. The sad thing is if they wanted to be more…aimed higher they could be more…maybe. A lot of girls are so desperate to be seen, be hot, be adored, that they end up losing their dignity or worse. Or going to desperate measures just to feel better about them elves. What is winning a booty contest on the web going to get you?? Watching a bunch of rich wives gab isn’t going to make you richer?

I say, screw being comfortably dumb and numb and make something of your life, I am so sick of the Tila Tequila girls, without a purpose or goal beyond being known and being hot….why not have an opinion that doesn't involve Ummmmm or Truck off, and don't be afraid to be who you want to be, but make sure who you want to be is you, and not some chick that says “Ummmm I don't know”..too much.

Jane Goodall- you should get to know her mind

I asked my boyfriend if he knew who my hero's were, people I admire, he was surprised to know one was Jane Goodall. I asked him if he knew who she was. No.
A good for all woman? No. Jane of the jungle?...well sort of.

I have liked monkeys all my life. And Jane Goodall is the Monkey Queen, she studied Chimps for 40 years, I googled her tonight to see what would come up.

I found this interview on her from salon.com on Oct. 27, 1999,
and I like this answer she replied when asked: What's a good resolution for humanity as the new millennium approaches?

"We've got to somehow stop thinking that because there are 6 billion people in the world, what we do can't make any difference. As education progresses around the world, which it really is, people are understanding what's dangerous to the environment. They understand what they should and shouldn't do. But we still have people thinking, "It doesn't matter what I do, it's just me." If we can change that thinking around, it will have an enormous impact."

What she said still is something we need to work on.

That was over 8 years ago. And as the New Year comes for 2009, I ask, have we started thinking of the environment yet, or just ourselves?

I think everything effects everything. If you litter, that litter gets into your water, and your water becomes less good for you. If you waste electricity, energy is wasted.

The world is not just ours to ruin or waste. - isobella

More about Jane, from her website: "In the summer of 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa to study the area's chimpanzee population.

Although it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of the African forest, the trip meant the fulfillment of Jane Goodall's childhood dream. Jane’s work in Tanzania would prove more successful than anyone had imagined." Learn more at Jane Goodall.org

Monday, December 29, 2008

The Modeling pursuit

It is a choice to do the work you do in the way you do. We all could settle, and lose focus on our goals, but it is a choice to strive for them and have the courage to try. -isobella jade

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Recession in Andrew Carnegie's words

I am reading Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw, it feels like I have been reading it for a year, maybe I have. It is a very detailed book, I read it before bed and my mind goes wild thinking of the days before the Internet, commercial fashion, cell phones and even cars as an American house hold item. Days when people only owned a few pairs of things. I have a pen by my side when I read. I circle things, make notes, and reflect while I read. Sometimes I have to read things over a few times because my mind wonders so much thinking. Maybe it isn't the best book to read before I go to sleep but the details tire me, even so.

Last night I read how Andrew delt with the "depressed business climate" in 1876.
He wrote, "..fill the works at a small margin of profit- get our rails upon the leading lines next year. The year after take my word for it, you will make profit enough.""Don't be greedy...small profits & large sales."

I do agree, during trying times we as people, business owners, and companies should not forget the importance of keeping the engines going, keeping the flow of production will lead to being ahead when the times are better. I don't believe in bitching, I believe in doing. This will pass.

Dr. Martens was targeted at dock workers in the U.K


I read an article in Footwear Plus Magazine about Dr. Marten shoes and how the original 1460 lace up boot is coming back, and this come with more color, but with the same boot shape. The article stated that their trademark 1460 lace up boot, was based on the day the orignal boot launched on April 1, 1960, -which is 1/4/60 to those in England. The boot was first targeted U.K dock workers, warehousemen and bluecollar laborers. Dr. Martens also have boots for woman that are trendy and I like their high leg boot and the white orignal 1460. (see above in photo)

Friday, December 26, 2008

2009 Modeling to-do list


Each year is another to pursue and chase new pursuits. Some of things I have to do to do what I want to do are:

1. Print new compcards
2. Get my tearsheets photo copied and placed into a smaller portfolio. Like 5x7 or
8x10 size, since I am petite perhaps a petite portfolio would be nice.
3. Keep pitching modeling stories to Glamour, Marie Claire, and Redbook, O magazine
4. Submit to a TV commercial agent
5. Shoot jewelry beauty shots
6. Shoot body shots in a lingerie catalog form/ european mag style. Maybe at a beach.

