There is much talk about newspapers becoming more web based, and charging people to read the news online, and print going gone in the near future. I read the WSJ(sent to the apartment), and I do but the NYPOST and Daily News often. I do visit news websites and for my own marketing I do read the news online every day as well. I am always reading the news. However internet reading inspires me to think of internet casting.
How should model casting sites work? Should they cost money per submission? Should internet casting sites such as Backstage.com, NYcastings.com, Actorsaccess.com charge monthly or yearly, or by per submission you make?
Also is the casting director suffering because the online casting systems? In the future are major brands going to go to top agencies to find models like they always have? Or will bigger brands and magazines be casting online more often since more people are within the online social scene?
I find there is a lack of seriousness with an online casting. It brings questions, is this legit, will I get paid, who is the production company? Who is the director? And you really have to self manage well because there are many scams out there.
Craigslist.com in the Gigs/Talent section and TV/Film you can find some decent things but only if you know how to weed out the bullcrap, scams, jerks, or worse.
However when a girl wants to be a model, she goes to the web. Most of these girls are shorter and do not think a modeling agency will work with them, so they start to try to self manage. It can be good using online casting systems, but it can also be risky, and not-so-good-at-all.
I still strongly feel the in person agent, and the mailing photos to modeling agencies, and to get an agent calling you about a casting, or emailing you about a casting is the best way. Therefore you know that the casting, audition, booking, modeling job, is coming from a legit source. An art director called the agency and the agent thought of you. Not just some random music video job you found on an online casting system and you are wondering if the location in a warehouse in Williamsburg is legit.
However even while working with good agencies I have found myself walking down some sketchy streets sometimes for castings. So it is really an interesting topic because you need to work with the top agencies to get the bigger jobs currently, but to get the agency you sometimes need some experince to prove you can model so you use a casting site and you have to self manage, which can be hard for new aspiring models to handle.
Online castings flood the web and many of them are not good sources. I personally do not online castings are 100% reliable, however maybe once in awhile you will find a good gig. Typically it is not professional work that will impress a modeling agent or get you more work. It takes a good eye and experience to know what is professional.
I think a girl still needs a physical hardcopy compcard, and a headshot. To think online portfolios are enough to get ahead is the wrong mindset. You need a compcard, you should still mail it in the postal mail to agencies, you should basically be buying stamps and using them. That is how I have booked work with top brands. By working with legit, well known agencies and I got to work with them by mailed submissions.
When it comes to using online casting systems: Ask questions if you are not confident about the jobs intentions and what it will involve, do not be desperate to call yourself a model, and ask yourself always "how will this job help me to get where I want to go?" Do not just do a modelig job because you are bored today or because you are desperate. DO Good work, work with good people, because THAT is how you get ahead. Your portfolio will speak for itself and the quality photos will stand out.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Do you read a book or a Kindle?
This morning I spoke on Media Bistro Radio about book marketing, my own publishing experience, and the Kindle.
I mentioned how I am not going to buy one, it isn't my style of personal reading. I mean what if I drop my Kindle, then I just broke my book. I want to hold a print bound book in my hand, however I think ebooks can be good for pre print book marketing and promotion, -I mentioned on the radio interview how an ebook available for a certain amount of time at a certain price could be good for pre-print book sales, marketing and public awareness, also to enhance the later print book sales.
Also technology is in right now, and social media so if you can entwine social media with your book promotion all the better! However I do not get as excited as an author about an ebook as I do about a print book in my hand.
Do you think the Kindle will succeed?
Let's go on the subway and observe: What I see is no one reading a Kindle. Everyone is elbow to elbow stretching newspapers as much as possible and eyes on print news.
Maybe the Kindle population is taking a cab?
NO one I know is reading on a gadget. Some are not reading at all, or only reading blogs. Maybe it is the price of the Kindle?
The Kindle is not cheap. I do think kids, teens, High School students would be a good market for the Kindle but $150 bucks is a lot for a parent these days, and a teenagers income working part time can't afford it. However I think more kids,teens, High School students, might read more if it was on a gadget because technology is their world. Kids would read more maybe if it was being read on a gadget.
I also think Hospitals should try to get a few Kindles, so that patients can read them while sick or being treated or recovering after giving birth, maybe the Kindle people could do a promotion by donating a few to hospitals.
I mentioned how I am not going to buy one, it isn't my style of personal reading. I mean what if I drop my Kindle, then I just broke my book. I want to hold a print bound book in my hand, however I think ebooks can be good for pre print book marketing and promotion, -I mentioned on the radio interview how an ebook available for a certain amount of time at a certain price could be good for pre-print book sales, marketing and public awareness, also to enhance the later print book sales.
Also technology is in right now, and social media so if you can entwine social media with your book promotion all the better! However I do not get as excited as an author about an ebook as I do about a print book in my hand.
Do you think the Kindle will succeed?
Let's go on the subway and observe: What I see is no one reading a Kindle. Everyone is elbow to elbow stretching newspapers as much as possible and eyes on print news.
Maybe the Kindle population is taking a cab?
NO one I know is reading on a gadget. Some are not reading at all, or only reading blogs. Maybe it is the price of the Kindle?
The Kindle is not cheap. I do think kids, teens, High School students would be a good market for the Kindle but $150 bucks is a lot for a parent these days, and a teenagers income working part time can't afford it. However I think more kids,teens, High School students, might read more if it was on a gadget because technology is their world. Kids would read more maybe if it was being read on a gadget.
I also think Hospitals should try to get a few Kindles, so that patients can read them while sick or being treated or recovering after giving birth, maybe the Kindle people could do a promotion by donating a few to hospitals.
Isobella Jade on Media Bistro Radio on Book Marketing
This morning I will be speaking on Media Bistro Radio about book marketing and if you want to tune in click this link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mediabistro/2009/02/26/Morning-Media-Menu
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mediabistro/2009/02/26/Morning-Media-Menu
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
America's Next Top Shorty in NYC
This is a date that you can try to make to try out in person to be on the show, if you want. Sure you can wear your highest heels, but you don't have to, this is a casting for the short girls. However I would mail your photo and DVD video like I mentioned a few posts below or bring a copy with you because you might be able to leave it for the casting director, and be aware there will most likely be a massive, massive line. Get there at like 9 am with coffee in hand. Maybe even 8:30 am. Or 8am.
Submission information here:
http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/topmodel-cycle13-Casting
*New York
Saturday, March 14th
10:00am to 3:00pm
Park Central New York
870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
The Casting Director will be in attendance.
Remember no matter what that shorter girls can find modeling opportunities in print modeling, parts modeling and within commercials and so much more, yet it is all about how you market yourself and how hard you work.
Submission information here:
http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/topmodel-cycle13-Casting
*New York
Saturday, March 14th
10:00am to 3:00pm
Park Central New York
870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
The Casting Director will be in attendance.
Remember no matter what that shorter girls can find modeling opportunities in print modeling, parts modeling and within commercials and so much more, yet it is all about how you market yourself and how hard you work.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
High heels Make Short Girls Happy
These are some damn hot shoes. I am wearing these when I really need to get something done. Enjoy the video.
Modeling Tearsheet really means tear the sheet
Here is a video I made on making a tearsheet for your portfolio. You really pull out the magazine page, you tear-the-sheet of paper.
Monday, February 23, 2009
America's Next Top Model Casts Short Models
To my shorty's: ANTM is casting short girls cycle 13:
I have written over 706 posts on being a petite model on my modeling blogs, made over 50 videos on Youtube, and my podcast radio show has been listened to and downloaded over 331,016 times, and I hope my insight based on my experiences as a petite model have inspired you. I found out tonight about America's Next Top Model is Casting Shorter Models for the next cycle 13. I wanted to share the information with you. However I hope you find always within you the real power to being who you want to be, and the hard work, the real research and trying it takes to overcome the odds. If you do get the chance to try out, and I hope you do, but remember as a shorter model, it is our personality that has to shine through in the industry, not to make up for our lack of height, but because we are not defined by height and inches. Print models come in all sizes and shapes, this is not something new that America's Next Top Model is introducing, it is nice however that they are letting it be known that models are not all tall.
This is info about the Open calls:
http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/topmodel-cycle13-Casting
Here is how to submit to the show:
http://www.cwtv.com/images/topmodel/antm_cycle13_eligibility.pdf
I personally suggest mailing a DVD of yourself no matter what. Or bringing it to the open call.
