|
|---|
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Whether you’re already signed, or about to break into the industry, a head of hair that’s in poor condition can be a deal-breaker. But a great head of hair, regardless of whether it’s long, short, straight or curly, can be a phenomenal asset. Just ask cover girl and rising star, Hailey Clauson [pictured]. It doesn’t matter if your skin and body are in great shape – if your hair’s letting you down, that’s the first thing people see, and in an industry where first impressions count, giving yourself the best chance possible means covering all your bases.
Think of all the hair care brands available on the high street at the moment: not just shampoo and conditioner, but the masses of styling products. Then factor in the professional brands you see at the salon – that’s a huge number of potential clients, and hair is very big business. If you want a piece of the action, getting your own hair in check is a must.
The first step to achieving good hair is the shampoo. This may seem like the one part you’ve got handled, but like skincare, the first and most important step is cleansing without stripping the skin of its natural balance – your scalp needs just the same level of attention.
Run your hands through your hair – does it feel healthy and well conditioned, or a bit oily at the roots – do the ends of your hair feel brittle and unloved? The state of your hair will tell you a great deal about what is really needs. Just like skin, if you’re doing something wrong, your hair will tell you in no uncertain terms!
If your hair leans towards oily, buy a good-quality clarifying shampoo. One that’s gentle is essential, because any formulation that’s too harsh will dry out your scalp, causing the oil glands beneath to go into overdrive in replacing what’s been lost – definitely not what you want. Ignore the old wives’ tale about hair not really being clean until it ‘squeaks’. Unless your hair’s been taking a hammering from overuse of styling products, one shampoo should be enough.
If you regularly colour your hair, protect your investment with a colour-specific shampoo. They can cost a little extra, but looking after your shade means it will last longer – great if you’re watching the pennies.
For hair that just feels normal, in good condition and well balanced, a decent cleansing shampoo will be perfect. The key to shampoo is to get one that matches not only your hair type, but your lifestyle. It’s a good idea to have more than one type of shampoo on the bathroom shelf. If your hair is coloured, it will suffer from occasional dryness especially in bad weather, so a good hydrating shampoo will be an excellent addition to a colour-protecting one. If you’re a regular user of product – and as a model, your hair will take some battering - find the best quality deep-cleansing shampoo you can get your hands on. Use this once a week (more if you need to), and your hair will be ready to take on anything that’s thrown at it.
The second step of hair care, still obvious, but still important, is conditioner. Some people think this step is optional, but if you want your hair to be your crowning glory, conditioning is a must.
Again, match your conditioner to your hair’s needs. If you have very oily roots, you may have shied away from using conditioner in the past, assuming it would leave your hair greasy and flat. The key to getting round this is to use a leave-in conditioner. The ultra lightweight formulas now available will transform the way your hair looks and feels. Just spritz it on after showering, and your hair won’t be weighed down or greasy, just beautifully conditioned.
If your hair leans towards the other end of the spectrum, a good moisturising shampoo will be worth its weight in gold. If you’re experiencing extra dryness due to the weather / stress / illness, leave the conditioner in for an extra couple of minutes while you’re still in the bathroom – the steam will encourage the conditioner to really get to work on those pesky dry ends.
If you want to go the extra mile, giving your hair a weekly treatment is a great idea. A good hair mask will restore shine and condition in no time – two things a camera will definitely pick up on. Tailor the treatment to yourself: you don’t have to use the product all over, just where it’s needed. However, if you’re using a colour-protect mask, use it from root to tip. It will conserve your colour and stop it fading prematurely.
Slotting a weekly treatment into your routine is also an excellent idea of you’ve been hitting the straighteners. Great for getting that sleek look that’s finally returned to the runways, regular use of straighteners (even the good ones) are notorious for leaving the hair weak and out of condition. The high temperatures involved means that your hair’s being subjected to some seriously intense wear and tear. Prepping your hair with a heat-protector spray or styling lotion will shield it from some of the potential damage, but the bottom line is if you’re a fan of this look, take time out to give some TLC back to your hair – it’s worth it.
