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Charo Ronquillo
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Pinay supermodel to grace RP Fashion Week
By JOJO P. PANALIGAN
May 27, 2009, 2:15pm
New York-based Filipina model Charo Ronquillo struts the runway of Philippine Fashion Week this month featuring creations by top designers Ronald Arnaldo, Michael Cinco, Edwin Uy, among others.
Charo was 3rd place in the Ford Supermodel World Finals 2006. Dubbed as the “Asian Kate Moss,” her portfolio includes pictorials for Glitter (a Japanese magazine), Neon (a German magazine), Time Out New York, Savvy Magazine, Cosmo Girl (an Asian American magazine), and Seventeen.
“I’m happy to be home and proud to be Filipino,” she told Manila Bulletin Online in an exclusive interview. “Anywhere I go in the world, to everyone I meet, my first sentence always includes ‘I am Filipino.’”
Charo does so not only out of a sense of patriotic duty, but because she’s often mistaken for a Brazilian or Hawaiian.
“Have I ever felt discriminated because of who I am? No, because I make it a point to blend with people. But if ever it happens, I will not just take it sitting down.”
The 21-year-old model was spotted by a talent agent at a shopping mall in Laguna years ago. Charo then was dressed just in jeans and white shirt – and was shooting hoops at an arcade!
“I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy, growing up,” she said. “It didn’t occur to me that I could become a model until I hit my teens when I grew taller than most other girls.”
It’s not just the height and the face that spelled Charo’s success. She is also prayerful and hears mass everyday.
“Modeling is not just about looks,” she said. “It’s also about having a positive mindset that’s why being spiritual helps.”
Charo added that one has to be independent-minded, too, as New York had taught her.
“I learned to read maps and to ride the subway and the bus there,” she said. “I also had to fix my own clothes for shoots, and to organize my make-up box kasi wala naming gagawa nun duon for me, unlike here.”
She also studied at a modeling and personality development school. Charo learned how to improve on her walk, how to show off her best angle for shoots and how to internalize the mood or message that a spread requires.
The model finds it amusing that most of the clothes they model are somewhat “inappropriate.”
“Most of the times, models wear clothes that are for the next season,” she said. “That means if the pictorial is done in the summer, models would be wearing clothes for winter! Ganun talaga kasi fashion forecast.”
Charo laments, albeit tongue-in-cheek, the lack of sleep models have to endure, the jetlag from traveling and being on a strict diet all the time.
“But the free clothes I get and the chance to meet and work with interesting people somehow offset these minuses,” she said.
This Filipina model idolizes international models Raquel Zimmerman and Giselle Bündchen. Her biggest ambition is to do campaigns for Chanel and Prada.
To keep fit, Charo jogs, plays badminton, does yoga and logs in two hours everyday at the gym.
Her advice to aspiring models?
“Stay focused, dream big – and travel light!”
http://beta.mb.com.ph/node/202119
By JOJO P. PANALIGAN
May 27, 2009, 2:15pm
New York-based Filipina model Charo Ronquillo struts the runway of Philippine Fashion Week this month featuring creations by top designers Ronald Arnaldo, Michael Cinco, Edwin Uy, among others.
Charo was 3rd place in the Ford Supermodel World Finals 2006. Dubbed as the “Asian Kate Moss,” her portfolio includes pictorials for Glitter (a Japanese magazine), Neon (a German magazine), Time Out New York, Savvy Magazine, Cosmo Girl (an Asian American magazine), and Seventeen.
“I’m happy to be home and proud to be Filipino,” she told Manila Bulletin Online in an exclusive interview. “Anywhere I go in the world, to everyone I meet, my first sentence always includes ‘I am Filipino.’”
Charo does so not only out of a sense of patriotic duty, but because she’s often mistaken for a Brazilian or Hawaiian.
“Have I ever felt discriminated because of who I am? No, because I make it a point to blend with people. But if ever it happens, I will not just take it sitting down.”