I have written over 706 posts on being a petite model on my modeling blogs, made over 50 videos on Youtube, and my podcast radio show has been listened to and downloaded over 331,016 times, and I hope my insight based on my experiences as a petite model have inspired you. I found out tonight about America's Next Top Model is Casting Shorter Models for the next cycle 13. I wanted to share the information with you. However I hope you find always within you the real power to being who you want to be, and the hard work, the real research and trying it takes to overcome the odds. If you do get the chance to try out, and I hope you do, but remember as a shorter model, it is our personality that has to shine through in the industry, not to make up for our lack of height, but because we are not defined by height and inches. Print models come in all sizes and shapes, this is not something new that America's Next Top Model is introducing, it is nice however that they are letting it be known that models are not all tall.
This is info about the Open calls:
http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/topmodel-cycle13-Casting
Here is how to submit to the show:
http://www.cwtv.com/images/topmodel/antm_cycle13_eligibility.pdf
I personally suggest mailing a DVD of yourself no matter what. Or bringing it to the open call.
Get Press on your Small Business
Isobella shares how to get press on your small business without a publicist.
(Turn down the radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
(Turn down the radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
How Google can help your marketing
I share in this video how Google can help your marketing as a small business. And how to beef up your Google stats. How to use Google as a marketing tool and how cross marketing your social media can enhance your Google search ratings. My radio show gets 6,000-10,000 downloads a week and most of them are coming from Google search results and people finding me through Google:
(Turn down my radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
(Turn down my radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
How to get a book publisher for underdog authors
This is a video where I share how to get a publisher and market your book yourself and the hustle it involves:
(Turn down the radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
(Turn down the radio show on the right side of blog to hear it loud and clear.)
Oscar wins, is it the message or the talent?
I am upset Mickey didn't win. I stayed up waiting for it, and my thoughts are:
Were the wins based on The Message, or the Talent of the actor. I for one think the word actress has changed just like the word model, but it is obvious to see and know who is really talented, and who is just a pretty girl/person singing, dancing, and saying some lines.
I don't care if the The Wrestler was a role that Mickey's own life can relate to, it was a role that Sean Penn could not ever do, and I do not think any other actor could have and I feel he should have won.
I was happy Penelope won, I love her work, and her speech involving keeping the arts alive was very well said.
Slumdog Millionaire won many awards, but notice how the actors were not up for anything? This film was most likely a winner because of the message, not as much the acting perhaps???, idk I haven't seen it yet.
I like when credit is also acknowledged at award shows for the areas of production - so often people forget that the director and sound people and people beyond the beautiful actors,-and it was interesting to hear and see the winners of the areas Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Sound Editing, also and the speech of Milk's screenplay writer Dustin Lance Black was very hopeful.
Now that I would like to bring my book to a film I am noticing more and more who the screen writers are, and directors, and all the people involved, not just the actors, and I think many in society forget that it takes more than the "beautiful star" to make the film look beautiful.
I still think Mickey should have won, he did in my mind.
Were the wins based on The Message, or the Talent of the actor. I for one think the word actress has changed just like the word model, but it is obvious to see and know who is really talented, and who is just a pretty girl/person singing, dancing, and saying some lines.
I don't care if the The Wrestler was a role that Mickey's own life can relate to, it was a role that Sean Penn could not ever do, and I do not think any other actor could have and I feel he should have won.
I was happy Penelope won, I love her work, and her speech involving keeping the arts alive was very well said.
Slumdog Millionaire won many awards, but notice how the actors were not up for anything? This film was most likely a winner because of the message, not as much the acting perhaps???, idk I haven't seen it yet.
I like when credit is also acknowledged at award shows for the areas of production - so often people forget that the director and sound people and people beyond the beautiful actors,-and it was interesting to hear and see the winners of the areas Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Sound Editing, also and the speech of Milk's screenplay writer Dustin Lance Black was very hopeful.
Now that I would like to bring my book to a film I am noticing more and more who the screen writers are, and directors, and all the people involved, not just the actors, and I think many in society forget that it takes more than the "beautiful star" to make the film look beautiful.
I still think Mickey should have won, he did in my mind.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Reader and Changeling still on my mind
Instead of going out for drinks my friend and I saw The Reader, it was really very good. Intense. Very beautiful, the dark dreary mood was well created and sad, and overall the film was so good that you really don't have to see it again, (sorry to DVD sales), but it is one of those films that you just won't forget, and that sinks deep in your mind that you will keep it in you.
Besides the first part of the film being based on the love affair between Michael and Hanna, ( I liked the scene of her putting on stockings and the bath,)
the shame that Hanna had because she couldn't read stayed on my mind afterwards, the shame was so strong that it even lead her to a longer sentence in jail,and I especially loved how Michael read aloud and recorded himself on cassettes and mailed her many collections of them while she was in jail and getting older, and teaching herself how to read while listening to him speak on the cassettes and counting which word he spoke could equal the written word, soon she could write. Not well but the whole movie was really impressive, not what I expected and it was also cool to see a film that involved reading.
I wasn't trying to write a film review, just really still have it on my mind.
Also yesterday during the day with my bf we watched Changeling with Angelina Jolie, and I told my bf I would have done the same as her character, hunting, and not giving up, and I do believe in having to see something to believe it, it would be very hard to believe a child was really gone without having that final closure. For a moment I thought it was a horror film, (some parts made me walk away, shut my eyes, go to get a drink so I couldn't watch.)because the side story about man the child encountered was really shocking, and it is a true story.
Both films want to make you research the characters in the film and know more about what happened to Michael, and Christine.
It was sort of a dark movie day for sure but in a good way.
Besides the first part of the film being based on the love affair between Michael and Hanna, ( I liked the scene of her putting on stockings and the bath,)
the shame that Hanna had because she couldn't read stayed on my mind afterwards, the shame was so strong that it even lead her to a longer sentence in jail,and I especially loved how Michael read aloud and recorded himself on cassettes and mailed her many collections of them while she was in jail and getting older, and teaching herself how to read while listening to him speak on the cassettes and counting which word he spoke could equal the written word, soon she could write. Not well but the whole movie was really impressive, not what I expected and it was also cool to see a film that involved reading.
I wasn't trying to write a film review, just really still have it on my mind.
Also yesterday during the day with my bf we watched Changeling with Angelina Jolie, and I told my bf I would have done the same as her character, hunting, and not giving up, and I do believe in having to see something to believe it, it would be very hard to believe a child was really gone without having that final closure. For a moment I thought it was a horror film, (some parts made me walk away, shut my eyes, go to get a drink so I couldn't watch.)because the side story about man the child encountered was really shocking, and it is a true story.
Both films want to make you research the characters in the film and know more about what happened to Michael, and Christine.
It was sort of a dark movie day for sure but in a good way.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I got a call to be Latina Top Model but..
I got a call today to be on Latina Top Model. Except I am not Latina. The lady on the phone said that she read somewhere that I was Latina? I told her I did a music video for Univision ( here it is) and I have gotten experiences to portray a latina but that I am honestly Italian and German. She asked " so there is no Latina at all in you?"
Nope.
She asked if I knew any Latinas? I said no but then hung up and remembered a few and sent some emails out to the Latina I knew. Who knows.
One girl wrote me back and said Thanks and I told her, "just remember reality shows are not typically going to make you a life as a model forever, or give you a famous lifestyle, and to remember many people who are involved with reality shows do not really end up anywhere afterwards because it is up to you about how you go about what you want, and let each opportunity lead to the next."
Well, I am not into reality TV too much, although I have thought of my own modeling show for models of ALL heights...it is on the list of things to pursue before I turn 30 but right now honestly I do not watch TV or reality TV and most people on these shows are freaks. But if this chick wins it, I will be proud that I told her about it anyways.
Reality shows like Home Makeover is a well done presentation of reality tv should be, but many of the others are real crap. So we'll see how this one does. Hopefully the winners of the contest won't end up basically with just a year of "something" and then "nothing" in the end.
Nope.
She asked if I knew any Latinas? I said no but then hung up and remembered a few and sent some emails out to the Latina I knew. Who knows.