Styling products are fast becoming an industry in themselves. Gel, mousse and hairspray used to be the basics, but now you can found dozens of hybrid products out there for every conceivable styling emergency. Whatever you go for, there’s one cardinal rule when it comes to styling. Use less, achieve more. These products are designed to act quickly and decisively. You know instantly when you’ve applied too much product – your scalp feels overloaded, your hair loses volume – it’s not a good look.
Whenever applying product, especially if you’re using a brand you’re not used to, go easy on the amount you use. It’s the same principle as applying blusher – you can always add more if you need to, but trying to correct a face covered in fuschia is easier said than done. A further note about castings – resist the temptation to try a bold new look to wow clients and casting directors. There is always the chance that something could go horribly wrong and you’re left with a head of lank, overstyled hair, and no time to fix it. Nothing ruins confidence faster than a bad hair day. If you regularly style your hair, on casting days go with what works. You won’t be worrying about what your hair’s doing, and you can concentrate on getting that booking.
The forgotten aspect of hair care is shaving. Whether you’re a guy having to keep that clean-cut look fresh day after day, or a girl opting for the blade rather than waxing, life’s too short to spend it at the shaving mirror. Knowing a few tricks can make the whole business quicker and more efficient.
The first step is to work on a clean surface. If you do have a few extra minutes, gently exfoliate the skin before shaving. It will not only remove dead skin cells and promote fresh cells to the surface, but it will lift the bristles up from the surface of the skin, making them an easier catch for the blade. Failing this, a brilliant time-saver is to get a wash-cloth, soak it in warm water, and then press it onto the skin and leave it there for a couple of seconds. The warmth will open your pores, and the bristles again will lift up from the skin, making shaving easier and more comfortable. The hair will be less resistant, meaning you don’t have to drag the blade over your skin, resulting in red, bumpy, irritation.
Another trick to avoid the dreaded razor rash is to ignore everything you’ve seen in the adverts. Those long, sweeping strokes up the neck and across the chin? Forget about it. When you’re shaving, use short strokes. You don’t want your blade to become overwhelmed. If the razor’s clogged up with shaving foam and hair, it’s not going to be able to give you the results you want. This technique results in a closer shave and re-growth won’t show up as quickly.
Finally, a note about product. The classic move is to slap on some aftershave after shaving, but you will know already that this hurts like hell. Your skin post-shave will be feeling sensitive and it needs a little extra help to see it through the day. Invest in a good aftershave balm – it will soothe your skin and treat any irritation. After that has had time to get to work, apply your usual moisturiser – it may seem unnecessary after using the balm, but your skin will thank you for it. When using aftershave, dab a little onto pulse points. The scent will intensify with the heat of your skin and is a subtle, sophisticated way to wear fragrance. Especially when going out to castings and meeting new people go easy on the scent – good grooming speaks for itself.
Part of the business of being a model is that people will have an opinion on every aspect of your appearance. Every inch of your image will be dissected: what works, what could be improved, and what needs to go. Try not to take any criticism personally – think long-term: will this look help my career get to the next stage? Some agencies will absorb the cost of a ‘makeover’ as part of their investment in you, but if you want to make an image change off your own back, talk it through with your agency first.
It sounds ridiculous, but even a simple haircut could have serious consequences. If you have long hair, go in for a cut that takes 6 inches off the length, and your agency (not knowing this) has submitted you for a go-see on the basis of you having long hair – disaster. The wrong cut could end up with you losing out on work. So in short, anything more drastic than a trim needs to be okayed with your agency first!
Of course, a great cut can make all the difference – model Freja Beha saw her career sky-rocket after her long hair got transformed into a wavy, mid-length bob. The key to any transformation is whether it will make you a better model – will a colour change make you more versatile, will going short give you the edge over your competitors? If you’re currently unsigned, think very carefully before making any big changes. Don’t just consider whether a haircut will physically suit you, but whether it will be a good fit for your future career. If your modelling strength is your classic bone structure and feminine features, getting a severe crop may not be the best way forward.