The 21-year-old model was spotted by a talent agent at a shopping mall in Laguna years ago. Charo then was dressed just in jeans and white shirt – and was shooting hoops at an arcade!
“I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy, growing up,” she said. “It didn’t occur to me that I could become a model until I hit my teens when I grew taller than most other girls.”
It’s not just the height and the face that spelled Charo’s success. She is also prayerful and hears mass everyday.
“Modeling is not just about looks,” she said. “It’s also about having a positive mindset that’s why being spiritual helps.”
Charo added that one has to be independent-minded, too, as New York had taught her.
“I learned to read maps and to ride the subway and the bus there,” she said. “I also had to fix my own clothes for shoots, and to organize my make-up box kasi wala naming gagawa nun duon for me, unlike here.”
She also studied at a modeling and personality development school. Charo learned how to improve on her walk, how to show off her best angle for shoots and how to internalize the mood or message that a spread requires.
The model finds it amusing that most of the clothes they model are somewhat “inappropriate.”
“Most of the times, models wear clothes that are for the next season,” she said. “That means if the pictorial is done in the summer, models would be wearing clothes for winter! Ganun talaga kasi fashion forecast.”
Charo laments, albeit tongue-in-cheek, the lack of sleep models have to endure, the jetlag from traveling and being on a strict diet all the time.
“But the free clothes I get and the chance to meet and work with interesting people somehow offset these minuses,” she said.
This Filipina model idolizes international models Raquel Zimmerman and Giselle Bündchen. Her biggest ambition is to do campaigns for Chanel and Prada.
To keep fit, Charo jogs, plays badminton, does yoga and logs in two hours everyday at the gym.
Her advice to aspiring models?
“Stay focused, dream big – and travel light!”
http://beta.mb.com.ph/node/202119
This ones really cute 
Body Talk with Charo Ronquillo
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo Updated May 22, 2009 12:00 AM
She’s known as The Asian Kate Moss for a very obvious reason — Charo Ronquillo, 21, is a deadringer for the supermodel once linked to such Hollywood actors as Johnny Depp (now living with another model, a French girl).
Winner of the 2005 Supermodel Philippines search, the Cabuyao, Laguna, native flew in from New York where she has been based these past three years purposely for the Philippine Fashion Week at the Mall of Asia (MOA) on May 26 to June 2. Her years as an international model hasn’t affected Charo who has remained a probinsyana at heart, undaunted by the demanding Big Apple lifestyle and the “ramp” competitiveness which pits her with other taller models from around the world.
At 17, after beating nine other finalists in the Philippine edition of the search, Charo finished third (from a batch of 39 girls) to the bets from Belarus (winner) and Canada (second) in the 2006 Supermodel of the World finals, pocketing $100,000 and a three-year contract from Ford Models which launched her as the first-ever supermodel figure from the Far East in the agency’s 25-year supermodel-search’s history.
“It’s a childhood dream come true,” said Charo, shy and soft-spoken as ever.
Charo was 12 when Faze Model Management owner Elmer Torralba spotted her shooting hoops at a Robinsons Mall arcade in Cabuyao. She joined modeling contests, showed up for castings and VTRs until she was tapped to compete in the 2005 Supermodel Philippines search.
Following in the footsteps of such international Filipina models as Anna Bayle (retired, based in New York as a single mom, separated from her Swedish husband) and Bessie Badilla (now a widow, based in Connecticut), whom she has yet to meet, Charo had her debut in New York fashion shows in Feb. 2006. The next year, she decided to work at the Big Apple full-time, learning to live alone.
“It was my first trip abroad,” said Charo. “It has been a learning experience since then.”
Thus far, she has graced not only the ramps in New York and Canada but also such glossies as Spanish Vogue, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire (Paris and US), Glamour, Glitter (a Japanese magazine), Neon (German), Savvy Magazine, Seventeen and Cosmo Girl (Asian/American magazine). Two of her most memorable assignments were with photographers Bruce Weber and Chin Walter, who are among the best in their rank.