One girl wrote me back and said Thanks and I told her, "just remember reality shows are not typically going to make you a life as a model forever, or give you a famous lifestyle, and to remember many people who are involved with reality shows do not really end up anywhere afterwards because it is up to you about how you go about what you want, and let each opportunity lead to the next."
Well, I am not into reality TV too much, although I have thought of my own modeling show for models of ALL heights...it is on the list of things to pursue before I turn 30 but right now honestly I do not watch TV or reality TV and most people on these shows are freaks. But if this chick wins it, I will be proud that I told her about it anyways.
Reality shows like Home Makeover is a well done presentation of reality tv should be, but many of the others are real crap. So we'll see how this one does. Hopefully the winners of the contest won't end up basically with just a year of "something" and then "nothing" in the end.
When I busted my ass
What I am watching: Country music videos, I just love the stories in country music.. I really do, I dance and get really into it. There is this guy his name is Bucky. Not joking! Bucky Covington. "It was a different life when we were boys and girls.."
Also alot of country music is humble, and positive, just happy to have my truck and everything is fine sort-of-stuff.. I dig it, even though I don't have a drivers licence.
What I am eating: Chicken wings! so Happy!
My current obsession is: curling my eyelashes.
What I am rolling my eyes at: any chick that is half ass'ing herself when she should know she is worth more than that.
What I am laughing at: When I busted my ass and trip on Wall St in my heels this week.
Also alot of country music is humble, and positive, just happy to have my truck and everything is fine sort-of-stuff.. I dig it, even though I don't have a drivers licence.
What I am eating: Chicken wings! so Happy!
My current obsession is: curling my eyelashes.
What I am rolling my eyes at: any chick that is half ass'ing herself when she should know she is worth more than that.
What I am laughing at: When I busted my ass and trip on Wall St in my heels this week.
How PR helped me as a Model
Many people tell me that I have strong pr skills. I think it comes from being the underdog. Having to create, seek and chase what I wanted. Find away, make it happen, and discover the opportunities out there if you take a chance on yourself.
Any small business owner can relate. Having a small business is like being a model. Having a product and trying to sell it is the same mentality as being a model and trying to get modeling work, an agent, and make money doing so.
A designer seeks a store to purchase their product and sell it. A model seeks an agent. The way we both market ourselves can lead to the opportunities we seek.
My pr skills really come from a desire to beat the odds. My pr skills have helped me as a model, and also understand the business from a marketing perspective.
Knowing myself, and how to market it, is the same for a designer or small business owner, knowing their product or service and trying to market it.
Not being afraid to try. To mail, to email, to research and ask, has always helped me.
I approach people all the time with my self. Whether it is an idea for an editorial, or a pitch to a brand or agency I want to work with, it comes down to self-want.
I believe that chasing what you want, putting in the effort, and simply trying is a HUGE part of becoming. I don't know the short cut, the hand-it-me-approach. I never had someone come up to me with the answer, or hand me an opportunity, I had to find it, make the most out of it, and if I failed...get up and try again.
Any small business owner can relate. Having a small business is like being a model. Having a product and trying to sell it is the same mentality as being a model and trying to get modeling work, an agent, and make money doing so.
A designer seeks a store to purchase their product and sell it. A model seeks an agent. The way we both market ourselves can lead to the opportunities we seek.
My pr skills really come from a desire to beat the odds. My pr skills have helped me as a model, and also understand the business from a marketing perspective.
Knowing myself, and how to market it, is the same for a designer or small business owner, knowing their product or service and trying to market it.
Not being afraid to try. To mail, to email, to research and ask, has always helped me.
I approach people all the time with my self. Whether it is an idea for an editorial, or a pitch to a brand or agency I want to work with, it comes down to self-want.
I believe that chasing what you want, putting in the effort, and simply trying is a HUGE part of becoming. I don't know the short cut, the hand-it-me-approach. I never had someone come up to me with the answer, or hand me an opportunity, I had to find it, make the most out of it, and if I failed...get up and try again.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How Levi's can turn around women's jeans
I like Levi's. I think they can turn around their women jeans. If you have walked into a Levi store recently then you might have noticed the new appeal of the brand, the Times Square store is a hit, and the one across from Bloomingdales is always busy. I have a few pairs, ones I have recently purchased, although I think the brand needs a little help.
When you walk into the store 50% is men, and 50% is for women, which I think is a big bad idea. This brings me to in-store space issues and the problems of introducing the women's collection with half of the store women's so quickly. No one I know wears Levi's much if at all. None of my female friends do.
I understand that the target audience of a Levi female customer is not most likely right now the most fashion forward girl, but then again from the Levi ads and commercials you see this sex appeal implied for a younger audience that is fashion forward. This is an issue for Levi. Because if a girl goes to the Levi store with her boyfriend, she might look around and notice a cute item or two, but does she buy it? Nope. Not typically. I think Levi made a mistake with bringing in so much of the female item too soon without considering that the customer doesn't want a mom-jean. Overall I think introducing the female line so aggressively was wrong, they should have made it a gradual introduction, not a full force matter.
The next issues are design and fit.
The design of the jeans need help. And if they want that female customer, they need to produce some more fashion forward designs. I am not talking about becoming a Lucky Jean, selling out to True Religion or being bought by a company like that, I am saying the brand can compete, but needs an update that still keep their image real. The big problem is cut of the jeans is naturally big, wide, but not in a way that compliments curves, instead it makes you look bigger, not more alluring, which doesn't make a woman feel comfortable. I wear a very small size, such as a zero or a size 24 jeans, but yet when I put on a Levi all I can find is a size 25. Which is too big. Also the length is too long.
I do not think the brand should lose it's roots of being the guy next door jean, and the tough and lasting appeal of the texture of the fabric is right on. But being a girl next door jean is a tough one for them. Despite that the jeans are basically affordable- But I will say a very nice blazer I saw for a female was priced WAYYYYY too high for an introduction of more clothing items at a Levi store for women. It went down at Christmas season I think 40% off but it was still too high. For jeans, right now Levi does not have the image yet to be a $100 or more jean. But they try to be. A few styles are over 90 bucks. I will admit I have a pair. Although I do not turn to them often enough. Apart of me feels paying over 60 for a Levi is nuts, but actually it isn't. Girls spend wayyy more on jeans. Or have in the past. Maybe girls won't be shopping as much for expensive jeans, but maybe this is the perfect time for Levi to pick up their game and present, represent and create a better female jean between 60-100 bucks that a girl who is 17 and 27 and 37 can go to.
This makes me think about why a female picks a jean, it is a comfort, a good feeling, a confidence when slidinghem over our hips ( or me my hip bone), but Levi doesn't give me this feeling yet. I do believe in them though. They can change.
If Levi wants to get that female buyer in the store, not just looking but buying. If they want the dressing rooms active and females wearing the red tag on their jeans, they need to fix the design, and keep the prices under $100 and think about the women who have curves, but who are not wearing fanny-pack.
I like Levi, I have an awesome pair of skinny dark purple jeans which I love and wear often, but they are not my favorite pair yet.
When you walk into the store 50% is men, and 50% is for women, which I think is a big bad idea. This brings me to in-store space issues and the problems of introducing the women's collection with half of the store women's so quickly. No one I know wears Levi's much if at all. None of my female friends do.
I understand that the target audience of a Levi female customer is not most likely right now the most fashion forward girl, but then again from the Levi ads and commercials you see this sex appeal implied for a younger audience that is fashion forward. This is an issue for Levi. Because if a girl goes to the Levi store with her boyfriend, she might look around and notice a cute item or two, but does she buy it? Nope. Not typically. I think Levi made a mistake with bringing in so much of the female item too soon without considering that the customer doesn't want a mom-jean. Overall I think introducing the female line so aggressively was wrong, they should have made it a gradual introduction, not a full force matter.
The next issues are design and fit.
The design of the jeans need help. And if they want that female customer, they need to produce some more fashion forward designs. I am not talking about becoming a Lucky Jean, selling out to True Religion or being bought by a company like that, I am saying the brand can compete, but needs an update that still keep their image real. The big problem is cut of the jeans is naturally big, wide, but not in a way that compliments curves, instead it makes you look bigger, not more alluring, which doesn't make a woman feel comfortable. I wear a very small size, such as a zero or a size 24 jeans, but yet when I put on a Levi all I can find is a size 25. Which is too big. Also the length is too long.