When you’re at the early stage of your modelling career, hair is probably the most important aspect of your appearance. A good head of hair can sway an agency to sign you, even if your skin’s having a bad day. A career-making haircut can be shorthand for the model you want to be, and get you there that much quicker. You may think success in modelling is all about giving good face, but if your hair’s not part of the team, it can throw off your whole look. Get your hair fabulous, and give your career a fighting chance.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that on entering the modelling industry, there’s only one rule to remember: fashion is a business. It’s creative, yes, and fun, but in the end, fashion boils down to pounds and pence, and the moment comes when you have to ask yourself: what am I worth?
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Born in Melbourne on June 12th 1987, Abbey Lee Kershaw is a modern take on the oldest standard of the modelling industry: the girl who can do it all.
Abbey’s career began in 2004 when she won the Girlfriend & Cover Girl model search in her native Australia.
The contest, which had discovered
Catherine McNeil just the year before, struck gold again when it launched Abbey into the fashion industry.
Moving to Sydney in 2005, Abbey began to model locally, picking up European ad campaigns for H&M and Levi’s. But a switch of agency in 2007 saw Abbey move from Sydney to New York. Her unique look got her noticed immediately, when the influential website www.models.com named her fashion’s ‘next superstar’.
The proclamation sent a message loud and clear to the fashion industry, and 2008 began with a runway season that ensured Kershaw’s status as a noteworthy up-and-comer. Opening shows for Givenchy and closing the Rodarte show, Abbey walked for every important designer including Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino. It was an incredible start, and www.style.com dubbed Abbey a Top 10 Newcomer.
Kershaw hit another modelling benchmark in April when she scored her first Vogue editorial for Chinese Vogue. She also landed not one but two campaigns for D&G, both photographed by Mario Testino. In July, Kershaw joined her fellow D&G model, Alice Burdeu, for a feature in Australian Vogue. Pairing up with Stephanie Carta, Alice and Abbey were drawn as Australian Vogue’s newest and brightest talents. Both had their careers launched by winning modelling contests, but both girls were now proving themselves genuine talents.
Abbey won two of her biggest campaigns during the summer of 2008, photographed by Steven Meisel for CK Jeans and landing the Autumn / Winter Gucci commercial alongside British model Lily Donaldson. In September, Kershaw achieved two career firsts in one month, when she got an editorial booking for Italian Vogue and the cover of Australian Vogue.
For all her achievements, Kershaw was still a relatively new face, and the show season that autumn was a reminder that the daunting pace of international modelling can even phase models that are at the top of their game.
Walking for designers Diane Von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang, Matthew Williamson and Peter Som, Abbey took an unexpected tumble during the Rodarte show, and in October, fainted whilst taking part in the Alexander McQueen show. The season packs in a lot, and being tough enough to cope with moving from New York, to London, to Paris and Milan all within the space of a month, is no small ask.
But Abbey’s runway glitch didn’t stop her career trajectory when she was asked to appear in the Victoria’s Secret runway show. The brand has a history of cherry-picking the best of runway talent and bringing them to the attention of the general public. Like model Eniko Mihalik, Kershaw was a strong choice for the brand, matching high-fashion credentials with a sultriness that was commercial dynamite. Her year finished with blue-chip editorials for Italian Vogue and W, but 2009 saw Abbey take her career to the next level.
Renewing her contract with Gucci, she replaced Taryn Davidson as the face of See by Chloe. She also signed a contract to be the representative of ‘Flora’, the new Gucci fragrance.
Surrounded by a field of flowers, Abbey’s ethereal performance perfectly evoked the fragrance and captured a mood of sun-soaked femininity. It was mission accomplished, and ‘Flora’ became a huge best-seller for Gucci. The brand got a stunning commercial, and Abbey’s name (and face) got a whole lot more familiar.