A Taurian (April 22, 1988), Charo stands 5’9”, weighs 115 lbs., measures 32-24-34, and wears small/medium shirt and size-9 shoes.
Is it hard to maintain a model’s body?
“Not really. Diet lang at workout.”
What kind of diet do you follow?
“Simple lang. I eat three square meals a day but in small portions. For breakfast, I take oatmeal with banana and coffee. For lunch, salads with chicken (minus the skin) and for dinner, more salads and soup. I do eat meat but not much. My diet consists mostly of vegetables and fiber.”
For snacks?
“Konting sandwiches which I myself make. In New York, I don’t buy food sa labas, kasi nakakataba. I eat chocolates and ice-cream but not too much.”
What vitamins do you take?
“Vitamin E and calcium. I still drink milk up to now.”
How much water do you take per day?
“Eight to 10 glasses.”
Soda?
“Seldom; once a week at most.”
What workout do you do?
“I go to the gym three or four times a week and do cardio exercises. Walking in New York is a good enough exercise.”
What part of your body still needs improvement?
“As it is, I’m happy with my body.”
What part is most vulnerable?
“My skin. When I get rashes, they take time to heal.”
How do you take care of your skin?
“Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I also apply insect repellant.”
What part of your body is your favorite?
“My smile. It’s part of the body naman, di ba? And my complexion. They like it in New York. They say that my skin glows.”
What part of a guy’s body do you look at first?
“The face, specifically the cheekbones.”
What else do you like in a guy?
“His personality, dapat pleasing.”
And what turns you off in a guy?
“‘Yung mayabang.”
How much sleep do you get per night?
“Six to eight hours. I take naps during trips.”
What’s your favorite sleep wear?
“Wala! Hahahaha!”
You mean, you sleep in the nude?
“Joke only! I wear a tank top and underwear.”
Are you a pillow person?
“I sleep with four pillows. One under my head, one under my back, one on my side and the fourth one I hug.”
Do you snore?
“No, I don’t.”
Do you talk in your sleep?
“I do...daw. Hahahaha.”
Do you sleepwalk?
“Thank God, I don’t.”
What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?
“I pray.”
And the first thing that you do when you wake up?
“I pray again.”
How do you cope with stress? New York life is very stressful.
“I do yoga. I meditate. I go to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral every day. I get a massage once a week. I listen to music and hang out with friends.”
How’s your nightlife?
“Nightlife in New York is exciting. Magsasawa ka. But I don’t go out that much.”
And your love life?
“Ngayon? Wala, eh! Ang focus ko talaga ay sa career ko.”
Name three women you think have nice bodies.
“Gisele Bundchen, Gemma Ward and Raquel Zimmerman. All models.”
And three men...
“Brad Pitt. Brad Kroenig (a Ford model). Just the two of them.”
Using only body language, how would you make a guy know that you admire him?
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=470228
Body Talk with Charo Ronquillo
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo Updated May 22, 2009 12:00 AM
She’s known as The Asian Kate Moss for a very obvious reason — Charo Ronquillo, 21, is a deadringer for the supermodel once linked to such Hollywood actors as Johnny Depp (now living with another model, a French girl).
Winner of the 2005 Supermodel Philippines search, the Cabuyao, Laguna, native flew in from New York where she has been based these past three years purposely for the Philippine Fashion Week at the Mall of Asia (MOA) on May 26 to June 2. Her years as an international model hasn’t affected Charo who has remained a probinsyana at heart, undaunted by the demanding Big Apple lifestyle and the “ramp” competitiveness which pits her with other taller models from around the world.
At 17, after beating nine other finalists in the Philippine edition of the search, Charo finished third (from a batch of 39 girls) to the bets from Belarus (winner) and Canada (second) in the 2006 Supermodel of the World finals, pocketing $100,000 and a three-year contract from Ford Models which launched her as the first-ever supermodel figure from the Far East in the agency’s 25-year supermodel-search’s history.