Waiting for the MTA on Xmas day





On Xmas day I went to Central Park with my bf. He took some random shots of me waiting for the train.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Girls on Reality TV -not my thing

Girls are obsessed with reality tv. Becoming a reality tv star or looking like one.

I find wanting to look like anyone but yourself is not being true to yourself.

I don't know what is up with so many girls wanting to look like someone else.

We are a society crazy about how we look and don't get me wrong I love my heels, my cute bags, and earrings, but I am not going to get the gap between my teeth fixed, and I am not going to spend $1000 on a handbag just to fit in with someone else's look.

I think women and girls today should be more accepting of themselves.

We all have flaws, but if that is all we focus on then how do we become more?
We all have imperfections, but if we bring out the things we do have to offer the world, and others, you will enjoy life more knowing you are leaving a mark, and not just a pretty thing, with the latest handbag or shoe in the corner sipping a cosmo.

I'll be drinking a Cosmo too in my little shoes, but they won't be defining me.

Elizabeth Banks the face of L'Oreal Paris


I read in WWD today that Elizabeth Banks is set to be the face of L'Oreal Paris. Her hair is lighter now, but I remembered her face and thought right away of the role she had in Seabiscuit (2003), when she played Marcela Howard.

I have not seen W, where she plays Laura Bush, or other films she has been in, but I think her role in Seabiscuit was really well done.

Modeling throughout the Recession of 2009




You got keep fighting through out the Recession to get what you want and those who do will come out on top.

Recently on Myspace I got a message with a question on" how to have it all" and in the hunt for work as a model in NYC".

Yup this is always the question/case with an artistic pursuit.

To be honest I am used to it, the hustle. Yet, if you are a striving model, actor, musician, writer, or within the arts, I would always have a backup plan for yourself. I would not count on your "dream" to make you a stable income right away.

Even if you book a national ad campaign or major gig, it can take weeks, sometimes months to get paid. It is good to have a part time something, a job that involves other skills you have.

I would say think of your other skills and go to Craigslist, or Media Bistro, or Monster, and start looking for a part time position. Beyond working as a waitress or bartender there are other gigs you can get.

Temp work is also a consideration. There are many temp agencies in NYC. That book people for weekly or daily jobs. Also you might be able to get a job part time teaching, or for a marketing or pr company, there are always freelance writing positions out there, if you are pursuing as an actor, try some production work, teaching kids acting for a small theater, or managing a theater/stage a few days a week, or on off days.

Offer yourself part time and stress your abilities, sometimes people will accept a part time worker. But know that part time work does not include benefits, which means you might get the job because a company won't have to pay them, and that is a plus for them, but make sure you can handle that.

The main thing is finding something you enjoy, pays you, and also adds to your resume at the same time. Something that uses your other skills, but doesn't limit your "other goals/dreams." Flexible and able to go on castings, last minute bookings, and gigs. I would search Craigslist and Monster and Media Bistro only for Part time or freelance work and you will see there is work out there that comes up.

It can be hard to find that "other pursuit, job, stability, that lets you model/act, etc, and be flexible..but there are jobs out there that are part time, and especially right now, with the economy people are hiring part time people.

When it comes to your pursuits. The main thing to keep yourself ambitious and in the right direction is to keep your mailigns going, your submissions to agencies..mail, mailing, and more mailings, and a cheaper way to get your marketing material made is through online printing: With printing costs high I would try online printing prices before walk-in printing places. Depending on where you live online could be cheaper.

Another way to save money is to downgrade your lifestyle a little. This could mean not shopping for shoes weekly and clothing. It can mean picking clothing items that can translate through out the year.

Limit your salon visits and upkeep with home made beauty treatments.

Also to downgrade your lifestyle, apartment size, going out, money you spend... will help to upgrade yourself in other areas of your pursuits and "have it all."

Sometimes you have to sacrifice to have what you really want.

Yum...Top Ramen.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Petite Models and Models of all heights

Having the courage to try and being able to handle the no's and not taking it personally is so important in the modeling, entertainment business, and any form of the arts.