Her work for Gucci flung Abbey square into the spotlight, with her second cover of Australian Vogue, a cover for Numero plus editorials for i-D, Harper’s Bazaar, Dazed & Confused and Italian Vogue. The slew of covetable bookings summed up Abbey’s mastery of cutting-edge fashion, tempered with a sensuality that injected her pictures with a commercial edge. Suddenly editorial and commercial didn’t seem like such disparate ideas; Abbey made doing both look easy.
Kershaw wowed again in August, undertaking an editorial for Japanese Vogue, photographed by Terry Richardson, demonstrating the art of doing sultry without the sleaze. In high-fashion, it’s sometimes a fine line between the two, but once it’s crossed, it’s obvious to everyone. Kershaw’s ability to make high-fashion images that are brimming with sexuality but in a way that doesn’t isolate the magazine’s core audience is a rare find, even in today’s industry where being able to smoulder on demand is a given for most top models.
Abbey teamed up with Terry Richardson again for the A/W issue of Purple, and in November made her second appearance for Victoria’s Secret. She finished off the year with covers for Numero and Dazed & Confused, and in January 2010 started the year (and decade) off with a bang, by being chosen to close the Chanel Couture show.
In February, Kershaw had a massive show season, opening shows for Michael Kors and closing shows for John Rocha and Gareth Pugh. Her other appearances included Alberta Ferretti, Balmain, Burberry, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Jason Wu, Prada, Stella McCartney and Versace. Every aspect of fashion is represented in this list. From Prada’s take on 50’s chic, to Burberry’s urban aviator, Abbey was a face that found favour with every brand in the business.
Kershaw’s biggest break however came during the early part of the summer, when it was announced that she would be replacing Claudia Schiffer as one of the faces of Chanel. Joining Freha Beha, the campaign has become one of the key images of a season already packed with highlights.
Her calendar for the rest of the year looks to be following the same pattern, with campaigns also announced for Anna Sui, Mulberry, Jaegar, Calvin Klein and H&M, plus a campaign video for Alexander Wang.
What makes Abbey so in-demand is her ability to marry up the separate parts of her fashion personality. A self-confessed bohemian at heart, Abbey combines her own personal tastes with avant-garde, sex-kitten and cover-girl and makes each facet work. Many models thrive on specialising, whether that speciality is being ‘quirky’, ‘sexy’, or just plain editorial, but Abbey manages to juggle all the different aspects of fashion, and do them equal justice.
Kershaw is probably closest in spirit to supermodels like Helena Christensen and Cindy Crawford. They, like Abbey, were able at the height of their careers to mix editorial, high-fashion work with more populist bookings like Victoria’s Secret. Versatility is famously one of the most requested of model attributes, but true versatility, being able to conquer every corner of the industry and not lose credibility, is something that’s much harder to pin down.
Where Abbey stands out from her peers is her potential to become, like Crawford, a name that sells anything; not indiscriminately, but absolutely. It’s often been said that a return to the supermodels of the 1990’s is unlikely, but if anyone can get the ball rolling, it’s Kershaw.
Paparazzi pictures of her shooting the A/W Chanel campaign in New York were splashed across media websites across the globe. Just a fleeting glimpse of her on the streets of New York created a stir and made headlines. If we are truly in an anti-supermodel era, this kind of attention is nothing short of extraordinary.
It’s unusual to find a model who can look approachable but still wow in a Chanel Couture show, and that’s why Abbey excels on every point. Her features lend her an appeal that’s hard to find in today’s raft of top models. They are highly skilled, and hard-working, but Abbey’s career will continue to grow because she takes the best of the supermodel era and mixes it with the contemporary work ethic of modelling today. There’s no room for egos on set anymore, and the girl who works hardest is the one who gets re-booked. Names still matter of course, but getting the right result matters a whole lot more.
It’s a much fairer modelling landscape that the one Christensen and Crawford found themselves in 20 years ago. Meritocracy – the process of selection based purely on skill – has made the fashion world a much more beautiful place to be. It allows plus-size icon Crystal Renn to walk runway for Jean Paul Gaultier, and editorial favourite Coco Rocha to shoot campaigns for Rimmel. There’s no guesswork in terms of hiring faces to represent brands: quite simply, the best girl wins.