“It’s a childhood dream come true,” said Charo, shy and soft-spoken as ever.
Charo was 12 when Faze Model Management owner Elmer Torralba spotted her shooting hoops at a Robinsons Mall arcade in Cabuyao. She joined modeling contests, showed up for castings and VTRs until she was tapped to compete in the 2005 Supermodel Philippines search.
Following in the footsteps of such international Filipina models as Anna Bayle (retired, based in New York as a single mom, separated from her Swedish husband) and Bessie Badilla (now a widow, based in Connecticut), whom she has yet to meet, Charo had her debut in New York fashion shows in Feb. 2006. The next year, she decided to work at the Big Apple full-time, learning to live alone.
“It was my first trip abroad,” said Charo. “It has been a learning experience since then.”
Thus far, she has graced not only the ramps in New York and Canada but also such glossies as Spanish Vogue, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire (Paris and US), Glamour, Glitter (a Japanese magazine), Neon (German), Savvy Magazine, Seventeen and Cosmo Girl (Asian/American magazine). Two of her most memorable assignments were with photographers Bruce Weber and Chin Walter, who are among the best in their rank.
A Taurian (April 22, 1988), Charo stands 5’9”, weighs 115 lbs., measures 32-24-34, and wears small/medium shirt and size-9 shoes.
Is it hard to maintain a model’s body?
“Not really. Diet lang at workout.”
What kind of diet do you follow?
“Simple lang. I eat three square meals a day but in small portions. For breakfast, I take oatmeal with banana and coffee. For lunch, salads with chicken (minus the skin) and for dinner, more salads and soup. I do eat meat but not much. My diet consists mostly of vegetables and fiber.”
For snacks?
“Konting sandwiches which I myself make. In New York, I don’t buy food sa labas, kasi nakakataba. I eat chocolates and ice-cream but not too much.”
What vitamins do you take?
“Vitamin E and calcium. I still drink milk up to now.”
How much water do you take per day?
“Eight to 10 glasses.”
Soda?
“Seldom; once a week at most.”
What workout do you do?
“I go to the gym three or four times a week and do cardio exercises. Walking in New York is a good enough exercise.”
What part of your body still needs improvement?
“As it is, I’m happy with my body.”
What part is most vulnerable?
“My skin. When I get rashes, they take time to heal.”
How do you take care of your skin?
“Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I also apply insect repellant.”
What part of your body is your favorite?
“My smile. It’s part of the body naman, di ba? And my complexion. They like it in New York. They say that my skin glows.”
What part of a guy’s body do you look at first?
“The face, specifically the cheekbones.”
What else do you like in a guy?
“His personality, dapat pleasing.”
And what turns you off in a guy?
“‘Yung mayabang.”
How much sleep do you get per night?
“Six to eight hours. I take naps during trips.”
What’s your favorite sleep wear?
“Wala! Hahahaha!”
You mean, you sleep in the nude?
“Joke only! I wear a tank top and underwear.”
Are you a pillow person?
“I sleep with four pillows. One under my head, one under my back, one on my side and the fourth one I hug.”
Do you snore?
“No, I don’t.”
Do you talk in your sleep?
“I do...daw. Hahahaha.”
Do you sleepwalk?
“Thank God, I don’t.”
What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?
“I pray.”
And the first thing that you do when you wake up?
“I pray again.”
How do you cope with stress? New York life is very stressful.
“I do yoga. I meditate. I go to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral every day. I get a massage once a week. I listen to music and hang out with friends.”
How’s your nightlife?
“Nightlife in New York is exciting. Magsasawa ka. But I don’t go out that much.”
And your love life?
“Ngayon? Wala, eh! Ang focus ko talaga ay sa career ko.”
Name three women you think have nice bodies.
“Gisele Bundchen, Gemma Ward and Raquel Zimmerman. All models.”
And three men...
“Brad Pitt. Brad Kroenig (a Ford model). Just the two of them.”