-isobella

American Photo Magazine- Online Publishers

I enjoyed the feature in American Photo Magazine on Online Publishers for coffee table books. To me color management and paper weight seem to be the most important factors, but it would be hard to tell without seeing a proof first. I count the photos I have of my friends in the apartment...not many. I am planning on changing this. I like the fact I can snap a photo and quickly email it to someone, helps in many ways, even modeling and body part modeling...if my agency needs a quick shot of my hand, face, etc. I can have it to her in like 5 mnutes. But.. I have gotten more and more interested in having physical photos printed and put in a album, and I think making a coffee table book can be a cool way to share photos with friends and family.

The magazine featured:

lulu.com
Mypublisher.com
Blurb.com
EmbassyProBooks.com
Apple.com/ilife/iphoto/printproducts
Asukabook.com

I think this is a fun idea also for a gift giving. I think the digital photography world has gone so commercial that people do not print physical photos anymore from their vacations, special events, even random nights out,...and having a keepsake photo memento is a lost thing.

I recently put photos from Rome in an album, and I printed about 30 photos, however I am considering making my own Rome coffee table book.

The price for a book varies in consideration to the size of the book, from bascially $12-$199.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The New Year is coming 2009

I am excited to attend a comedy club on New Years, it will be good to bring in a New Year with some laughter. But this New Year, does make me think of next year.

To be honest the thought of writing 2010 sort of scares me. It just seems like such a weird year to write...the 2001,-2008 and now 2009 feels ok, ...mmmm maybe it is because 2010 will mean I have been out of High School for ten years? I don't know, but the thought of it,...it feels weird...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

G-Star, ad campaign with no models, actors instead

G-Star is going to be posing more actors instead of models for their ad campaigns. I do see a lot of brands doing this. Like The Gap as well. Good for the actors, sucks for the models. I do like to brand and I have an awesome bold retro-y dress from them.

G-Star Raw Will Feature Actors in Its Spring Campaign
by Nina Jones

Posted Thursday December 18, 2008
From WWD Issue 12/18/2008

Amsterdam-based denim label G-Star Raw is abandoning models for its spring advertising campaign, opting instead for actors to show off its wares.

The label tapped Dutch director and photographer Anton Corbijn — who won plaudits for his 2007 biopic “Control” about Joy Division’s Ian Curtis — to shoot actors Toby Kebbell and Alexandra Maria Lara for the label’s spring ads.

“I guess we’ve grown up with 20 years of Anton’s iconic rock imagery,” said Shubhankar Ray, global brand director at G-Star Raw, referring to Corbijn’s gritty editorial shots of musicians such as David Bowie, Elvis Costello and U2.

Many Kira Plastinina U.S. Stores Close

Have you noticed stores closing around you? If you live in NYC you sure notice. The first thing I noticed was the Starbuck on my street that closed many months ago. I was sad. And confused. It was always busy, perfect location, by the trains, it shared the space with a deli shop, it was weird how that location went, but the starbucks around the corner stayed? Most likely it was a rent situation. And many companiesare facing rent problems. Rent going up. Space lost. Ironically right down the street from where that Starbucks was True Religion is suppose to be opening?
It is a smaller space, but it is interesting to watch new stores come in and other's say byebye.

This post by David Moin on WWD might remind you of brands who have build them self too fast, with not enough sales and ego control.

Kira Plastinina U.S. Stores Face Closureby David Moin
Posted Thursday December 18, 2008
From WWD Issue 12/18/2008

For Russian teenage design phenom Kira Plastinina, it looks like a quick rise and fall in the U.S.

U.S. sources close to the company said many, if not all, of the 12 Kira Plastinina stores in America could close soon.

Difficulties were pegged to the declining fortunes of Plastinina’s father, Sergei Plastinin, a tycoon in the dairy and fruit business in Russia, who bankrolled the U.S. rollout and was heavily invested in the Russian stock market. Shortcomings in how the chain was operated and the impact of the recession in the U.S. were also cited. To read full article visit WWD here.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

She hit pause studios not models, but girls



While walking through Union Square I met the owner of Shehitpausestudio.com. I love polaroids and the images really struck me and I dig the vibe and story within the work. I think the polaroid art of She Hit Pause Studios gives new meaning to a sexy photo.