This age of equality has allowed Abbey to flourish, not just as a fashion name, but as a growing presence in popular culture too. Access to runway shows is virtually immediate thanks to live streaming, and computer wizardry and promotional videos are fleshing out the world of 2D campaigns. The high-fashion experience is becoming a very real presence in the virtual world, where the lines between commercial and high-fashion are becoming ever more blurred.
Fashion’s future is becoming dependent on whether we will be persuaded to embrace an industry where anything goes. With faces like Abbey leading the way, that persuasion feels like an increasingly easy sell.
HELEN TOPE
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Born in Denmark on October 18th 1987, Freja Beha is fashion’s favourite tomboy.
Freja burst onto the fashion scene after being discovered by a modelling scout at the age of 15. The agent, who was driving past Freja in a taxi, immediately spotted her potential and in 2004, Freja signed with top agency IMG.
Freja’s career started off small: fitting in modelling assignments during her school holidays, but in February 2005, her career went stratospheric when she debuted at Milan Fashion Week. Appearing in the Prada show, she was also picked to not only walk in but open the Miu Miu show – it was an extraordinary honour for a newcomer.
Prada shows have a history of nurturing new model talent, and Freja became a fashion hit as she became the face of Jil Sander and label-of-the-moment, Balenciaga.
In February 2006, Freja was booked for an astonishing 64 runway shows, including Balmain, Cacharel, Calvin Klein, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Prada and YSL. This overwhelming seal of approval from the world’s foremost design talent was just the beginning of an incredible year.
Freja had a summer cover of V magazine, sharing cover-girl duty with Gemma Ward and Daria Werbowy. In June, Freja appeared in an Italian Vogue editorial, photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg, and in August, landed the cover of Numero. She also did a slew of A/W campaigns, including Balenciaga, H&M, ck Calvin Klein, Gap, and Pringle of Scotland. Ending 2006 with an editorial for W magazine, 2007 saw Freja hit two major career landmarks, becoming the face of Chanel and signing a fragrance contract with Calvin Klein.
The year began with an editorial for French Vogue (shot by Mario Testino), and a strong show season in February, walking for Alexander McQueen, Celine, Dries Van Note, Fendi, Lanvin, Missoni, Proenza Schouler, Sonia Rykiel and Zac Posen among others. Freja’s stint as the face of Chanel also got underway, with a cover of Numero magazine shot by Karl Lagerfeld, and runway duty at the Chanel Couture show in July.
Her popularity continued to soar as she was signed for a Chloe campaign, and the campaign for the new ‘Gucci’ fragrance, alongside Natasha Poly and Raquel Zimmermann. It was not what you would expect from someone that up till now had been tagged as the new androgynous model. The girl who was excelling in representing Calvin Klein was also convincing as the super-feminine, golden girl in the Gucci advert.
September’s show season demonstrated again how adept Freja was at moulding herself to a designer’s aesthetic. Her runway appearances ranged from Dior, Burberry, Fendi and Etro to Preen, Sophia Kokosalaki and Marni. These are all design houses with very specific points of view, and Freja was ably representing them all. Beha was fashion’s latest crush, and the infatuation continued into 2008, when Freja replaced Doutzen Kroes as the face of Italian label Gianfranco Ferre.
2009 was to be Freja’s year for editorial work. In March, she did a Numero editorial (photographed by Karl Lagerfeld); July it was Japanese Vogue; in August an appearance in British Vogue; Freja fitted in editorials for V, British Vogue and Russian Vogue during show season, and in October Freja worked for W, Numero and German Vogue. In December Freja took her place in the now-famous Twitter-inspired editorial by Steven Meisel in Italian Vogue.
2010 is already shaping up to be another brilliant year for Beha, with a stellar show season under her belt (including appearances for Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Jil Sander, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, and YSL). Freja shot an editorial for Italian Vogue in January, and landed the cover in March, with news hitting http://www.elleuk.com/ this week that Freja will be joining Abbey Lee in representing Chanel, fronting its Autumn / Winter 2010 campaign. Five years on, Freja’s hold on the fashion industry shows no signs of letting up. Considering that Freja’s androgynous features should have caused her problems, especially starting her career at a time where the glamour-girl look was at its most popular, she has made it the very centre of the industry by being extra-ordinary.
