Seven Models Share Their Fashion Week Prep Secrets
Nimue en route to her afternoon castings.1/23NIMUE SMIT
Nimue Smit, a 20-year-old from Bussum, in the Netherlands, is about to strut the catwalks for her eighth season. Having walked the runway for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Miuccia Prada, Valentino, and Calvin Klein, Nimue has her castings week strategies all worked out. Nimue and I met at 11:11, on floor thirteen of a building near the West Side Highway, where she was waiting for a fitting. Although she's not superstitious, we decided to get a couple of fortune cookies while Nimue had tea and waited for the designer to call her into the studio. Nimue's fortune? "Love thyself first and everything falls into line."
In her model bag: Kombucha, Homeoplasmine cream, chewing gum, and Jonathan Safran Foer's novel . "My heels are from Lanvin," Nimue says. "A birthday gift to myself!" Although Nimue says the Lanvin heels are comfortable, the shows aren't always so easy. The most difficult heels she's had to sport? "The heels for the Alexander McQueen collections!" she says. "They're beautiful, but so hard to walk in!"
While waiting for the designer, Nimue takes a rare minute to relax and drink a tea at the studio.2/23NIMUE SMIT
Best way to manage stress during castings: "Even something as simple as a coffee with a good friend can really help," says Nimue, adding that she carries her yoga and pilates gear with her in case she gets a few spare hours in between appointments.
In a taxi speeding across the city, Nimue checks her blackberry: this is how she keeps in touch with her bookers during shows. New appointments are always being added to her day.3/23NIMUE SMIT
Nimue's castings week tunes: "I listen to George and Johnny Ripper's 'Tear Your Heart Apart,' on Soundcloud." Nimue found the song while browsing StumbleUpon, a website that suggests various links to the user depending on their interests.
Nimue cracks open a fortune cookie. Finding the time to unstress with laughter in the middle of a busy week.4/23NIMUE SMIT
Castings week snack: Nuts from the Nutbox in Chelsea Market.
Morning fuel: Chia seed pudding and Siggy's Brand greek yogurt.
At the end of a busy day, Nimue makes dinner at home with some friends.5/23NIMUE SMIT
Tips for girls looking to get into modeling: "The most important thing is to remember to be real!" says Nimue.
Kel makes dinner with her housemates- a great way to relax before her busy schedule in the morning.6/23KEL MARKEY
Kel Markey spent last fashion week balancing classes at NYU with a whirlwind of shows and appointments. This season, she's managing the stress of moving into a new apartment (her very own studio space in Brooklyn) with the busy mix of doing looks for designers, on top of castings and fittings. I visited Kel while she was packing up for the move to her new place. While she and her housemates cooked dinner (brussels sprouts and couscous), she packed her model bag with her heels and dozens of bos for the move!
Morning fuel: Oatmeal or omelets
Favorite castings week snack: Popchips
Kel shows us the contents of her model bag.7/23KEL MARKEY
In her model bag: A charger for her iPhone, snacks, bottled water, chewing gum, and Topshop heels.
Kel's apartment is crowded with bos while she packs to move into a new studio space in Brooklyn.8/23KEL MARKEY
Kel's favorite place to shop for casting clothes: Zara
Kel catches up with Chantal Stafford Abbott as they bump into one another at a casting.9/23KEL MARKEY
Kel's castings week tunes: Music by Ray Lamontagne
Kel takes a moment to rest at a casting and sorts through her appointments for the rest of the day.10/23KEL MARKEY
Best way to manage stress during castings: "I always try to make time to sit down to eat my lunch or to sit in a café to read my book. The last book I read was by Henry David Thoreau."
Chantal grabs a taxi en route to a fitting across town.11/23CHANTAL STAFFORD ABBOTT
I met up with Canadian redhead Chantal Stafford Abbott at her first casting of the day, where she ended up waiting two hours for the client to arrive. After all the waiting, she and fellow Canadian Kate King had to race to hail a taxi in order to make it to their next appointment, a fitting across town.
Chantal's castings week tunes: Metronomy's "Another Me to Mother You"
Chantal shows us what's in her model bag.12/23Chantal Stafford Abbott
What's in her model bag: iPhone, bottled water, a pair of flat shoes from Born—"My old people shoes! So comfy!" she says, high heels that she found at a boutique in the Lower East Side, and a compact brush.