"She Hit Pause Studios, Inc. was created by Matt Schwartz, photographer, and Kate Shawver, web designer/developer, in Spring of 2002. Kate and Matt live in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.Matt has been photographing his version of the pin-up girl for the past 10 years. His work has been described as "walking into a memory". All of his models are friends or people who have purchased his work. His work has been featured in Daily Candy and is currently for sale at Anthropologie."

I hand model, I shoe model, I leg model,I leg model,

This was part of my responce to a girl asking me about glamour modeling, a term of modeling which I really am not into at all. I tried to share my thoughts with some inspiration to want more and be more.

"The internet has made Glamour modeling something girls can consider, but it isn't a respected type of modeling, unless it is the style of an ad campaign for a lingerie company and you are modeling for their website, or for their ad campaign or something. The type of modeling I do involves brands and using what I have to get ahead as a model and work with great brands.

I hand model, I shoe model, I leg model, I hair model, and I use my energy and diverse look for the commercial print modeling world. I produce the photos I need, I have made my compcards, I have mailed them out, I have researched and tried to market myself time and time again. That is how i have found success. A model of a shorter height can find opportunities....I don't like to say that a model can find success as a model because every has different perceptions of what success is, -by thinking about products that use models of all heights...and product modeling that invovles not the whole body but just the face or "parts model"...such asjewelry, haircare, skincare, nail polish, handbags, shoes,--these are all things a shorter girl can model...but you have to show in your photos you can work with products, commercial print modeling agencies want to see that......to model, really model, it involves working with brands and representing them. What do you think the word model means? to model something...to represent it, to make the product look good. Otherwise you are just a cute girl, hot girl, sexy girl...and having your photo taken for the heck of it."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Favorite Purple shoes and stilettos at Bakers




These shoes are so hot and they are purple! Yup purple is a very bold choice but a good one. These can be found at www.bakersshoes.com

Monday, December 15, 2008

To model you have to have a sense of humor

The art director once said, “The other model could do it.” Talking about a pose that I just could not get my body into. I just laughed it off. Oh well, well I can’t do it, but I can do a lot of other things. We nailed the shot, and every one was happy when the shoot was over, but it does take some humility to be a model.

A photographer once scrapped his finger at my small beauty mark on my pink toe, thinking it was dirt. I said, “That little dot, nope that doesn’t come off.”


The art director once said, “The other model could do it.” Talking about a pose that I just could not get my body into. I just laughed it off. Oh well, well I can’t do it, but I can do a lot of other things. We nailed the shot, and every one was happy when the shoot was over, but it does take some humility to be a model.

A photographer once scrapped his finger at my small beauty mark on my pink toe, thinking it was dirt. I said, “That little dot, nope that doesn’t come off.

Photographer I chatted with today...

A photographer I chatted with today had quite a beard of scruff. He said, "I am growing it until I'm paid." Looks like we are all waiting on money right now.

Models 1 bought by OpenGate Capital

NYPOST reports:

"Private-equity firm OpenGate Capital is getting into the fashion business.

The firm's new investment vehicle, One Worldwide, announced that it has acquired majority control of Models 1, the largest modeling and talent agency in Europe.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Models 1 is already over-the-hill by industry standards, having first opened its doors 40 years ago. But its roster of clients, which includes such icons as Linda Evangelista, Twiggy, Agyness Deyn and Amber Valetta, is legendary. The agency has done work for such fashion-industry luminaries as Prada, Giorgio Armani and Gucci."

More on the story can be found here.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Vicky Christina Barcelona the title?

Today after visiting Patricia Field's and chilling out and about Soho I went to the
Angelica and saw Vicky Christina Barcelona.

The title Vicky Christina Barcelona seems weird... why not "Vicky and Christina in Barcelona" because that is what they were. I thought each actress was really striking and the plot was complicated yet simple. Each character got to sort of try out the other's perception of love, I liked that. I usually hate watching, and having to stare at two people make out in a scene, but the sex scenes were shot well. ( I am not really into porn obviously)

The voice over for the film was well done and a nice element.

It was my first Woody Allen film.

Penelope Cruz was so sexy, entrapping.

Still the title is weird.

Vicky Christina Barcelona sounds like the name of someone.

I do want to go to Barcelona, the photography in the film inspired that thought.

