ElectricAlyce
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One Model's Story
- Thread starter model_mom
- Start date
softgrey
flaunt the imperfection
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FYI...
due to the great interest and informative, yet entertaining nature of this story...
we have decided to make it a FEATURE STORY on our homepage...
for all future entries, check the tFS homepage...
the details are being organized as we speak, new entries will most likely start appearing on the homepage some time next week...
so...
STAY TUNED TO TFS...for more of Ali's adventures in modelling featuring Model_Mom
due to the great interest and informative, yet entertaining nature of this story...
we have decided to make it a FEATURE STORY on our homepage...
for all future entries, check the tFS homepage...
the details are being organized as we speak, new entries will most likely start appearing on the homepage some time next week...
so...
STAY TUNED TO TFS...for more of Ali's adventures in modelling featuring Model_Mom
Last edited by a moderator:
W
willows
Guest
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us the truth that we never see of a models life 
it is greatly appreciated.
it is greatly appreciated.There are many model's who enjoy the whole modeling scene,the fashion,the fame, the partying and most of all the money. With Ali it was always about the money. She was always waiting for that one big break where she could leave all of it behind and go back home to live her dream. Unfortunately that's not enough....it shows in your work, in the way you handle yourself in front of the clients, during a photoshoot and how you present yourself to a casting director. It's not something you can bluff for very long.
I am going to tell more of Ali's story while in New York and she did have some remarkable moments. I just want to make it clear that maybe other models look at the industry different than we did. We met some wonderful people and learned some valuable lessons...it was quite a trip.
I am going to tell more of Ali's story while in New York and she did have some remarkable moments. I just want to make it clear that maybe other models look at the industry different than we did. We met some wonderful people and learned some valuable lessons...it was quite a trip.
BetteT
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Announcement!
Thanks to the work of Softgrey ... tFS is publishing Ali's story! You can see the first part here. More to come ... keep checking back there for other episodes.
http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-spot/becoming-a-model-part-1-273
Thanks to the work of Softgrey ... tFS is publishing Ali's story! You can see the first part here. More to come ... keep checking back there for other episodes.
http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-spot/becoming-a-model-part-1-273
ElectricAlyce
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Agreed^
The picture adds tremendous to the effect of the story! Lovely
The picture adds tremendous to the effect of the story! Lovely
Thank you....that's pretty much how Ali looked the whole time we were in Paris. I never went inside to any castings with her but she can turn on the charm when she wants to. I look back on all of that now and wonder, " What was I thinking"? and why didn't I leave with her sooner than we did? I guess the answer to that is,you always think the next big break is just around the corner or that all you have to do is meet the right person, or even if she could get a few good jobs then we could pay back the debt we're in and go home...... It took me awhile to get it through my head that Paris wasn't the time or place for Ali ....I just wish I had realized it sooner.
I guess it didn't mess her up too bad because in January the following year she was ready to do it all over again.
I guess it didn't mess her up too bad because in January the following year she was ready to do it all over again.
ElectricAlyce
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What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger - or something along those lines? 
misstarshine
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This story is so exciting
Fontenrose
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can't wait...
...
...
Speaking of pics....The first one you are using is so beautiful but almost ended Ali's modeling career before it ever got started .....I trust that in the near future the details behind it will come out.....another lesson learned.
Traversant
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Aw I hope you guys picked up the métro eventually. I got it down pat after a week, but I guess at first it's pretty intimidating.
We did figure it out but the one thing we remember the most were all the muscians and artists that rode the metro for money. We had never seen that before and it fascinated us. We were always giving them change. Between the change for the lady on the corner and the money we gave out on the metro....it's no wonder we came home broke. 
I'm going to try and finish this story up for you....then I'm afraid,I'm out of here. I've been with tFS for four years and I've seen a lot of changes....mostly for the best,but I feel like it's time to move on.
I'm going to backtrack a little because several of you have ask me how Ali was discovered....
Signing With Ford Chicago
In October of 2001 we had some pictures taken of Ali at a local studio. When the pictures came back, the photographer called us and wanted to talk with us. Ali and I went in to meet with him and he suggested we send Ali’s pictures into several agencies to see if we would get a response. I looked the addresses up on the internet and sent the pictures. They were professional portraits \
from a studio….not the polaroids that most agencies want you to submit. I talked it over with Ali and her response was, “Why not”? We typed up a letter and enclosed the photos and pretty well forgot about it.