I do not think the brand should lose it's roots of being the guy next door jean, and the tough and lasting appeal of the texture of the fabric is right on. But being a girl next door jean is a tough one for them. Despite that the jeans are basically affordable- But I will say a very nice blazer I saw for a female was priced WAYYYYY too high for an introduction of more clothing items at a Levi store for women. It went down at Christmas season I think 40% off but it was still too high. For jeans, right now Levi does not have the image yet to be a $100 or more jean. But they try to be. A few styles are over 90 bucks. I will admit I have a pair. Although I do not turn to them often enough. Apart of me feels paying over 60 for a Levi is nuts, but actually it isn't. Girls spend wayyy more on jeans. Or have in the past. Maybe girls won't be shopping as much for expensive jeans, but maybe this is the perfect time for Levi to pick up their game and present, represent and create a better female jean between 60-100 bucks that a girl who is 17 and 27 and 37 can go to.
This makes me think about why a female picks a jean, it is a comfort, a good feeling, a confidence when slidinghem over our hips ( or me my hip bone), but Levi doesn't give me this feeling yet. I do believe in them though. They can change.
If Levi wants to get that female buyer in the store, not just looking but buying. If they want the dressing rooms active and females wearing the red tag on their jeans, they need to fix the design, and keep the prices under $100 and think about the women who have curves, but who are not wearing fanny-pack.
I like Levi, I have an awesome pair of skinny dark purple jeans which I love and wear often, but they are not my favorite pair yet.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Liz Claiborne ads have shorter people in them
Have you noticed the Liz Claiborne ads? I noticed in a couple of them there are shorter people/ models used. Of course there is the main model, the girl who is in the center and tall and basically the main character in the scene/shot, but around her is implied as the day-and-the-life in the city and these people are not all tall Giraffes, they are commercial print looking models and actors.
I also notice that the ads show all ethnicities, and sizes. Interesting. Maybe this is Issac Mizrahi’s doing, and you can even see Isaac Mizrahi in the ad, wearing a green bandana! I love bandana's and scarves.
I am not personally a Liz customer yet. I have like ten years until I will hit their 35 Fashion friendly market, but I like the ad.
The Modeling Directory is a little pricey but...
Picked up my check at CESD for hand modeling for Bon Appetit today, then went to Barnes and Noble. I noticed a booklet called Modeling Directory,by the Ross Reports, in the magazine section for Tv and Film publications. AT first I was impressed, like wow, nice a modeling directory to co-side with the casting agents and talent agency listing from the Original Ross Reports which is now called Call Sheet, but the price threw me. $17.95 or something like that! I mean ten is pushing it for a booklet when a person COULD Googling "casting directors + nyc " and find similar results. I do think the Call Sheet is a good handy booklet though, but paying $18 for a modeling directory booklet seems a bit high?
The list however did look legit, there was Click, Cunningham, Parts, Thompson, and plenty more I heard of but I still think a girl can Google and find the same results.
Paying $18 for a booklet can lead a girl to say "screw that!" and just keep being an internet glamour model, but I guess that is her choice, and...her loss. Sometimes paying for tools like these can mean the difference between professional and same old wanna be.
The list however did look legit, there was Click, Cunningham, Parts, Thompson, and plenty more I heard of but I still think a girl can Google and find the same results.
Paying $18 for a booklet can lead a girl to say "screw that!" and just keep being an internet glamour model, but I guess that is her choice, and...her loss. Sometimes paying for tools like these can mean the difference between professional and same old wanna be.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Photographer's on the Web are Crap
Many girls ask me about "finding a photographer."
This seems to be a BIG problem for girls who want to start modeling.
For a girl who is hunting for a photographer looking on the web can lead to scams, trouble, or worse. Recently a girl asked me about foot modeling, aka: shoe modeling and I told her NOT to use the words FOOT modeling when using the web to find a photographer or modeling jobs. It could lead to some fetish crap and some big mistakes.
Mainly Photographers on the web are crap! It is tough for a girl to resolve this issue of finding quality especially when these girls do not have a big budget.
Mmmmm..time and time again I think about starting my own network of photographers. Who are quality. Who are not jerks.
Another thing is that these girls on these modeling social sites (which are also crap), think they need as many photos as possible and that the more naked the better. Wrong! If a girl really digs deep into her dreams she will see that she wants more and should pursue better and respect her goals more. The shot a girl REALLY needs more than any other shot is a headshot, a nice full body shot that shows her personality, smile and energy. A shot that shows a girl laughing in a cute dress (NO FINGER in mouth!) and just being her, is going to help her get the attention of a print modeling agency quicker than her acting like an internet model slut.
It all comes down to perception. What a person wants, how they seek it, and if they do.
I have listed a few quality photographers on the right side of my blogs, and a girl could contact them and pitch herself, idea and buget, but there is a LOT of self serving, pr skills, and hustling a girl has to do to find a quality photographer themselves. Photos for a model are a life line, so a girl needs quality, and should work hard to get it. Modeling is a business of imagry, and whether it is a cell phone ad, or a clothing ad, the girl in the ad, most likely had a quality photo that was submitted to the agency and later lead to that job.
This seems to be a BIG problem for girls who want to start modeling.
For a girl who is hunting for a photographer looking on the web can lead to scams, trouble, or worse. Recently a girl asked me about foot modeling, aka: shoe modeling and I told her NOT to use the words FOOT modeling when using the web to find a photographer or modeling jobs. It could lead to some fetish crap and some big mistakes.
Mainly Photographers on the web are crap! It is tough for a girl to resolve this issue of finding quality especially when these girls do not have a big budget.
Mmmmm..time and time again I think about starting my own network of photographers. Who are quality. Who are not jerks.
Another thing is that these girls on these modeling social sites (which are also crap), think they need as many photos as possible and that the more naked the better. Wrong! If a girl really digs deep into her dreams she will see that she wants more and should pursue better and respect her goals more. The shot a girl REALLY needs more than any other shot is a headshot, a nice full body shot that shows her personality, smile and energy. A shot that shows a girl laughing in a cute dress (NO FINGER in mouth!) and just being her, is going to help her get the attention of a print modeling agency quicker than her acting like an internet model slut.
It all comes down to perception. What a person wants, how they seek it, and if they do.
I have listed a few quality photographers on the right side of my blogs, and a girl could contact them and pitch herself, idea and buget, but there is a LOT of self serving, pr skills, and hustling a girl has to do to find a quality photographer themselves. Photos for a model are a life line, so a girl needs quality, and should work hard to get it. Modeling is a business of imagry, and whether it is a cell phone ad, or a clothing ad, the girl in the ad, most likely had a quality photo that was submitted to the agency and later lead to that job.
Valentine's Day
Haven't written in a couple days, but this blog is not really a diary so there! Valentine's Day was great, the details are a bit too mushy and romantic- I will spare you.
My sister is now in town and we are chilling, heading to a Knicks game tonight!
My sister is now in town and we are chilling, heading to a Knicks game tonight!
Friday, February 13, 2009
How does sales work?- It is a reflex from atmosphere
Isn't it interesting how certain things inspire other things. So your at a museum and see a photography show, and you notice the pretty shoes, then a few minutes later you are thinking about your own shoes and checking the sales. Only to feel broke.
If you look back on your day or life on how things aspired, what did you eat, who did you call or email out of the blue, and if it wasn't for this, that wouldn't have happened.... what inspired it.
I think of this with sales, especially with smaller business owners.
I think about how a cafe owner gets customers/ aka money from the customer thinking mmm maybe I should go to the cafe, and that thought, and action and whatever inspired it is sort of keeping the cafe owners dream alive.
The reflex of our atmosphere could be keeping someone in business.
If you look back on your day or life on how things aspired, what did you eat, who did you call or email out of the blue, and if it wasn't for this, that wouldn't have happened.... what inspired it.
I think of this with sales, especially with smaller business owners.
I think about how a cafe owner gets customers/ aka money from the customer thinking mmm maybe I should go to the cafe, and that thought, and action and whatever inspired it is sort of keeping the cafe owners dream alive.