Isobella Jade Visiting Patricia Field's Bowery store






I remember going to her shop on West Broadway, found some cool items for test shoots in the past there. The store is for sure sexy, edgy and creative.

Isobella Jade random photos around the city today





Friday, December 12, 2008

Hard to be Bettie Paige today- amateur models

While reading the article on Bettie Paige's life and death in the LATIMES today I felt inspired to share some thoughts on how it is hard to be a "Bettie Paige" today and find real modeling success. Monetarily and respectfully.

The first photographer's she worked with were amateurs and she might have been considered in the internet age "just another show off model on Myspace" but in the
1950's her edgy photos and pinups would leave a mark that girls of ModelMayhem and Onemodelplace.com usually do not gain.

Prancing around with a whip and a bondage pose usually doesn't lead a girl to become a global iconic figure but more of a "porn star" or "slutty thing."

In that regard, Bettie beat the odds. Turned her fun and play into a business that has made a Queen of pinups.

However the article in the LATIMES quotes her saying, ""I had lost my ambition and desire to succeed and better myself; I was adrift," Page recalled. "But I could make more money in a few hours modeling than I could earn in a week as a secretary."

I think many aspiring models that are "web models," and “internet models" amateurs would agree. But today you can quickly become "another wanna be" faster than in the 1940's and 50's when less girls wanted to be models, and more of them just wanted to be a secretary.

My question is: Who marketed her images? The photographers? Did she make any money from this branding over the past century? If so how did it happen.

I think it is hard for a girl to be a Bettie Paige today, and make a living from it. Bettie Paige stopped modeling at 35, and that is not the life line of modeling today, but if a girl is trying to be a sexy model until she is 40, she will not be taken as seriously as if she was a commercial print model working with brands, ad campaigns and representing commercial products such as jewelry ads, travel ads and magazines, panty hose, tampons, skincare and beauty products.


Being a Bettie Paige today is a short lived pursuit and it can even limit your chances as a model actually. Especially if you are petite like Bettie, who stood only 5'5."

Bettie Paige Died - at 85 years old

The LATimes reports "Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85."

"Bettie Mae Page was born April 22, 1923, in Nashville. She was the oldest girl among Roy and Edna Page's six children."

Although Betty has fame around the world, her personal life story is full of heart ache and I think reading about her life would be a good idea for any aspiring model or for a girl who wants to work in the entertainment business.

The article in the LATIMES touches upon her life struggles here.

She might be a woman many have wanted and admired for her free spirit and beauty. But her life story is a different story.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

True Religion on my block- Wall Street

There used to be this little jewelry store I would pass walking up the slight hill to get the top of Wall Street, but I haven't seen it in awhile. Now it looks like True Religion is on my block to greet Pink, Tiffany, Tumi, Hermes and a few other high class retailers.

Still bummed Starbucks is gone. I mean walking around this area really feels different in the past year!

LL Cool J and Sears Grant a Wish


I really enjoyed LL Cool J's feature on Rachael Ray. He mentioned the Grant a Wish involvement with Sears, and also how his grandfather inspired him and gave him a gift of his first turntable and in turn, his voice.

You can hear about it here at Sears.com. I like learning about what inspires people, and the roots of a person's success, where it stems from.

I like that Sears is going this too.

As a kid going shopping was an ordeal for me and my family, a big deal, a unique one, and a special one, it didn't come often. I also remember going to Sears, and feeling so happy standing with my Mother at the checkout line with a few really awesome items that I could show off and wear through out the year. I got my first platform shoes there ( I think they were Candies), and felt so "ready for the day," wearing them in High School.

LL Cool J is also an author, and you can find his book called "LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star" here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

An article on Shape by Vanessa Friedman FT.com

On http://www.deepglamour.net/ the latest article is one about shape and fit and my experience as a fit model inspired me to share this article. I did fit for a teen, tween brand, and I do feel that fashion designers and those in the world of design need to wake up and know that the average girl is short. Yes, without heels, like under 5'5"! Which means her legs are not able to fit in the length of those pants, and the waist and arm length is not fitting and balanced to fit her. If they want to get the sale, the design has to fit and when I shop I hate to also calculate "how much will this cost me to tailor?" It can be a pain in the a**. Enjoy the article and Thanks Vanessa!