In November the phone rang and Ali looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ford Models. They wanted her to come up the first part of January 2002 for an interview. It’s a 5 hour drive from where we live, a drive I would make many times in the coming months. They met with us, talked about how young she was, ask her to walk and signed her that day. We drove back home the same evening.
In February she went up for her first test shot. Amy (Ali’s sister) Ali and I arrived at a hotel in downtown Chicago at 8:00 am and met with her agent and a photographer. There were 5 or 6 other girls there and he told Ali’s agent he wanted to shoot her last. We sat around the apartment and he returned with the other girls around 11:00am.. Ali’s agent told Amy and I to stay at the hotel suite and that she would go with Ali to her shoot. By 6:00 pm, I was getting a little worried but Ali’s agent called to say that everything was fine. By 10:00 pm I was having a major panic attack. Amy called Ali’s agent and she said they were having a biteto eat and that they were almost done. They didn’t arrive back at the hotel till 2:00 am. No agent, just my 15 year old, the photographer and his crew.
Amy and I had to work the next day so we drove back home. On the way I ask Ali which of her outfits did you wear for the shoot and she said, “ None of them”. I ask her, “Then what did you wear”? and she replied, “ A man’s shirt, a bikini and a sheet”. Needless to say I lost it! I called the agency the next morning to say, That’s it for Ali’s modeling career!
They fed me this line of bull about how it was all done in good taste and that’s the way the fashion industry works and the pictures were beautiful and I bought the whole package like the fool I am. The pictures from that shoot are on Ali’s first comp card and the rest of them were put in her book. The next day Ali was back in school.
She did some commercial jobs in March and went up for a casting for an Armani runway show in April. She booked the job and we went up for the show in May. Ali always loved the runway part of the business and she was hooked on the idea of modeling after that show. They did a big write up in the local paper and it was on the front page. None of her classmates really believed all her talk about signing with the Ford agency till they saw the article. Then she was everybody’s instant friend . We spent two weeks in Chicago after school was out that summer going on castings, and doing some commercial work. I was always in the neighborhood or close by while she did her castings and jobs. I had learned my lesson the first time. We spent several more weeks in Chicago in August and she shot a editorial for Spanish Marie Claire. When the photographer sent some pictures from the shoot to the agency they called us in to talk about Ali going to Paris. They talked to Ali and I a long time about how important it was for her to go and that she would be able to have what she wanted by the time we returned to the states.
Ali was a horse fanatic since the time she could walk. She collected all the Breyer horses and sold a first addition beanie baby collection to buy her first horse. When they dangled the “cash” thing in front of her she didn’t hesitate. Her horse ranch dream was in reach. The agency would front all her costs up front but I was on my own. I took a large part of my savings to finance the trip and took along a few credit cards just in case. Like Ali I believed every word they said. In hindsight, I can’t believe I bought into all of it but I did. In September of 2002 we were on our way to Paris.
I'm going to backtrack a little because several of you have ask me how Ali was discovered....
Signing With Ford Chicago
In October of 2001 we had some pictures taken of Ali at a local studio. When the pictures came back, the photographer called us and wanted to talk with us. Ali and I went in to meet with him and he suggested we send Ali’s pictures into several agencies to see if we would get a response. I looked the addresses up on the internet and sent the pictures. They were professional portraits \
from a studio….not the polaroids that most agencies want you to submit. I talked it over with Ali and her response was, “Why not”? We typed up a letter and enclosed the photos and pretty well forgot about it.
In November the phone rang and Ali looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ford Models. They wanted her to come up the first part of January 2002 for an interview. It’s a 5 hour drive from where we live, a drive I would make many times in the coming months. They met with us, talked about how young she was, ask her to walk and signed her that day. We drove back home the same evening.
In February she went up for her first test shot. Amy (Ali’s sister) Ali and I arrived at a hotel in downtown Chicago at 8:00 am and met with her agent and a photographer. There were 5 or 6 other girls there and he told Ali’s agent he wanted to shoot her last. We sat around the apartment and he returned with the other girls around 11:00am.. Ali’s agent told Amy and I to stay at the hotel suite and that she would go with Ali to her shoot. By 6:00 pm, I was getting a little worried but Ali’s agent called to say that everything was fine. By 10:00 pm I was having a major panic attack. Amy called Ali’s agent and she said they were having a biteto eat and that they were almost done. They didn’t arrive back at the hotel till 2:00 am. No agent, just my 15 year old, the photographer and his crew.