Using only body language, how would you make a guy know that you admire him?
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=470228
Model Life
By JASER A. MARASIGAN
AttachmentSize
Photo by POL BRIANA JR.
She may look shy, but when she steps on the runway, 21-year-old Charo Ronquillo transforms into this fierce, confident woman worthy of a supermodel status.
Yes, all the glitz and glamour, the attention and praises from fellow models, photographers and top fashion designers like Diane Von Furstenberg are there. But Charo remains humble. “After a fashion show, I’m back to being the plain and simple Charo,” she says.
Charo is the Asian Kate Moss. After winning second runner-up (and the only Asian to do so) in the Ford Supermodel of the World finals in New York in 2006, she has been on the right track since.
“I’m flattered,” she says of the comparison. “Sobrang sikat yun and highest paid in America. Siya pa rin ang kinukuha kahit na kung anu-ano na ang ginagawa nya (referring to Kate Moss’ ‘partying’ lifestyle).”
The 5’9” exotic beauty never fails to make heads turn wherever she goes.
She has graced not only the ramps in New York and in Canada but also such glossies as Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. She also models for top retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Ann Taylor, BCBG by Max Azria, Catherine Malandrino, and J Crew.
Recently, she walked the ramp at the New York Fashion Week wearing clothes by Prada, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Vera Wang and Diane Von Furstenberg. Late last year, she was photographed by Bruce Weber for Ralph Lauren’s American Living.
Childhood dream come true
A native of Cabuyao, Laguna, Charo and her three other siblings were raised by their grandmother while their mother worked overseas to support the family. Her father died when she was only eight years old.
She had always wanted to be a model ever since she was 12 years old. She reveals that she watches a lot of Fashion TV and pretended to be in fashion shows, doing poses in front of the mirror.
“I think every girl dumadaan talaga sa phase na ganun. Kaya lang tomboyish ako nung bata ako. Matangkad pero short hair. I play basketball and pick fights with the boys nung elementary ako. So I didn’t expect that someday I would be a model. But I’m always voted the class muse. Pero yung escort ko parating mas maliit sa akin. Mas gusto ko maging class secretary na lang kasi mahilig akong magsulat sa board,” she recalls.
Charo was discovered while shooting hoops at an arcade in a mall. “May lumapit sa akin at nagtanong kung gusto ko raw maging model.
Syempre sumagot ako agad ng ‘oo’. That’s when I started joining modelling competitions,”
she relates.
At 16, she was already working hard, attending numerous casting calls and joining contests, hoping that she would stumble upon a big break into the world of modeling. At that time, she was already in first year college taking up Business Management at the University of Perpetual Help. “Unfortunately I had to stop school. My family was ok with it, and they knew this was a big opportunity, kaya nagpursige talaga ako.”
Her big break finally came when she won the Supermodel of the World Philippines, at 17 years old. She went on to compete in the finals in New York City, and walked away with a $100,000 contract with Ford Models.
“When I won, yung ate ko yung una kong tinawagan. Nag-celebrate sila dito habang nandun pa ako. I had to stay in New York because I was readily booked for the Fashion Week tapos nagtuluy-tuloy na yung trabaho,” she says.
Charo fondly recalls her first runway show experience after winning.
“Syempre dati nakikita ko lang sa Fashion TV yung mga runway shows. Nung nandun na ako, sa backstage super excited akong lumabas. And then after, pagbalik mo, yun na pala yung feeling. Ok nagawa ko na yung nakikita ko sa TV, one minute lang pala yun. Ganun pala yun kabilis,” she enthuses.
Charo is represented by Asian modeling powerhouse CalCarrie’s International
Models, and is also placed in the hands of famed model-maker Joey Espino.
She, likewise, enrolled herself to a modelling school in New York. “Kasi gusto ko pang matuto,” she says.
‘Probinsyana’ at heart
Despite living a cosmopolitan life and her exposure to international high fashion, Charo still looks forward to going home to her family in Cabuyao. She has remained a “probinsyana” at heart, undaunted by the Big Apple lifestyle.