The reflex of our atmosphere could be keeping someone in business.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Underdog Westminster dog is Stump
Stump won! No really I didn't watch it, but I have been hearing about it in the news and on TV Shows. The little Stump that could. Ten year old Stump. So you might be wondering what is the deal with this dog, well here it is:
The little old dog is from Sussex, he is a spaniel named Stump and he is the oldest winner of the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show, proving that age is just a number baby if you heart is in it.
I think we can learn a thing or two from Stump. Not only is he the little guy but also he show that age has little to do with success: many models have approached me feeling they are too old to model, well, if you put your heart into something, work hard, and pursue giving your all with a strong will to try, you might come out on top like Stump!
Just Google "STUMP" and you will find the underdog winner!
Photo from Wenig/AP.
The Pursuit of My Happiness
Waiting and waiting and waiting sucks. Persistence, and patients hate each other but both are needed in so many ways lately.
A response!
An email.
An Answer? Or another questionable state?
Check the mail, is it for me, a check or another bank statement?
The phone rings, who could it be, most people email me.
A chance, a risk, a dream, another day.
A response!
An email.
An Answer? Or another questionable state?
Check the mail, is it for me, a check or another bank statement?
The phone rings, who could it be, most people email me.
A chance, a risk, a dream, another day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
saving money on shoes by re-newing them
Off to the shoe cobbler, getting my shoes fixed again. I think it is a money saver to visit your shoes at the cobbler and I do almost weekly to fix a new pair of shoes, wearing them feels like new again and I will admit I do get excited from the new lifts and polish. I have this amazing pair of dark navy blue heels from Stuart Weitzman and a pair of really cute booties from Nina shoes that I do not plan on EVER trashing.
Glamour Models vs Fashion Models
I honestly don't get all hyped over either of these types of models, but these are my thoughts:
Glamour Models have fake nails.
Fashion Models have barely any nails from biting them.
Glamour Models have very thin eye-brows.
Fashion Models have thicker eye-brows.
Glamour Models have highlights and hair extensions and bring their own can of hairspray.
Fashion Models have no product in their hair before they get to the job at Vogue.
Glamour Models have glitter cream in their bags.
Fashion Models only wear that stuff on Halloween.
Glamour Models come over expecting lunch and maybe dinner and drinks after.
Fashion Models don't want to eat as much as they hope to get that Prada bag after the shoot.
Glamour Models come makeup ready and carry their own makeup kit just incase the makeup artist doesn't show for touch-ups.
Fashion Models do not wear makeup unless they are on the job.
Glamour Models can perfect putting on thigh-highs.
The Fashion Model ripped it already.
The Glamour and fashion model war is based on how the word model has changed since the internet and how any girl can call herself a model. Yet no matter what type of model you are, unless you have modeled for something, been hired to model something, you have not modeled.
Glamour Models have fake nails.
Fashion Models have barely any nails from biting them.
Glamour Models have very thin eye-brows.
Fashion Models have thicker eye-brows.
Glamour Models have highlights and hair extensions and bring their own can of hairspray.
Fashion Models have no product in their hair before they get to the job at Vogue.
Glamour Models have glitter cream in their bags.
Fashion Models only wear that stuff on Halloween.
Glamour Models come over expecting lunch and maybe dinner and drinks after.
Fashion Models don't want to eat as much as they hope to get that Prada bag after the shoot.
Glamour Models come makeup ready and carry their own makeup kit just incase the makeup artist doesn't show for touch-ups.
Fashion Models do not wear makeup unless they are on the job.
Glamour Models can perfect putting on thigh-highs.
The Fashion Model ripped it already.
The Glamour and fashion model war is based on how the word model has changed since the internet and how any girl can call herself a model. Yet no matter what type of model you are, unless you have modeled for something, been hired to model something, you have not modeled.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Top Nude Photography Books in my apartment
On my shelf there is 4 Inches, a great book of nudes and a must-see for any aspiring model who is interested in using her body within her work. If you love shoes, you will like this book. It features beautiful women wearing Jimmy Choo shoes and Cartier jewels, beautiful. I wish I was in this book.
Also another book for keeps is Sports Illustrated Knockouts, this is a history of the bikini-only many of the models are semi-nude. A wonderful book.
Don't forget Sports Illustrated: In the Paint, hot!
A petite size photography book by Sante D'orazio,: A Private View, this is a beautiful diary like photo collection that will stimulate your creative senses.
Also another book for keeps is Sports Illustrated Knockouts, this is a history of the bikini-only many of the models are semi-nude. A wonderful book.
Don't forget Sports Illustrated: In the Paint, hot!
A petite size photography book by Sante D'orazio,: A Private View, this is a beautiful diary like photo collection that will stimulate your creative senses.
Is my social media against me?
I am so upset at my social media tools. They are free so what can you expect but lately I am getting really upset.
1. Myspace. I am phished every single time I sign in, which means I can not post on the blog there, I can not reply to messages or accept my friend requests without having to change my password every single time, and then when I go to do an action it says I am phished so I can do limited things, like check one message, but not write back the person because soon I will be phished. Very upset and it makes me question this social media.
2. Facebook. Every time I post on my own page it makes me put a password in. Some letter and number password, it is very, very upsettting and it takes forever to just post on my own page.
3. I just got like 50 new twitter followers and by accepting to follow them it brought more, is this some sort of game?
1. Myspace. I am phished every single time I sign in, which means I can not post on the blog there, I can not reply to messages or accept my friend requests without having to change my password every single time, and then when I go to do an action it says I am phished so I can do limited things, like check one message, but not write back the person because soon I will be phished. Very upset and it makes me question this social media.
2. Facebook. Every time I post on my own page it makes me put a password in. Some letter and number password, it is very, very upsettting and it takes forever to just post on my own page.
3. I just got like 50 new twitter followers and by accepting to follow them it brought more, is this some sort of game?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Myspace is pissing me off Phished
Everytime I sign on, it says I am phished,- it makes me put a new password in to be unblocked, and I do, and then I try to send a message and it says I have to do it again. I am on like the 50th time. I am starting to think this phis-shit is Myspace people. I was trying to answer a few questions from aspiring models and I can't. I'll try later. What the heck!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
implants that are size kkk of sick chick
I don't get this chick who got implants that are size kkk, I mean WHAT will you wear, -I guess nothing,- maybe she will be a porn star, she said she did it for her career? What F'ing career?
What. And how the heck are you going to bend over,-if you become a porn star anyways-or dance or anything that involves motion without pain? Also not to mention just simply relax, damn your back must hurt every time you exhale. I mean we are made of skin, cells, all that, we are not plastic barbie and ken dolls.
I imagine she wants to be desired, or has some issues, I don't think this is something a sane person does who likes themselves even the tiniest bit. What else could it be, maybe her boobs make her feel hot?? ummm...to me they are totally not hot.
Then I think to myself, What is she saying with her boobs? Well honestly she is only saying that all I have to offer are my 10 lbs tits. More like 20, they each might weigh more, who knows. Who wants to lug that shit around?
A bowling ball boob.
Kinda sad. And heavy.
Aren't boobs fat anyways, I mean they weigh something, so I thought people wanted to lose weight these days not gain it in implants.
YAK. I am really grossed out.
I hate implants.
I'd rather be flat. I am happy with my little ones.
What. And how the heck are you going to bend over,-if you become a porn star anyways-or dance or anything that involves motion without pain? Also not to mention just simply relax, damn your back must hurt every time you exhale. I mean we are made of skin, cells, all that, we are not plastic barbie and ken dolls.
I imagine she wants to be desired, or has some issues, I don't think this is something a sane person does who likes themselves even the tiniest bit. What else could it be, maybe her boobs make her feel hot?? ummm...to me they are totally not hot.
Then I think to myself, What is she saying with her boobs? Well honestly she is only saying that all I have to offer are my 10 lbs tits. More like 20, they each might weigh more, who knows. Who wants to lug that shit around?
A bowling ball boob.
Kinda sad. And heavy.
Aren't boobs fat anyways, I mean they weigh something, so I thought people wanted to lose weight these days not gain it in implants.
YAK. I am really grossed out.
I hate implants.
I'd rather be flat. I am happy with my little ones.
A Warning for Craigslist Models
A friend of mine told me that her roommate was going to a modeling agency meeting through Craigslist.
Ohhh Jeez no.
Craigslist hasn't been totally terrible to me during my early pursuits. But it is not reliable.