Amy and I had to work the next day so we drove back home. On the way I ask Ali which of her outfits did you wear for the shoot and she said, “ None of them”. I ask her, “Then what did you wear”? and she replied, “ A man’s shirt, a bikini and a sheet”. Needless to say I lost it! I called the agency the next morning to say, That’s it for Ali’s modeling career!
They fed me this line of bull about how it was all done in good taste and that’s the way the fashion industry works and the pictures were beautiful and I bought the whole package like the fool I am. The pictures from that shoot are on Ali’s first comp card and the rest of them were put in her book. The next day Ali was back in school.
She did some commercial jobs in March and went up for a casting for an Armani runway show in April. She booked the job and we went up for the show in May. Ali always loved the runway part of the business and she was hooked on the idea of modeling after that show. They did a big write up in the local paper and it was on the front page. None of her classmates really believed all her talk about signing with the Ford agency till they saw the article. Then she was everybody’s instant friend . We spent two weeks in Chicago after school was out that summer going on castings, and doing some commercial work. I was always in the neighborhood or close by while she did her castings and jobs. I had learned my lesson the first time. We spent several more weeks in Chicago in August and she shot a editorial for Spanish Marie Claire. When the photographer sent some pictures from the shoot to the agency they called us in to talk about Ali going to Paris. They talked to Ali and I a long time about how important it was for her to go and that she would be able to have what she wanted by the time we returned to the states.
Ali was a horse fanatic since the time she could walk. She collected all the Breyer horses and sold a first addition beanie baby collection to buy her first horse. When they dangled the “cash” thing in front of her she didn’t hesitate. Her horse ranch dream was in reach. The agency would front all her costs up front but I was on my own. I took a large part of my savings to finance the trip and took along a few credit cards just in case. Like Ali I believed every word they said. In hindsight, I can’t believe I bought into all of it but I did. In September of 2002 we were on our way to Paris.
Last edited by a moderator:
Back to the rest of the NY story
New York - January 2003
Wednesday Jan.8th
Ali told me that her friend Asta was sick today. I went back to the model apartment and took her temperature and it was 101 degrees F. I think it’s just a cold, so I went and picked up some medicine and ingredients to make vegetable soup. We ate and since it was really late I spent the night in the other bunk in Ali’s room. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a good day for Ali.
Thursday Jan.9th
Ali’s castings today were for Gap, Bloomingdales, Nylon Magazine, Neiman Marcus and Teen Vogue again. We missed two of her castings and her New Faces agent kept calling to ask where we were. Then she called and said, “Just forget it!” I felt like a two year old in trouble. Ali and I were still laughing at this point and I kept asking her, “Do you think we are going to be in ‘Time Out’ when we get back to the agency? When we did arrive back at Ford the receptionist ushered us into what we called the ‘quiet room’. Ali’s agent came in and was extremely nice??? She said maybe she was being too hard on us and she had some good news for Ali. She booked the Nylon Magazine job and was confirmed for Teen Vogue. Things are looking up.
Friday Jan. 10th
Ali had a casting today with a photographer named Alban Christ. He is looking for a model that can ride horses but is a little concerned about her age because the location of the shoot is Honduras. We also went to a casting for another photographer. While Ali was inside, it started to rain so I stepped to the side of the building. The photographer trash was by the curb and I looked down to see hundreds of comp cards thrown away. It was a wake up call. Ali is one of many models in NY who are competing for the chance to hit it big in this business and seeing all of those cards in the trash made me realize her chances were very slim.
We left the photographer and jumped in a cab to get to her Nylon shoot. The photographer went around the same block twice, finally let us out and charged me $10.00. It didn’t take me long before I realized we were only about a block and a half away from where we started. Another lesson learned. I cooked again tonight for Ali and the other models. We had spaghetti and salad and everyone ate. Two of the girls are leaving the apartment tomorrow and Ali’s agent asked if I would like to stay there for awhile till the castings for show season started. The model apartment manager is out of town so I said, “Why not”? Ali’s model apartment rent just doubled but it’s cheaper than where I was staying.