“I go home every six months. I attend the Philippine Fashion Week tapos pahinga na rin. But most of my time I spend it with my family and friends. If ever man napapagod ako, kailangan ko lang umuwi dito to recharge,” she says.
She has learned a lot of things living alone in Manhattan. “Ibang-iba sya sa Pilipinas, tapos mag-isa ka lang. I learned how to be independent and to be strong. Nawala na rin ako sa subway kaya natuto akong magbasa ng map. Kasi minsan sa isang araw isasabak ka sa 10 castings. Kaya siguro hindi rin ako masyadong na homesick kasi maraming ginagawa. Sometimes I do three to five photo shoots a week,” she relates.
Charo’s typical day starts at 6 a.m. She goes to the gym, do yoga or jog at Central Park, hears mass after, and goes to work until 5 p.m. “I have friends there, puro models din. Mga ka-agency ko. May Polish, may French, iba-ibang language ang maririnig mo when I hang out with them after a day’s work,” she adds.
Even if she’s a ‘promdi,’ she says she never felt intimidated. “Kasi iba-ibang nationalities naman kami dun. I just feel that I’m part of the mix.”
Going back to school is also part of Charo’s plans. “Hopefully makaya ng schedule ko pagbalik ko ng New York. I’m already looking for schools there. It’s either I continue my Business Management course, or I take up Culinary Arts. Nagbabaon kasi ako going to work. Sa bahay ako gumagawa ng snacks. Maybe that’s where I got my interest in cooking,” she says.
And as for her advice to young girls who want to pursue a career in modelling?
“If they think that this is their calling, ituloy lang nila. Always pray, and be confident, pero huwag maging mayabang. And to be successful naman in any thing it is important that you are happy with what you’re doing. Basta ako, I enjoy everything about it. The clothes, the lights, the crowd and the craziness backstage,” she ends.
www.mb.com.ph
By JASER A. MARASIGAN
AttachmentSize
Photo by POL BRIANA JR.
She may look shy, but when she steps on the runway, 21-year-old Charo Ronquillo transforms into this fierce, confident woman worthy of a supermodel status.
Yes, all the glitz and glamour, the attention and praises from fellow models, photographers and top fashion designers like Diane Von Furstenberg are there. But Charo remains humble. “After a fashion show, I’m back to being the plain and simple Charo,” she says.
Charo is the Asian Kate Moss. After winning second runner-up (and the only Asian to do so) in the Ford Supermodel of the World finals in New York in 2006, she has been on the right track since.
“I’m flattered,” she says of the comparison. “Sobrang sikat yun and highest paid in America. Siya pa rin ang kinukuha kahit na kung anu-ano na ang ginagawa nya (referring to Kate Moss’ ‘partying’ lifestyle).”
The 5’9” exotic beauty never fails to make heads turn wherever she goes.
She has graced not only the ramps in New York and in Canada but also such glossies as Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. She also models for top retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Ann Taylor, BCBG by Max Azria, Catherine Malandrino, and J Crew.
Recently, she walked the ramp at the New York Fashion Week wearing clothes by Prada, YSL, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Vera Wang and Diane Von Furstenberg. Late last year, she was photographed by Bruce Weber for Ralph Lauren’s American Living.
Childhood dream come true
A native of Cabuyao, Laguna, Charo and her three other siblings were raised by their grandmother while their mother worked overseas to support the family. Her father died when she was only eight years old.
She had always wanted to be a model ever since she was 12 years old. She reveals that she watches a lot of Fashion TV and pretended to be in fashion shows, doing poses in front of the mirror.
“I think every girl dumadaan talaga sa phase na ganun. Kaya lang tomboyish ako nung bata ako. Matangkad pero short hair. I play basketball and pick fights with the boys nung elementary ako. So I didn’t expect that someday I would be a model. But I’m always voted the class muse. Pero yung escort ko parating mas maliit sa akin. Mas gusto ko maging class secretary na lang kasi mahilig akong magsulat sa board,” she recalls.