Don't come to NYC thinking your going to be a famous model or actress just because you are on an online modeling community and can now put NYC as your location. Just downloading your photo and be a model isn't realistic! Please don't think just downloading your photos on a model website will make you a model. Don't think applying to an online ad that says Looking for models fora fashion agency will make you a model either. Those posts are crap. Beware. Legit modeling agencies do not hunt for talent on the internet. So if you do see a casting looking for models from an agency it is a scam. Don't fall for crap.
Ohhh Jeez no.
Craigslist hasn't been totally terrible to me during my early pursuits. But it is not reliable.
Don't come to NYC thinking your going to be a famous model or actress just because you are on an online modeling community and can now put NYC as your location. Just downloading your photo and be a model isn't realistic! Please don't think just downloading your photos on a model website will make you a model. Don't think applying to an online ad that says Looking for models fora fashion agency will make you a model either. Those posts are crap. Beware. Legit modeling agencies do not hunt for talent on the internet. So if you do see a casting looking for models from an agency it is a scam. Don't fall for crap.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Are fashion models liked by females or males more?
With fashion week coming, this is a question that comes to mind when I think about how fashion models are really marketed towards women's magazines, of course runway fashion shows, and the beauty industry.
Are more women into fashion models, or men?
The answer might be women.
Men might choose a web cam model, or glamour-type model before a fashion model because when it comes to the female form our culture of men likes big boobs, fake boobs, all that. It is interesting how a man may like huge breasts but wants a small waist. Like the only part of her body they want big is her boobs and maybe her behind, the rest is wanted to be slim, or something.
I am not saying ALL men think that is attractive but the word model is used alot these days and I imagine because of the media and how magazines portray women in men's magazines, many men want a girl to look like one someway or another whether it is the vampy slut or the runway bitch.
There was a time however when men wanted a supermodel symbol more than an internet whore. I do not remember growing up and ever thinking "I want to be a model," there was not a model I knew by name except one. I remember my boyfriend in 9th grade had a poster of Kathy Ireland on his wall. She looked big..sorta a thick to me. I was really tiny, like 89 lbs in high school. She looked like a woman to me. I wondered why he had a women on his wall? I mean she was pretty, but he wasn't a big guy, I mean SHE would have crushed him.
Are girls more infatuated with models or are men?
Are more women into fashion models, or men?
The answer might be women.
Men might choose a web cam model, or glamour-type model before a fashion model because when it comes to the female form our culture of men likes big boobs, fake boobs, all that. It is interesting how a man may like huge breasts but wants a small waist. Like the only part of her body they want big is her boobs and maybe her behind, the rest is wanted to be slim, or something.
I am not saying ALL men think that is attractive but the word model is used alot these days and I imagine because of the media and how magazines portray women in men's magazines, many men want a girl to look like one someway or another whether it is the vampy slut or the runway bitch.
There was a time however when men wanted a supermodel symbol more than an internet whore. I do not remember growing up and ever thinking "I want to be a model," there was not a model I knew by name except one. I remember my boyfriend in 9th grade had a poster of Kathy Ireland on his wall. She looked big..sorta a thick to me. I was really tiny, like 89 lbs in high school. She looked like a woman to me. I wondered why he had a women on his wall? I mean she was pretty, but he wasn't a big guy, I mean SHE would have crushed him.
Are girls more infatuated with models or are men?
Thursday, February 5, 2009
MySpace kicks off sex offenders for safety
I find it interesting and good that MySpace has kicked off 90,000 sex offenders, but it is also a scary thought. To think 90,000 people on MySpace are sex offenders, DAMN!
If you interested in this check out this CNN link to get the scoop on how sex offenders need to watch their hits,clicks, comments, and social interaction.
Why can't all of the terrible model sites out there, you know who you are,- do the same. Maybe it is a money thing, a lazy thing, a lack of care thing?
I don't know but I wish all of these creepy people on the model sites out there would get checked out, I mean honestly, most of them are not photographers.
If you interested in this check out this CNN link to get the scoop on how sex offenders need to watch their hits,clicks, comments, and social interaction.
Why can't all of the terrible model sites out there, you know who you are,- do the same. Maybe it is a money thing, a lazy thing, a lack of care thing?
I don't know but I wish all of these creepy people on the model sites out there would get checked out, I mean honestly, most of them are not photographers.
10 Tips for Taking a Nude Photo Like a Pro
If you want to surprise your hunny with a sexy shot for V Day or maybe spark some spice into your own relationship here are some of my tips on How to take a sexy photo, featuring photographer Robert Milazzo. Enjoy a hands on journey into how to shoot and prepare for a sexy shot at:
Thebachelorguy.com
If you an aspiring model these tips are also helpful.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Models Falling on Runways
If I got the chance to be in a runway show I would pick Betsey Johnson, however I do like the lines of the Chanel collection and the handbags a lot too.
Although I would hope this crash on the runway would not happen to me.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Fredericks of Hollywood new CEO and history
Fredericks of Hollywood gets a new CEO Thomas Lynch, and if you are curious about the brand that invented the push-bra bra keep reading.
In wake of the new CEO I have done some research on the brand, and I also interviewed their photographer Steve Erle on Model Talk Radio here.
Here is what I found about a man named Frederick Mellinger, who founded Frederick's of Hollywood. So you might now know what Victoria's Secret is, or if there is a Victoria, but there sure of hell was a Frederick of a brand called Frederick's of Hollywood. Except the brand started in NYC, or what would become the brand started in lower Manhattan.
Underwear Model Frederick Mellinger's racy creations made his business a star.
By Paul Lukas
February 1, 2003
FORTUNE Small Business) – There's no denying it: "Mellinger's of the Lower East Side" just doesn't have the same ring as "Frederick's of Hollywood." But the clumsier name, unglamorous though it may be, provides a truer glimpse of the origins of one Frederick Mellinger. This Hungarian-American tailor's son from lower Manhattan revolutionized the lingerie industry and created an iconic sex brand along the way.
Mellinger's story begins in the Depression, when he was working for a mail-order operation and suggested selling black lingerie instead of just the standard white. Sadly, the world wasn't yet ready for black underwear--or at least Mellinger's bosses weren't--and he was promptly fired for proposing such scandalous merchandise. He ended up in the Army, where his fellow soldiers displayed racy Hollywood pinup posters in the barracks. Mellinger quizzed them and found, as he'd expected, that they wished women would upgrade from white underwear to something more exotic.
Buoyed by his informal market research, Mellinger left the Army and returned to retailing, opening a Manhattan shop featuring lacy passion fashions (including, of course, black lingerie). But newspapers refused to carry his ads, decrying the illustrations as pornographic. Undaunted, Mellinger countered by running cagily worded classified ads ("Bare Illusion Panties: To wear under your prettiest things when you want to feel extra alluring and just a little naughty too!") that soon caught the attention of Broadway showgirls and dancers. These performers, tired of the boring undergarments at Macy's and Gimbels, became Mellinger's best customers.
But Mellinger soon decided the real action was out west, so in 1946 he moved and reinvented his business as Frederick's of Hollywood, catering to Tinseltown starlets and wannabes alike. He got a break during a 1947 buying trip to France, where he saw a then-startling sight: a bikini. He brought back a large shipment, which sold out almost immediately and resulted in a customer's being arrested on Venice Beach for indecent exposure. It generated tremendous publicity (newspapers carried photos of the bikini-clad woman being led away in handcuffs), and business soared.
But Mellinger wasn't merely a retailer. He was intent on improving intimate apparel. Thanks to his research and innovations--which at one point included hiring a team of industrial designers from the Army Corps of Engineers--Frederick's of Hollywood became known for a number of American lingerie milestones. They included the first padded bra (1947), push-up bra (1948), padded girdle (1951), push-up bikini (1958), and thong panty (1981). Along the way came the tawdry but playful accessories for which Frederick's remains best known: the stiletto-heeled boots, the outrageous wigs, and, of course, the crotchless and edible panties.
Mellinger--or Mr. Frederick, as he became known--remained involved with the company until his death in 1990.---------------------------------
After this death the NYTIMES reported this:
Mr. Mellinger said his success came because ''sex appeal is always in style.'' Born in the Lower East Side of New York City, Mr. Mellinger got his start when he lied about his age - then 14 - to get a clerical job at an ''intimate apparel'' firm, where he learned the art of mail-order merchandising.