Saturday Jan. 11th
Ali has another shoot for Nylon today. It’s freezing! We rode the subway down to Lafayette and Grand for Ali’s shoot. I left Ali there and went back to the apartment to do our wash. Ali called when the shoot was over and I walked to meet her at the subway stop. She was shaking she was so cold.. The shoot was outside and she said she wore a beautiful rainbow dress. (I found out later this was the famous Alexander McQueen dress). They sprayed her hair almost black and glued on bangs for a punk rock look. The other models are going out with a promoter to eat and then over to Carson Daley’s apartment. The told us that Michael Jordan is going to be there after his game. Are they for real???? Ali and I are staying in and watching TV. Two different worlds huh???
Sunday Jan 12th
I noticed a list by the phone for the girls to write down breakfast items they would like the house mother Kimberly to pick up. FOR FREE! I guess the idea is to get your day started in a positive way…by eating. Asta and Anica came in really late and they slept till 2:00PM. Ali spent most of the day watching TV and sleeping and I read a book. Asta took us up on the roof tonight where all the models go to smoke. You could see all of NY…it takes your breath away it is so beautiful from up here.
New York - January 2003
Wednesday Jan.8th
Ali told me that her friend Asta was sick today. I went back to the model apartment and took her temperature and it was 101 degrees F. I think it’s just a cold, so I went and picked up some medicine and ingredients to make vegetable soup. We ate and since it was really late I spent the night in the other bunk in Ali’s room. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a good day for Ali.
Thursday Jan.9th
Ali’s castings today were for Gap, Bloomingdales, Nylon Magazine, Neiman Marcus and Teen Vogue again. We missed two of her castings and her New Faces agent kept calling to ask where we were. Then she called and said, “Just forget it!” I felt like a two year old in trouble. Ali and I were still laughing at this point and I kept asking her, “Do you think we are going to be in ‘Time Out’ when we get back to the agency? When we did arrive back at Ford the receptionist ushered us into what we called the ‘quiet room’. Ali’s agent came in and was extremely nice??? She said maybe she was being too hard on us and she had some good news for Ali. She booked the Nylon Magazine job and was confirmed for Teen Vogue. Things are looking up.
Friday Jan. 10th
Ali had a casting today with a photographer named Alban Christ. He is looking for a model that can ride horses but is a little concerned about her age because the location of the shoot is Honduras. We also went to a casting for another photographer. While Ali was inside, it started to rain so I stepped to the side of the building. The photographer trash was by the curb and I looked down to see hundreds of comp cards thrown away. It was a wake up call. Ali is one of many models in NY who are competing for the chance to hit it big in this business and seeing all of those cards in the trash made me realize her chances were very slim.
We left the photographer and jumped in a cab to get to her Nylon shoot. The photographer went around the same block twice, finally let us out and charged me $10.00. It didn’t take me long before I realized we were only about a block and a half away from where we started. Another lesson learned. I cooked again tonight for Ali and the other models. We had spaghetti and salad and everyone ate. Two of the girls are leaving the apartment tomorrow and Ali’s agent asked if I would like to stay there for awhile till the castings for show season started. The model apartment manager is out of town so I said, “Why not”? Ali’s model apartment rent just doubled but it’s cheaper than where I was staying.
Saturday Jan. 11th
Ali has another shoot for Nylon today. It’s freezing! We rode the subway down to Lafayette and Grand for Ali’s shoot. I left Ali there and went back to the apartment to do our wash. Ali called when the shoot was over and I walked to meet her at the subway stop. She was shaking she was so cold.. The shoot was outside and she said she wore a beautiful rainbow dress. (I found out later this was the famous Alexander McQueen dress). They sprayed her hair almost black and glued on bangs for a punk rock look. The other models are going out with a promoter to eat and then over to Carson Daley’s apartment. The told us that Michael Jordan is going to be there after his game. Are they for real???? Ali and I are staying in and watching TV. Two different worlds huh???
Sunday Jan 12th
I noticed a list by the phone for the girls to write down breakfast items they would like the house mother Kimberly to pick up. FOR FREE! I guess the idea is to get your day started in a positive way…by eating. Asta and Anica came in really late and they slept till 2:00PM. Ali spent most of the day watching TV and sleeping and I read a book. Asta took us up on the roof tonight where all the models go to smoke. You could see all of NY…it takes your breath away it is so beautiful from up here.
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