Shaper of change for fashion world
By Vanessa Friedman

Published: December 10 2008 02:00 | FT.com

As moments of epiphany go, Janice Wang's seems less than Damascene. "Have you seen a toddler? They're all bums and tums," she says. "But if you look at a mannequin of a toddler, it's a little shrunken adult body, like a little alien. If you're making clothes and using that as the model, it's not going to work."

In recent years, though, the 31-year-old Chinese entrepreneur and chief executive of Alvanon has built a multimillion-dollar business on the back of this observation. Her Hong Kong-based start-up makes mannequins - not the Barbie-like bodies found in department stores, but the forms that are used as the basis for the fashion industry's clothes patterns. With 65 employees and a factory in China, the company expects revenues this year to reach $15m.

The wider significance of Ms Wang's high-precision mannequins, however, has been to slash the time it takes the garment business to get its products from factory to shop floor, while more accurately reflecting contemporary physiques.

In today's mass market fashion business, a relatively small problem between factory and design studio can be time-consuming to resolve. As the garment sector has globalised in the past decade, production has increasingly moved to low-cost countries far from head office. Where a designer or executive could once tell the factory manager down the road why a sleeve needed to be longer, the factory might now be on the other side of the world, and staffed by employees who speak a different language.

Sizing matters. According to a study by Kurt Salmon Associates, the retail consultancy firm, around 85 per cent of customers would return to a brand because of how its clothes fit. This has big implications for the bottom line. Good mannequins on the production line can greatly improve accuracy of fit while reducing the need for designers and samples to travel back and forth for multiple tweaks.

Which begs the question: why did a change not come sooner? "Everyone also thought mannequins were a [craft] business - something you did with your hands, which is to say a niche thing," says Ms Wang, a slight but self-possessed woman. "They had never thought about how you could apply technology to the process."

The garment trade is in her blood. The eldest of five children (she has four brothers) born into a Hong Kong manufacturing family, Ms Wang began cutting swatches and sorting buttons in her early teens before spending summers on the factory and trading floor. The original family business, Sterling Products, had been launched in 1955 by her grandmother, a refugee from the Cultural Revolution, as the Asian partner of an American children's wear company called Mamiye Brothers. Kenneth Wang, Ms Wang's father, later became head of the company and now also chairs the board of Alvanon, Sterling's sister company.

"I always felt manufacturing was a part of me, which is typical of a lot of my peers in Hong Kong," says Ms Wang, "but I could also see that there was a trend towards the manufacturing business getting more and more difficult; the margins were eroding and the competition was getting bigger, and we were working on pennies."

Educated in the UK (at Cheltenham Ladies College) and Hong Kong, she majored in East Asian studies and economics at Barnard College in the US. Her first start-up was Texwatch, a fashion internet business that fell victim to the dotcom crash. She then joined Li & Fung, a sourcing and trading company with revenues of $10bn. Her role was to look at improving company performance.

"It made me realise, first, that everyone has a similar experience and issues," she says. "Second, timing is everything and, third, implementation is hard. It's easy to identify problems; difficult to fix them. But the problems this company had were not that dissimilar from my father's problems, so I realised if I could create a product that would address some of them, it wouldn't necessarily require much, but would have a major impact."

It was here that she conceived Alvanon, named after Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor, which she founded with seed funding from her father in 2002.

The idea was simple: create anatomically accurate mannequins using three-dimensional scanners. Ms Wang says that potential clients initially balked at both her youth and the product's expense - the mannequins cost an average of $15,000 more than the ones previously in use - and in the first year revenues were under $100,000. But the turning point lay in the realisation that the company could demonstrate that proper sizing gave its clients a significant marketing edge.

Early converts were brands such as Liz Claiborne and Target, and the company now lists almost all the big mass-market brands as clients, including Boden, Debenhams, Disney and Nike. In six years Ms Wang's factory has grown from 1,000 sq ft to 15,000-20,000 sq ft, and her business has expanded at a rate of 35 per cent a year. She also diversified into consulting, after clients began asking her questions such as: "I need to target 18-30 year olds on the East Coast of the US; what should my ideal shape be? Larger in the hips or smaller on the legs?"

It is this, Ms Wang says, that defines the niche she has created: her company is attempting not only to make mannequins, but to provide any service related to size issues, including questions of inventory and stock planning.

