'Meet the luckiest girl in the World'
Daria Werbowy, who describes herself as 'interesting looking,' was a 14-year-old still wearing braces when a friend's mom urged her to go into modelling.
Photograph by : The Canadian Press
Lorrayne Anthony, Canadian Press
Published: Sunday, March 12, 2006
TORONTO -- It's been a while since Canada has seen the rise of a new homegrown supermodel. But Mississauga, Ont.-raised Daria Werbowy has resurrected the term -- minus the haughty attitude.
One of the most sought-after runway models and the new face of Lancome, the 22-year-old admits there is a downside -- living out of a suitcase, working late nights and always having to look her best.
"It's a lot to deal with at a young age," she said in a downtown hotel room last week while in town promoting Lancome's new fragrance Hypnose. Still, when she weighs the good against the bad, she feels like "the luckiest girl in the world. I've got more than I need."
While there is a lot of partying with drugs and alcohol among those in the industry, she said every girl has a choice and that no one forces anything on young models.
"Sometimes I just wish I could really be 22 and not have the responsibility and just kind of say 'Today I don't feel like going to class because I'm really hungover.' But I can't really get up in the morning and say, 'Oh I really can't show up for that Lancome interview because I'm really hungover."'
In Fendi boots, black skinny jeans, a black jacket over a large white T-shirt painted by a pal, she looks fresh and funky -- no signs of over-imbibing the night previous.
Werbowy was born in Krakow, Poland, and lived in Ukraine for the first few years of her life. Her parents moved to the Toronto suburb when she was three. At the age of 14, sporting braces, Werbowy was encouraged to go into modelling by a schoolmate's mother, who headed a modelling agency.
In a few years she was working for Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Givenchy and Christian Dior.
It has been reported that Werbowy has opened and closed more designer shows than any other model. And now she is following in the footsteps of Uma Thurman, Mena Suvari, and Isabella Rossellini as a Lancome spokesmodel.
But Werbowy gets a little agitated when asked how it feels to be in such beautiful company when representing the international cosmetics company "Don't even mention them," she said, closing her feline blue-green eyes. "It's a big responsibility . . . I have my days of being in the lows where I say. 'I can't do this. I was skateboarding five years ago . . . with a couple of friends.'"
In an almost self-deprecating way, she calls herself "interesting looking," and is sort of amused that she received an e-mail from a guy with whom she went to high school.
"I think, 'I had a crush on you in Grade 9 and you wouldn't even look at me then,'" said Werbowy.
But she's moved on from teen crushes. She dated Hollywood hunk Josh Hartnett for a time, but won't give details on her current love life.
"I'm a girl. Every girl has romances. Every girl has fantasies," she said.
While fashion magazines feature a sophisticated-looking Werbowy, fully made up, there are some days, especially right after fashion shows, when she wears no makeup. On those days, the only thing she can't do without is her under-eye moisturizer, which she uses religiously.
On normal days, "you've always got to have your black liner, your mascara and a Juicy Tube and you're set," she said. "There's not much more you need on a regular day."
[canada.com]
and the so called hypnotic seductive power falls to less than zero. 
I know it's supposed to be out already but I haven't seen it. Hopefully it will hit the bookstores this weekend!
even back then i was stunned!