In 1946, Mr. Mellinger opened Frederick's Fifth Avenue in New York, a mail-order business selling products that his World War II Army friends told him their girlfriends would like. A year later Mr. Mellinger moved the store to the West Coast, where the bright purple Art Deco-style headquarters on Hollywood Boulevard became a landmark.
The company went public in the 1970's and is traded on the American Stock Exchange. There are now 160 Frederick's stores, and sales topped $80 million last year, said Ellen Appel, a publicist who has worked for Frederick's.
Enhancing 'the Good Parts'
Mr. Mellinger was the guiding spirit of the company, designing brassieres with names like ''Rising Star'' and ''Cadillac,'' and learning French, Spanish and German to deal with European suppliers personally.
''He truly revolutionized lingerie in this country,'' Ms. Appel said. ''When other people were making traditional, white, boring lingerie, he was making very glamorous lingerie.''
''Our clothes cosmetize a woman's body,'' Mr. Mellinger said in an interview in 1983. ''They don't just cover the body, they take the good parts and enhance them.''
I don't know about you, but I like learning about where brands come from in the first place.
In wake of the new CEO I have done some research on the brand, and I also interviewed their photographer Steve Erle on Model Talk Radio here.
Here is what I found about a man named Frederick Mellinger, who founded Frederick's of Hollywood. So you might now know what Victoria's Secret is, or if there is a Victoria, but there sure of hell was a Frederick of a brand called Frederick's of Hollywood. Except the brand started in NYC, or what would become the brand started in lower Manhattan.
Underwear Model Frederick Mellinger's racy creations made his business a star.
By Paul Lukas
February 1, 2003
FORTUNE Small Business) – There's no denying it: "Mellinger's of the Lower East Side" just doesn't have the same ring as "Frederick's of Hollywood." But the clumsier name, unglamorous though it may be, provides a truer glimpse of the origins of one Frederick Mellinger. This Hungarian-American tailor's son from lower Manhattan revolutionized the lingerie industry and created an iconic sex brand along the way.
Mellinger's story begins in the Depression, when he was working for a mail-order operation and suggested selling black lingerie instead of just the standard white. Sadly, the world wasn't yet ready for black underwear--or at least Mellinger's bosses weren't--and he was promptly fired for proposing such scandalous merchandise. He ended up in the Army, where his fellow soldiers displayed racy Hollywood pinup posters in the barracks. Mellinger quizzed them and found, as he'd expected, that they wished women would upgrade from white underwear to something more exotic.
Buoyed by his informal market research, Mellinger left the Army and returned to retailing, opening a Manhattan shop featuring lacy passion fashions (including, of course, black lingerie). But newspapers refused to carry his ads, decrying the illustrations as pornographic. Undaunted, Mellinger countered by running cagily worded classified ads ("Bare Illusion Panties: To wear under your prettiest things when you want to feel extra alluring and just a little naughty too!") that soon caught the attention of Broadway showgirls and dancers. These performers, tired of the boring undergarments at Macy's and Gimbels, became Mellinger's best customers.
But Mellinger soon decided the real action was out west, so in 1946 he moved and reinvented his business as Frederick's of Hollywood, catering to Tinseltown starlets and wannabes alike. He got a break during a 1947 buying trip to France, where he saw a then-startling sight: a bikini. He brought back a large shipment, which sold out almost immediately and resulted in a customer's being arrested on Venice Beach for indecent exposure. It generated tremendous publicity (newspapers carried photos of the bikini-clad woman being led away in handcuffs), and business soared.
But Mellinger wasn't merely a retailer. He was intent on improving intimate apparel. Thanks to his research and innovations--which at one point included hiring a team of industrial designers from the Army Corps of Engineers--Frederick's of Hollywood became known for a number of American lingerie milestones. They included the first padded bra (1947), push-up bra (1948), padded girdle (1951), push-up bikini (1958), and thong panty (1981). Along the way came the tawdry but playful accessories for which Frederick's remains best known: the stiletto-heeled boots, the outrageous wigs, and, of course, the crotchless and edible panties.
Mellinger--or Mr. Frederick, as he became known--remained involved with the company until his death in 1990.---------------------------------
After this death the NYTIMES reported this:
Mr. Mellinger said his success came because ''sex appeal is always in style.'' Born in the Lower East Side of New York City, Mr. Mellinger got his start when he lied about his age - then 14 - to get a clerical job at an ''intimate apparel'' firm, where he learned the art of mail-order merchandising.
In 1946, Mr. Mellinger opened Frederick's Fifth Avenue in New York, a mail-order business selling products that his World War II Army friends told him their girlfriends would like. A year later Mr. Mellinger moved the store to the West Coast, where the bright purple Art Deco-style headquarters on Hollywood Boulevard became a landmark.
The company went public in the 1970's and is traded on the American Stock Exchange. There are now 160 Frederick's stores, and sales topped $80 million last year, said Ellen Appel, a publicist who has worked for Frederick's.
Enhancing 'the Good Parts'
Mr. Mellinger was the guiding spirit of the company, designing brassieres with names like ''Rising Star'' and ''Cadillac,'' and learning French, Spanish and German to deal with European suppliers personally.
''He truly revolutionized lingerie in this country,'' Ms. Appel said. ''When other people were making traditional, white, boring lingerie, he was making very glamorous lingerie.''
''Our clothes cosmetize a woman's body,'' Mr. Mellinger said in an interview in 1983. ''They don't just cover the body, they take the good parts and enhance them.''
I don't know about you, but I like learning about where brands come from in the first place.
Marilyn Monroe Exhibit The Galleries at Moore
There is a Marilyn Monroe exhibit I hope to see.
It runs from January 30, 2009 - March 14, 2009 at the College of Art & Design in Philadelphia.
The exhibit shares a Mixed-media installation by Devon Dikeou, a New York-based artist. Dakeou uses Marilyn Monroe’s request to be buried a Pucci dress as the lens through which to reconsider developments in art and design since the 1960s.
The Galleries at Moore are FREE and open to the public.
"The rhinestone-studded gown she wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy, her pleated white halter dress from “The Seven Year Itch” and the jeans-and-shirt combo from “The Misfits” — these are Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic outfits, but there’s another that is getting play: the dress she was buried in.
From WWD:
“Marilyn Monroe Wanted to Be Buried in Pucci,” which opened on Friday at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, is a mixed-media showcase by artist Devon Dikeou partly inspired by the actress’ fondness for Emilio Pucci’s dresses — Monroe’s wardrobe was filled with the designer’s punchy kaleidoscopic frocks. “Marilyn is so overwhelming and flamboyant, kind of like a Pucci,” Dikeou, 46, says. “What lots of artists and people find compelling about her is the way she captivated the American consciousness and still remains of interest.” Dikeou’s fascination with Monroe is rooted as well in the actress’ relationship with Joe DiMaggio, to whom she was married for nine months in 1954. The resulting work is a rather poetic take on the two icons and the way their worlds overlapped."
Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, January 30, 2009 - March 14, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Who is Model Marion Morehouse and MET
The Edward Steichen: In High Fashion exhibit currenty at the International Center of Photography features the finest examples of his fashion and celebrity portraiture made for Vogue and Vanity Fair, of these a models I saw one specifically many times photographed. Her name is Marion Morehouse. I wondered who she was and I wrote her name in my journal and Googled her today.
She was an actress and a model and photographer, she was the third wife of poet E. E. Cummings. (who is known as an American poet, painter, author, and playwright)
Marion was one of the first models to be known in the public.
An up coming exhibit called Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion will also feature photographs of Marion at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 6 through August 9, 2009.
"The exhibition will examine a timeline of fashion over the past 100 years through the paradigm of the fashion model," said Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute. "We look at the power of clothing, fashion photography, and the model to project the look of an era. With a mere gesture, or the line of her body, a truly stellar model can sum up the attitude of her time, creating an alluring synergy between herself and the clothing to communicate a designer's message to the wider world."
"The emergence of the modern woman in prewar society and the photography of Edward Steichen set the stage for Marion Morehouse—one of the first models known to the larger public by name."
Both of these exhibits are something any model should see, to understand history is to understand the business today.
