Bad and beautiful
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Inside the dazzling and deadly world of supermodels
by IAN HALPERIN
Ian Halperin is a Montreal-based journalist and author of Shut Up and Smile: Supermodels, the Dark Side and Who Killed Kurt Cobain?
The following is a North-American exclusive excerpt from his book Bad and Beautiful: Inside the Dazzling and Deadly World of Supermodels, published by Citadel Press, New York, to be released October 1, 2001.
New York Fashion Week 2000 was the perfect way to see first hand what goes on before a fashion show. The ambience at the Chaiken show was a tribute to creative inspiration. Everyone backstage was an artist of some sort--model, jewelry designer, hair stylist, and make-up artist, each contributing their special flair to the show's theme. Clearly this is more of a visual than a verbal culture, although most of the models backstage didn't mind saying a few words. Amy, a striking 17-year-old model, was sitting next to supermodel Bridget Hall. "This is so much fun," Amy exclaimed. "I think we're going to put on a great show tonight."
Chaiken epitomizes the finest blend of class and cutting edge design. It is one of the most anticipated shows of the week, and lures a bevy of TV and print journalists from all over the world. In this crowd, TV star Joy Behar from ABC's The View caused a commotion by asking supermodel Frankie Rayder if her mother had given her that name because she wanted a boy. Rayder, a tall brunette whose sister Missy was also modeling at the Chaiken show, lashed out at Behar.
"Fucking idiot," Raydar lashed out to MAC makeup artist Gordon Espinet. "What is she, Joan Rivers on crack?"
Raydar doesn't like to take crap from anybody. For several years, she worked hard to make it as a supermodel. She hit it big internationally in May 2000, when both she and her sister Missy appeared on a Harper's Bazaar cover, scantily clad in string bikinis.
"I don't think that Joy Behar meant any harm," said one of the Chaiken event's organizers. "But her timing was off. The last thing the girls need minutes before a show is to be insulted. It's a big distraction because they're so busy preparing a million things for the show."
After the show, I attended a party at a loft where the guests included numerous models and fashion dignitaries. Joints were passed around like candy while conversation was frequently interrupted by the loud popping sound of champagne bottles opening. Spirits were high and the mood was festive.
That night, everyone gossiped about how Gisele Bundchen had opted out of modeling for Carolina Herrera's show after the designer refused to pay her the $50,000 appearance fee she demanded. Gisele tried to downplay the incident by saying; "I'm only doing the biggies this year--Oscar, Michael Kors, Calvin, Donna."
"Gisele is starting to think she's bigger than life," said fashion photographer Desi Hay. "It's about time she wakes up and realizes that money's not everything. There's no room for greed during important events like New York Fashion Week."
In this crowd, the name Gisele is more likely to conjure up the image of a hustler rather than a model. Gisele, claimed makeup assistant Kim Freedman, uses her grotesque self-confidence to make her peers resentful. "I don't think she should steal headlines here with stupid stuff like how much money she wants to be paid," Freedman said. "This is not the place for that. Here, it's all about art, all about how to shine on the runway."
Montreal, you're not my city
Freedman, an ex-Montrealer, moved to New York in 1998 because she had trouble finding work in Montreal, a city she describes as "one of the most frustrating places to work because of all the language crap." On this night, Freedman, 27, tries hard to be hip in a crowd that is considered society's most hip. She was garbed in a see-through T-shirt and a diamond nose ring. She said that she loves New York Fashion Week because it brings out the essence, spirit and timelessness of true fashion seemingly absent from many of designs so popular of late. "When you have Chaiken, Badgley Mischka and Betsey Johnson showcasing their finest new creations in the same week, there's nothing more in fashion you can ask for," Freedman said. "Most of the outfits you'll see this week will blow your mind. It's so refreshing to see because the fashion industry has become so over-saturated with junk in recent years."
Freedman made a significant head movement to another guest, runway model Treylee Sims, to slip away down the back staircase to the garden outside. We walked through the garden to the wall separating it from the rear of the property fronting on 101st Street. At the corner, behind a garage, Freedman reached in her pocket, pulled out a joint and started reminiscing about the fashion scene she left behind in Montreal. "Very anal," she said. "They're all just a bunch of stupid asses... jaded dreamers. I should have left Montreal years ago. There's really nothing substantial going on. Everybody there is a con. If they'd spend half the time developing the industry as they do putting white powder up their nose, Montreal would probably develop into a decent scene. I made more contacts in my first week in New York than I did in more than 10 years in Montreal. Now I'm making a big salary, and have the luxury of refusing jobs. Here, I can basically pick and choose the jobs I want. In Montreal, I led a hand-to-mouth existence."