A criticism often levelled at the fashion industry is that it doesn’t celebrate diversity quite as much as it should. But the career of a model like Freja Beha should be enough evidence to convince us that the exact opposite is true. Fashion, if you look closely enough, is built on the premise that different is good, and unique is even better.
Marni, Prada, Versace & Chloe: all these names have history, and more than that, a design philosophy. What you might see on a Prada catwalk you might not necessarily expect to see at Versace. Fashion doesn’t just celebrate diversity because it’s the ethical thing to do, it needs it to survive. Making yourself stand out from the competition is how labels like Prada and Versace become global brands. This is exactly what Freja has done. Her ability to morph into other ‘characters’: the Prada librarian, the Versace siren, is what makes the Beha brand so desirable.
Freja is by definition the polar opposite of models like Catherine McNeil and Raquel Zimmermann: while her comfort zone is a vest and a pair of jeans, she pulls off girlie so well she made it as one of the ‘Gucci’ fragrance girls. Doing arch-glam on a par with Natasha Poly? This is Beha going well beyond her comfort zone. Freja’s ability to flow between super-feminine Alberta Ferretti and Calvin Klein’s minimal chic is more than a strategy to succeed: it’s a response to fashion moving the goalposts.
In the 1990’s, things were a whole lot simpler. If you modelled, you tended to specialise. Androgynous models worked for designers like Helmut Lang and Calvin Klein, the girlie-girls did bodice-ripping, headline-grabbing Versace. Quirky models like Kristen McMenamy built entire careers on not looking like the girl next door.
But with the advent of Kate Moss, the stakes got raised. To specialise was no longer enough – you had to become an all-rounder. Designers now wanted models that could embody all facets of fashion, from the too-cool-for-school aesthetic of Jil Sander to Karl Lagerfeld’s latest vision for Chanel.
Lucky for Freja, she understands the importance of being bookable: no-one wants to hire a model who’s so entrenched in their own personal style that they can’t step into someone else’s Jimmy Choos. Freja’s success comes down to more than having a photographable face or couture-perfect physique: it’s about putting personal image aside and being that salesperson. On a very real level, hiring the right model for a campaign can mean the difference between survival and disaster.
Personality is no longer seen as an add-on: making that personal connection is fundamental to any brand’s success. Freja’s dress-down charm makes sure that whatever she is selling, it’s meaningful and relatable. How else can you feel about someone who high-fives fellow model Coco Rocha during a 2007 Sonia Rykiel runway show?
The blend of masculine and feminine that Freja represents is what makes fashion so exciting. Following the onslaught of image consultants, a concept lifted straight from corporate America, the fact that fashion is becoming more multi-faceted, is nothing short of a glorious rebellion against the notion of ‘dress to impress’. Looking at the range of trends available on the high street this summer shows just how many fashion personalities are on offer. Sports Luxe, Florals, Parisenne Chic – it’s no longer a case of one trend suits all.
In previous years, Freja would have been sidelined in avant-garde fashion, but she and other models like her are scooping some of the best work because they understand how fashion is evolving. Fashion is no longer about wearing the ‘right’ labels or carrying this season’s ‘it bag’.
The modern concept of style is moving towards a point where being fashionable is less about copying a catwalk look verbatim, and more about freedom of self-expression. Models like Freja represent an easier, more relaxed attitude to style, image and fashion where the only prerequisites are personality and individuality. Image is no longer about detail, but the big picture. Forget impressing others - what do you want to tell the world today?
Whether it’s Freja for Gucci or Jamie Dochert for Lanvin, fashion’s infatuation with the tomboy refuses to go away – it’s lead to fashion tossing out the rulebook and what’s being written in its place is something fresh, bold and daring - pitch perfect for the new decade.
HELEN TOPE