Photo by Edward Steichen, Marion Morehouse (aka Mrs. e. e. Cummings), Louiseboulanger dress, 1926
For more on models and the history of the modeling business and photographers who helped shape it read Michael Gross's book called The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, -it is one of my favorites and it is quite a catch!
Success is about self management
Do they have what it takes?
Can he/she make it?
Yet it isn't always about being the best or most talented or beautiful, it is about how well you can self manage.
I hear that saying a lot in terms of the entertainment, modeling business, and sports industry. Yet it doesn't really matter how much talent you have it is about how you can handle the off days, the bad days, months, or years and how you can management yourself and make the right decisions and not leave it to someone else to fully shape your pursuit or dreams. But to have a hands on grip of what it means to leave a mark, and get paid to what they want to do and love, or build a brand or all of the above.
Can he/she make it?
Yet it isn't always about being the best or most talented or beautiful, it is about how well you can self manage.
I hear that saying a lot in terms of the entertainment, modeling business, and sports industry. Yet it doesn't really matter how much talent you have it is about how you can handle the off days, the bad days, months, or years and how you can management yourself and make the right decisions and not leave it to someone else to fully shape your pursuit or dreams. But to have a hands on grip of what it means to leave a mark, and get paid to what they want to do and love, or build a brand or all of the above.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Kurt Warner an Underdog Success Icon
No matter the results of the Super Bowl, and even if you are not into football, Kurt Warner is a story you should know. This article in the NYTIMES can sum his personal self-made success.
Also check out his First Things First Foundation here: http://www.kurtwarner.org/
Favorite NYPOST Freebies of New York
The NYPOST recently posted 50 Freebies of New York, these were my favorite:
# 1. Hell's Kitchen dive bars are an endangered species, but Rudy's Bar & Grill's free hot dogs are still a hungry man's best friend. Served all day every day. 627 Ninth Ave.; 212-974-9169.
# 7. Starbucks hands out cards (with any purchase) with codes for a free "song of the day" download on iTunes.
# 8. Step into any of Sabon NYC's locations for a free exfoliating hand wash with their scented salt scrubs!
For locations visit sabonnyc.com.
# 12. Snowshoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing, and more are all a part of the free Winter Jam event next weekend. Even the equipment rental is free! Feb. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., East River Park, Houston Street at FDR Drive.
# 16. Free film screenings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 2:30 p.m. at New York Public Library for Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. If you want a movie to go, you can borrow DVDs, videocasettes and 16mm films for one week, absolutely free.
# 24. Music Winter Fest heats up your frigid Friday nights with concerts featuring artists such as Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal every Friday at 7 p.m. through Feb. 27, Pier 17 at the Seaport; seaportmusicfestival.com
( Since I live by the seaport this will be a must!)
# 28. Free tour of Manhattan's only active Brewery, the Chelsea Brewery, this Saturday only from 2 to 7 p.m., Pier 59 at 18th Street. Tours begin every hour on the hour and are limited to 40 people, so get there early and bring your ID for free samples.
# 29. Rumor Salon offers free haircuts by their beauty school students every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. 15 E. 12th St, second floor; 212-414-0195. Bumble and Bumble offers free haircuts too.
# 33. I am not a victim of love but I think this is funny.If you're a victim of love, bring a photo of your ex into Crunch on Valentine's Day and participate in a free boxing class sponsored by Everlast. There's even free goody bags! Feb. 14 only. 54 E. 13th St. at 12:15 p.m.; 691 Fulton St. at 11 a.m.
# 34. Barnes & Noble at Union Square begins its "Upstairs at the Square" series Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. Watch various performers and singers such as hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal pair up with a writer like award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni as they do high-profile readings and performances. Visit bn.com for a list of participants. 33 E. 17th St.
# 36. Free monthly networking event at Comix and free comedy shows in their downstairs "Ochi's Lounge." 353 W. 14th St.; 212-524-2500, comixny.com.
# 39. Friday-night jazz and cabaret performances at Duane Park used to cost $30. Now admitting patrons for free, the restaurant cum cabaret club is just hoping folks will buy a few drinks at 11:30 p.m. 157 Duane St.; 212-732-5555.
These are just ones I plan on doing for sure, but there were many others on the list on the list worth a try. It all depends on what you are looking for because it is possible to get something for free in NYC- I should know.
# 1. Hell's Kitchen dive bars are an endangered species, but Rudy's Bar & Grill's free hot dogs are still a hungry man's best friend. Served all day every day. 627 Ninth Ave.; 212-974-9169.
# 7. Starbucks hands out cards (with any purchase) with codes for a free "song of the day" download on iTunes.
# 8. Step into any of Sabon NYC's locations for a free exfoliating hand wash with their scented salt scrubs!
For locations visit sabonnyc.com.
# 12. Snowshoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing, and more are all a part of the free Winter Jam event next weekend. Even the equipment rental is free! Feb. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., East River Park, Houston Street at FDR Drive.
# 16. Free film screenings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 2:30 p.m. at New York Public Library for Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. If you want a movie to go, you can borrow DVDs, videocasettes and 16mm films for one week, absolutely free.
# 24. Music Winter Fest heats up your frigid Friday nights with concerts featuring artists such as Neckbeard Telecaster and Grand Mal every Friday at 7 p.m. through Feb. 27, Pier 17 at the Seaport; seaportmusicfestival.com
( Since I live by the seaport this will be a must!)
# 28. Free tour of Manhattan's only active Brewery, the Chelsea Brewery, this Saturday only from 2 to 7 p.m., Pier 59 at 18th Street. Tours begin every hour on the hour and are limited to 40 people, so get there early and bring your ID for free samples.
# 29. Rumor Salon offers free haircuts by their beauty school students every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. 15 E. 12th St, second floor; 212-414-0195. Bumble and Bumble offers free haircuts too.
# 33. I am not a victim of love but I think this is funny.If you're a victim of love, bring a photo of your ex into Crunch on Valentine's Day and participate in a free boxing class sponsored by Everlast. There's even free goody bags! Feb. 14 only. 54 E. 13th St. at 12:15 p.m.; 691 Fulton St. at 11 a.m.
# 34. Barnes & Noble at Union Square begins its "Upstairs at the Square" series Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. Watch various performers and singers such as hip-hop artist Emmanuel Jal pair up with a writer like award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni as they do high-profile readings and performances. Visit bn.com for a list of participants. 33 E. 17th St.
# 36. Free monthly networking event at Comix and free comedy shows in their downstairs "Ochi's Lounge." 353 W. 14th St.; 212-524-2500, comixny.com.
# 39. Friday-night jazz and cabaret performances at Duane Park used to cost $30. Now admitting patrons for free, the restaurant cum cabaret club is just hoping folks will buy a few drinks at 11:30 p.m. 157 Duane St.; 212-732-5555.
These are just ones I plan on doing for sure, but there were many others on the list on the list worth a try. It all depends on what you are looking for because it is possible to get something for free in NYC- I should know.
Martin Munkacsi Photography feature
I love how photography stops time, keeps it safe, and reveals it at a later date.
I visited the with my boyfriend at the International Center of Photography, and I enjoyed the exhibit of Martin Munkacsi very much this weekend.
I was drawn to his cropping and his action shots. I liked the first display of a woman in a car and her hair blowing, it looked like she didn't have a bra on under her polo shirt but the shot was sincerely sexual, the breeze and movement was capturing. It didn't too posed which I liked, only one of Katherine Hepburn and her plane looked staged.
He was very into cropping his photos. Which might seem obvious to shooters today but in the 1930's without Photoshop Munkacsi describes his own work by saying "The photograph you see signed with my name is sometimes only a fraction of the original photograph."
This exhibit shared the collection of over 4,000 glass negatives recently acquired by the International Center of Photography, organized by Erin Barnett, ICP Assistant Curator of Collections, this memorable exhibit includes vintage and modern prints, and original negatives, many still in their boxes with Munkacsi's handwritten annotations.
The boxes with the names written on them of those and things he photographed. Like we write on CD's to organize our photos today Munkacsi wrote on these small glass plate cardboard boxes, a few read:
"Harpers Bazaar Howard Hughes Flight"
"Harpers Katherine Hepburn & sister."
"Statue of Liberty"
"Helena Rubinstein luncheon"
"Fred Astaire"
I liked the negative of the Mercedes Benz automobile parade from 1933.
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