It is also why she is increasingly looking to the world of luxury for growth. As China becomes the new promised land, companies are grappling with creating well-fitting clothes for the smaller bodies of Asian consumers.

To this end Alvanon recently scanned the bodies of 32,000 Chinese consumers: when the results are compiled Ms Wang should be able to tell a client brand if there is any point in it, say, shipping extra-large sizes, not extra-smalls, to the Beijing store, and how many size 6s it will need to maximise sales.

"Executives often know the answers to stuff intuitively," she says, "but if you're putting money into product development, you want proof. It's not enough just to go out into the malls and look. You need numbers."

Hasty decision to diversify that taught a lesson in simplicity

Janice Wang, founder of Alvanon, says her biggest mistake was trying to diversify too quickly.

From 2002 she spent two years trying to follow up her initial success with fashion mannequins by marketing a computer programme that would enable companies to model the way a garment would look on a body in three dimensions.

In theory this would allow brand owners and manufacturers to make virtual changes in real time, eliminating the time and cost of shipping samples. In reality, no one wanted it, Ms Wang says.

"First, it was very slow - we were pushing 15 megabytes back and forth, and the bandwidth was not powerful enough. That has changed now, but it was too early."

A more fundamental problem emerged, however. "The biggest hurdle was people's habits," Ms Wang continues. "If you say to a company, 'You can have this mannequin in two weeks, and it will cut your costs now, or this technology that won't really be ready for two years and then you will have to retrain everyone' - what do you think they'll pick? It really taught me the importance of focusing on implementation, not just ideas, and that you should never be afraid to start with the most obvious solution."

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

USB flash drive and Modeling photo shoot files

Today I had trouble burning a CD, so I thought, " how the heck am I going to get these photos to the person I wanted to send them too?" And then I thought of technology advances. The USB Flash storage device. It's a little shorter than my forefinger but it can hold a lot of images and files on it, and it is small and compact and easy to carry, you could put it on your keychain, and doesn't cost much to mail.

It made me think of another scenario, what if a model was at a modeling job or test shoot and asked, "can you just put the photos on the USB," instead of asking for a CD, would this be a good idea?

Well I have a couple thoughts on the good and bad of it:

1. The good. You can hold sometimes more images than a CD could hold on a USB, this means you can get all you need right there hopefully the day of your shoot. And a USB is a very quick transfer; you can transfer jpegs to it quicker than a CD can capture them.

2. The Bad. When you do get to a computer you can upload them, but then what if your computer crashes and you lose the images? Then the pain in the ass of having to plan a time to meet the photographer to have the photos scanned again on your USB, is only the small issue, the big issue is, "we are relying too much on technology."

Yes I see the USB as a nice tool.

But not the end all. I do not think it replaces having a portfolio and an aspiring model should have one. Just the other day I had to mail my portfolio to a showroom to get a modeling job booked, the art director wanted to see how I looked in print, not just a jpeg.

I think a even with a USB you will need to go back to the CD one day, and it is smart if you do. Having a catalog of your work should not be ONLY kept on your computer files; you should burn your images on a CD. Yes CD's can wear and tear over the years, but relying on your hard drive can be a risk you might not want to take casually. Also what if you lose the files on it and you did not have a back up. Too bad for you!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Shoot went well today

Shoot went well today. Quick. I worked with a male model who had been modeling for over 20 years and still doing it. I enjoy meeting people who have been in the business for more than 5 years and show that modeling is not something with a time limit.

Alot of it has to do with you wanting to do it, do it in the right ways and your own will.

petite models

A shorter model can model, but she has to be savvy, smart, realistic and marketable.

isobella

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Monday Hand Modeling

Hand modeling Monday. For a cooking magazine. I will need a no polish manicure and I plan to get the morning of the shoot or the evening before. For shoots involving getting manicures and pedicures usually the client ( magazine, brand, ect) will comp you for the manicure or pedicure if you have your receipt. My job Monday is comping me up to $30. So basically I give my agency the recept and then when they are billed I get paid back what I spent.

Putting together a new compcard soon. A commercial card and also a parts card. By the New Year.

Putting together some shoots for body parts ( behind, hands, legs) and also involving jewerly and now that my hair is longer: hair styles.