Charo was discovered while shooting hoops at an arcade in a mall. “May lumapit sa akin at nagtanong kung gusto ko raw maging model.
Syempre sumagot ako agad ng ‘oo’. That’s when I started joining modelling competitions,”
she relates.
At 16, she was already working hard, attending numerous casting calls and joining contests, hoping that she would stumble upon a big break into the world of modeling. At that time, she was already in first year college taking up Business Management at the University of Perpetual Help. “Unfortunately I had to stop school. My family was ok with it, and they knew this was a big opportunity, kaya nagpursige talaga ako.”
Her big break finally came when she won the Supermodel of the World Philippines, at 17 years old. She went on to compete in the finals in New York City, and walked away with a $100,000 contract with Ford Models.
“When I won, yung ate ko yung una kong tinawagan. Nag-celebrate sila dito habang nandun pa ako. I had to stay in New York because I was readily booked for the Fashion Week tapos nagtuluy-tuloy na yung trabaho,” she says.
Charo fondly recalls her first runway show experience after winning.
“Syempre dati nakikita ko lang sa Fashion TV yung mga runway shows. Nung nandun na ako, sa backstage super excited akong lumabas. And then after, pagbalik mo, yun na pala yung feeling. Ok nagawa ko na yung nakikita ko sa TV, one minute lang pala yun. Ganun pala yun kabilis,” she enthuses.
Charo is represented by Asian modeling powerhouse CalCarrie’s International
Models, and is also placed in the hands of famed model-maker Joey Espino.
She, likewise, enrolled herself to a modelling school in New York. “Kasi gusto ko pang matuto,” she says.
‘Probinsyana’ at heart
Despite living a cosmopolitan life and her exposure to international high fashion, Charo still looks forward to going home to her family in Cabuyao. She has remained a “probinsyana” at heart, undaunted by the Big Apple lifestyle.
“I go home every six months. I attend the Philippine Fashion Week tapos pahinga na rin. But most of my time I spend it with my family and friends. If ever man napapagod ako, kailangan ko lang umuwi dito to recharge,” she says.
She has learned a lot of things living alone in Manhattan. “Ibang-iba sya sa Pilipinas, tapos mag-isa ka lang. I learned how to be independent and to be strong. Nawala na rin ako sa subway kaya natuto akong magbasa ng map. Kasi minsan sa isang araw isasabak ka sa 10 castings. Kaya siguro hindi rin ako masyadong na homesick kasi maraming ginagawa. Sometimes I do three to five photo shoots a week,” she relates.
Charo’s typical day starts at 6 a.m. She goes to the gym, do yoga or jog at Central Park, hears mass after, and goes to work until 5 p.m. “I have friends there, puro models din. Mga ka-agency ko. May Polish, may French, iba-ibang language ang maririnig mo when I hang out with them after a day’s work,” she adds.
Even if she’s a ‘promdi,’ she says she never felt intimidated. “Kasi iba-ibang nationalities naman kami dun. I just feel that I’m part of the mix.”
Going back to school is also part of Charo’s plans. “Hopefully makaya ng schedule ko pagbalik ko ng New York. I’m already looking for schools there. It’s either I continue my Business Management course, or I take up Culinary Arts. Nagbabaon kasi ako going to work. Sa bahay ako gumagawa ng snacks. Maybe that’s where I got my interest in cooking,” she says.
And as for her advice to young girls who want to pursue a career in modelling?
“If they think that this is their calling, ituloy lang nila. Always pray, and be confident, pero huwag maging mayabang. And to be successful naman in any thing it is important that you are happy with what you’re doing. Basta ako, I enjoy everything about it. The clothes, the lights, the crowd and the craziness backstage,” she ends.
www.mb.com.ph
How she was styled in the first picture on post#422 isn't doing her any favors. This is not a look that would go over well in any European casting call.
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