Chantal walks into her first appointment of the day.13/23CHANTAL STAFFORD ABBOTT
Best way to manage stress during castings: "Watching and practicing my juggling!"
One of many elevator rides throughout her day, Kate takes time to catch up with Chantal Stafford Abbott.14/23Kate King
Kate's castings week tunes: "I listen to Pandora a lot," Kate says. "I love Creedance Clearwater Revival."
Chantal stays down to earth by showing us her sense of humor.15/23CHANTAL STAFFORD ABBOTT
Morning fuel: Coffee with hempseed milk, porridge with gohji berries, flaxseeds, hempseed milk, and a scoop of almond butter
Kate waits for her casting to begin.16/23Kate King
The new face of Chloe, Kate King is ready to tackle another New York Fashion Week. Kate balances online school with her busy days of castings, fittings, and appointments, but she says that it helps connect her to the real world. In order to manage her studies and her hectic fashion week schedule, Kate relies on her favorite snacks and songs to get through castings week.
In her model bag: Sam Edelman heels. "I got them on sale from Nordstrom!" she says.
Kate hails a taxi to head to her fitting.17/23Kate King
Favorite castings week snack: Protein bars and bananas
Morning fuel: "This morning I had an omelet from a diner," Kate says.
Lisanne waits for her casting to begin.18/23Lisanne de Jong
I met up with Lisanne de Jong as she waited for a casting in a roomful of models on Manhattan's West Side. The 21-year-old from Muiderberg, Holland, looked chic in head-to-toe black—a model's favorite castings week outfit of choice. Lisanne recently dyed her hair brown, a change from last season's platinum blonde locks. Lisanne uses hair masks from Bumble & Bumble and Christophe Robin Paris to keep her hair healthy after all the changes it undergoes for photoshoots and runway shows.
Best way to manage stress during castings Week: "Kickboxing! It's like therapy!" Lisanne says, adding that her decompression routine at the end of a busy day during castings is to make tea, sit on the couch, and just chill.
Lisanne's casting week tunes: Music by Coldplay
Favorite castings week snack: Luna bars
Andie hangs out with some friends from her agency as she waits for the casting director to call her in.19/23Andie Arthur
Mississipi's Andie Arthur, who recently graced Teen Vogue's pages in an editorial shot by Jason Kibbler for the December/January 2012 issue, says that the best way to have energy for a busy day of castings is a substantial breakfast. "It's my favorite meal of the day!" she says.
In her model bag: Heels by Miu Miu—"super comfortable!" she says.
Favorite castings week snack: "I bring yogurt, nuts, and I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Lots of protein is a good choice."
Morning fuel: Oatmeal with apples and walnuts on top.
Andie's castings week tunes: "What the Water Gave Me" by Florence and The Machine
Lovisa shows us the contents of her Marc by Marc Jacobs bag.20/23Lovisa Ingman
Lovisa's castings week tunes: "Never Never" and "Something Goes Right" by SBTRKT
Lovisa and I have a moment to meet up over tea.21/23Lovisa Ingman
Stockholm girl Lovisa Ingman and I meet up for vegan pineapple upside down cake and a pot of tea in a café above a yoga studio—a secret, quiet spot that helped Lovisa escape the hustle and bustle of fashion week. In the evenings before her castings, Lovisa always looks over her schedule, mapping out the appointments in the best order for time efficiency, and packs her model bag for the next day.
In her model bag: iPad ("so I can write, and use the maps to get around to my castings," she explains), cash, eyedrops, moisturizer, passport, and Polaroid camera—a Hello Kitty model that she bought on a recent trip to Tokyo, Japan. Lovisa carries a couple of the polaroids with her throughout the day and looks at them as she waits for casting directors at go-sees and stylists at fittings: friends from Tokyo, polaroids her mom took of her in Sweden, and her pal and fellow Swedish model Hanna Rundlof having coffee in a café.
Lovisa snaps a polaroid on her Hello Kitty polaroid camera.22/23Lovisa Ingman
Tips for girls looking to get into modeling: "Don't be afraid to contact an agency," Lovisa says. "They always know best!"
ovisa looks over some of the polaroids she carries with her throughout the day.23/23Lovisa Ingman
Morning fuel: Coffee or tea, granola with nuts, greek yogurt, and cinnamon
Favorite castings week snack: Dried fruit and nuts
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