Enjoy this video of my hands holding one of my favorite obessions:

Advertising: Magazine Covers are now Ads?

I am confused. I bought a copy of British Vogue. Excited to read it with Kate Moss on the cover looking stunning in a Dior dress. The headline on the cover read " fashion & fantasy Kate Moss in Dior Couture." I flipped through the whole magazine. Couldn’t find the editorial. Frustrated I asked my boyfriend, " can you find this editorial for me!??" He graced every single page. He couldn't find it.

Then we came to the conclusion. There was no editorial. We opened the cover pages to reveal a folded sleeve, that was just the front cover sleeve which was the editorial we were looking for….or was it a Dior ad?

Either way it was a hot photo and well produced, love the dress and Kate looked beautiful, but I wonder...are more covers going to become ads?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Myself is Full of Models and Musicians

Do you notice how Myspace is full of models and musicians? Ever since a few talented musicans, have gained buzz from Myspace it seemed each day I welcome 5-10 more musicians as my friends on Myspace from daily friend requests. They all basically have the same message, “ I am trying to grow my fan base in hopes you might like my music.” It is sincere, sweet, not pushy…some of the music does sound pretty good. Although I do not think Myspace is where the marketing starts or ends for a dreamer. It takes a lot more self promotion than just a Myspace page. Growing a fan base, and sharing information about concerts, events, and such is great, but promotion should not end on Myspace for any dreamer, or small business. The work of both social media and also personal face to face promotion go hand in hand, both can not be neglected, but should not be relied on solely.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Modeling Just for Men-Or for you?



I don't model for men. I don't care about being the hottest thing on the internet. That is not my goal. ( I have bigger goals than just that)


So many girls just model for the showing off factor. For the feeling hot factor, and modeling to them is targeted more for men to moan than towards working with brands and REALLY modeling. Tomorrow on Model Talk Radio I will be talking about how a girl can start marketing herself to agencies, magazines, and brands, and be more of a model, if she wants to. It doesn't come down to someone else thinking you can, calling you hot, ect, it comes down to YOU wanting more, and making it happen.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Remember before the internet

I don't remember being in school and growing up with the internet. I don't. We might think we grew up with it but generation Y did not really.

I don't remember using my computer until college daily. In 2000.

My sister though, three years younger had a laptop in high school. I missed out on that.

I could never imagined counting my rankings on Google or the hits on my blog and podcast radio show. I could never imagine downloading a photo. The birth of the internet meant a "photo exchange" on AOL, not an open port of everyone and anyone and people revealing themselves so naturally and without shame.

A lot of what we are defined by is based on the internet. I was thinking, what if the internet got turned off. What if it was no more, maybe the satellites stopped working or phone lines? I am on the internet several, if not more hours each day.

It is my research tool.

I think about the writing I do, and the freelance work I have done writing and if the internet got turned off, how would I have those credits. Our lives have become so reliant on the internet, for even our resumes. I am so dependant on it.

Remember before the internet, we never imagined needing it, and now it is such a huge part of our lives and we cant imagine being without it.

Being a Model takes more than your hot pose

Modeling is not about posing and being hot, or how many hits or clicks a Myspace account gets, to model when you are shorter involves WORK. Alot of it..which is why you do not see many short models out there. Many girls that are short accept that they can't be more than a glamour model, or they simply do not try to be more.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Back from Rome! 'Beauty on Every corner"

Rome was a blast. I haven't worn flat shoes, sneakers basically, for four days in a row, all day, for a very long time, but it was totally worth it.

What can be said for Rome?

"Beauty on every corner."

I love being where history is.

The Metro was pretty easy to figure out and by day two we had the city mapped and
knew it without asking locals for help.

We watched a guy the train almost get picked pocketed.

We had to see Vatican City twice, it was so good. I was anxious to walk down the golden halls and gallery of maps again. The sight of the Sistine Chapel will blow you away.

Saw Castel S. Angelo, the Pantheon, and Spanish Steps.

Got yelled at by an old lady for kissing my boyfriend in a church in the Piazza Navona. The very first thing we saw was the Colosseum, it is such a weird feeling, eyes open wide, thinking of how many people were killed there and just how many people in general who have been there and how the Colosseum still stands.

Ate so much pasta.

I will have some pics up soon.