Escape from rape
Back at the party, I met the stunning Swedish model Paulina, who was perched elegantly on an antique sofa. I sat down beside her and started talking. Paulina was here on a schmoozing assignment, in an attempt to find a good agent. Although the striking blonde already had an agent in Sweden, she had ambitions of advancing her career by blazing a trail through New York. Paulina was the most philosophical model I met. Aside from the fact that she does yoga daily and is a big fan of Leonard Cohen, I discovered that Paulina was obsessed with spiritual growth and naturalism. She differed from all the other models I had met in that she didn't take drugs and possessed a talent for shrewd observation.
"I'm not here to be famous or to try and sleep my way to the top like so many of the girls try to do," she said. "I'm here to learn and draw inspiration from the world's most incredible designers. I'm here to focus on my own growth, because when I grow, everything and everyone around me doesn't wither, they grow too."
Paulina is a household name in Sweden not only for her work on the catwalk, but for her bravery in fending off a Swedish agent who tried to rape her back in 1998. The agent entered Paulina's hotel suite after a fashion show in Stockholm while she undressed. He beat her and tried to force her to have sex. Paulina, bruised and bleeding, managed to kick him in the crotch and run into the hallway, screaming for her life. The agent was arrested and charged for rape.
"During the trial I found out that he had beaten his wife and punched a Japanese model who had refused to sleep with him," Paulina said. "I strongly advise any aspiring model to do a thorough check about an agent's history before considering signing with them. Since that ugly incident, I've met so many models with similar stories. It's frightening to know how many models are forced to sell their soul to their agents and end up being treated like prostitutes."
One of the highlights of Paulina's stay in New York was having access to Soho's second-hand stores where she scoured the racks for bargains. Paulina, who has a keen eye for color, shows off the yellow handbag she bought at a thrift shop for $4.
"Pretty funky style, eh," she says. "I bet that if a model would use this in a show thousands of people would go out and buy it. You see, you don't have to wear only Gucci or Calvin Klein to make a statement. I'm sure some of the best designers go to cool thrift shops for inspiration. Where else can you find such unique stuff?"
Paulina said she hoped to hook up with the right people so that she could model at next year's fashion week. "It's my dream to be part of this," she said. "It's different from anything else I've seen. I don't care much about Milan or Paris. New York's the place to be. I get a natural high just being here and experiencing the crazy energy. And the people are more down-to-earth and real than anywhere else I've been. I've been to fashion events in other cities and all that goes on is men trying to screw the young models. Not here. It's relaxed. Women can be women without feeling fear."
Lock your daughters up
The rest of the evening, I spent most of my time in the company of John Gavin, a New York model agent who didn't seem to mind befriending the models he had met during his 15-year career. The 45-year-old Gavin, dressed in brown slacks and a red T-shirt, shared many stories about his wild experiences in the modeling business over beers. "I've seen Naomi and Linda at parties drunk as skunks," Gavin said. "I've seen older men cheat on their wives with models young enough to be their granddaughters. It's a wild and crazy business. I wouldn't let my daughters go anywhere near it."
Gavin blamed a lot of the sleaze associated with modeling on fashion designers. He described them as young people who live peripatetic lives and design everything to suit the needs of their generation, with no sense of moral responsibility.
"The best designers try to stay free of conventional expectations," Gavin says. "But often they get too carried away. So many of the clothes they design are just meant to shock and create controversy. It's gotten to the point of becoming offensive. The designers have to wake up and realize that the clothes they create can influence a whole new generation. They have to create with moral responsibility."
While Gavin may have made his name by being an agent with a code of ethics, he regrets how often he's had to contend with disreputable agents and designers during his career.
"I can count the good guys in this business on one hand," he says. "So many people I've dealt with over the years had some sort of hidden agenda. It's rare to meet people in this business who are completely upfront. There's a fine line in this business between recklessness and responsibility."
Gavin claimed that the stories behind the modeling industry have all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster. He predicts that unless things change soon, the modeling industry won't have much of a future. "Eventually someone will take the initiative, come in here and try to shut it all down," Gavin says. "There are not many other businesses out there that have such crap going on. I think it's time to clean things up. Too many innocent people have been hurt."
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