Chanel Iman gives tips for the next Ford Supermodel

Eons before “America’s Next Top Model,”  Ford Models for 30 years has been conducting a global search annually to scout new faces. One lucky gal gets to take home a $250,000 modeling contract with the agency.

Past Ford Model contestants have included big industry names such as Gemma Ward, Elsa Benitez and Alexina Graham. L.A. gal Chanel Iman represented the United States at the 2006 Supermodel of the World finals.

On Saturday, Ford Models is casting for the American contestant simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York. The L.A. search is taking place at the W Hotel in Westwood from noon to 4 p.m., where scouts will be taking digital snaps, interviewing contenders and noting catwalking skills.

One winning contestant will represent the U.S. at the world search finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

If you’re interested in attending, you can still sign up here.

Iman gives All the Rage readers exclusive tips on how to prepare for the modeling contest.

All the Rage: Best outfit for the competition?

Chanel Iman: You should wear something simple, like jeans or a miniskirt and your favorite top. Skinny jeans and a tank is the best look -- you can see your figure.

Makeup tip?

With makeup, it’s better that you wear almost none. You can use a little bit of concealer and maybe some balm, but that's about it. Definitely clean skin with great moisturizer is ALWAYS best.

Hair?

I would pull my hair back, so they can see my face.

A few no-nos, especially for L.A. girls?

There are no real no-nos. Just be yourself, have fun and enjoy the experience.

How does the Ford Supermodel of the World competition differ from reality TV shows?

This is real fashion -- it’s not scripted for the cameras. And you don’t need to be crazy to get noticed!

How soon did your life change after winning the competition?

My life changed immediately!!! I totally haven’t stopped since entering with Ford. It’s been amazing and I’m loving it.

-- Max Padilla

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Are you the world's next top supermodel?

Photo: Chanel Iman at Marc Jacobs spring 2010 show. Credit: courtesy Ford Models

Are you the world’s next top supermodel?

No, Tyra won’t be jumping out with some wacky costume for you to wear in this competition.  The Ford supermodel of the year competition is much more conventional than the sensational reality shows in which average women try to claw their way to “supermodel” status.

At the open casting, on Saturday at the W Hotel in Westwood, wannabe models will have their snapshots taken and walk for Ford agents.  This weekend's winner will represent the U.S. in the world finals in Sao Paolo, Brazil.  And the winner of the world competition will receive $250,000 and a contract with Ford.

But just like a little show called “American Idol,” you don’t necessarily have to take first prize to launch a successful career.  Past runners-up in the Ford competition include Chanel Iman and Alexina Graham -- both uber-models of the moment.

Think you’ve got what it takes to rule the runway? Register here.

--Melissa Magsaysay

Victoria's Secret? Maybe it's California girls

After conducting a nationwide casting call for its next fashion show "runway angel," Victoria's Secret announced 10 finalists, and three of the 10 are model citizens of the Golden State.

Among the leggy and lingerie-clad ladies vying for a spot on the catwalk in the next Victoria's Secret fashion show are Simi Valley's Kylie Bisutti, Carmel's Jamie Lee Darley and Krystina Holbrook of El Dorado Hills.

With the angels in the outfield winnowed down to 10, they've taken wing to New York City for "Angel Boot Camp" for a series of challenges that will test their mettle as spokesmodels in such categories as charisma and ability to walk the runway in lingerie  (what, no wing waxing or halo highlighting?), while kicking it in a luxury  condo outfitted with -- and this comes verbatim from the press release -- "sofas accented with brightly colored pillows" and "playful beanbag cushions."

The inevitable pillow fights between underwear-wearing models will naturally be chronicled in weekly webisodes (available at VSAllAccess.com and CBS.com), and starting Monday at noon Pacific time, the public can start voting on which of the women should earn her wings and walk with the angels in this year's "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," scheduled for broadcast by CBS on Dec. 1.

The rest of the finalists are:

Raven Ervin, Birmingham, Ala.
Katelyn Fortes, Boston, Mass.
Alicia Hall, Las Vegas, Nev.
Tika Ivezaj, Detroit, Mich.
Catharina Lee, Washington D.C.
Courtney O’Conner, Raleigh, N.C.
Allison Turner, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: The list of 10 recently announced finalists in the nationwide Victoria's Secret search for its next runway angel included no fewer than three from California: Kylie Bisuti of Simi Valley, top, Jamie Lee Darley of Carmel, center, and Krystina Holbrook of El Dorado Hills. Credit: Victoria's Secret.

The designers behind Cerre are as stylish as their line

 
Meeting Flavie and Clayton Webster, the husband-and-wife design team behind Cerre, in their new retail space in Hollywood, it’s easy to see how their personal style influences their subtle and classic collection of leather goods.  She’s got a Jane Birkin-esque spirit, with piecey brown hair and heavy bangs.  He’s got long hair and hollow cheeks reminiscent of the CK One ads from the early '90s.  They both have impossibly sinewy frames, smoke thin cigarettes and drink water from wine glasses, making for a very chic face to their collection of buttery leather.

The former models met while working in Paris (for designers such as Olivier Theyskens).  They honed in on starting their own line and quickly learned skills from being on the inside of the fashion industry.  Aiming to build a classic accessories-based brand such as Hermes or Gucci, the two began creating a small collection of bags and small leather goods.  For spring 2010, they’ve branched out into clothing, with a line of leather and linen pieces.  The predominantly ivory and black collection is light, airy but simple in silhouette.  Their trademark leather touches add weight and a little edge.

Their new store in Hollywood is constructed of reclaimed wood giving the long and narrow space a rustic feel.  An impressive rack of vintage finds hangs among their collection.

The store is definitely worth a look.  And if you’re in the area, it’s also worth stopping by a few other new places popping up in the center of Hollywood, including the new home of Scout, Space Fifteen Twenty and Cavern.

Cerre, 1647 N. Las Palmas Ave. Hollywood, CA. 90028. (323) 960-0700

Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: A look from Cerre's spring 2010 line/Cerre

Gap wants your baby

Yes, we know. Your kid is the cutest. And now you'll have the chance to prove it to the world.

Gap -- which is famous for featuring freakishly adorable babies in its ad campaigns -- is launching its annual national Casting Call contest Tuesday at gap.com/castingcall. Stage moms (and dads) can enter their offspring -- babies 4 and under and kids aged 5 to 10 -- for a chance at being featured in Gap's store windows in February.

Competition is steep (according to the Gap, the contest lured nearly a million contestants last year), but if you think your bambino is a cover-baby in the making, here's how it all goes down:

* Upload a photo of your cutie-pie spawn to gap.com/castingcall anytime from Sept. 22 through Oct. 22.

* Gap’s judges will narrow the field to 20 finalists.

* Then the public will vote online to determine the winners (one boy and one girl in each category) who will be featured in the babyGap and GapKids 2010 campaign.

Want to narrow your odds? Take a killer picture. Stefano Azario, a well-known child photographer, offered these tips:

Get close: Zoom in to get as close as possible to your subject’s face so it’s clearly visible. If your subject’s too far away, they’ll get lost against the background.

Watch the background: Shoot the photo against a simple background so your subject really stands out. Don’t forget to move anything nearby that might be distracting.

Try different angles: Try angling the camera or shooting from different perspectives to make your photos more memorable. It’s also important to photograph kids at their eye level rather than standing over them.

Use natural lighting: Sunlight is much more flattering than indoor lighting. Use filtered, natural light to enhance colors and skin tones. Try not to shoot with the sun behind the camera as it will probably make the subject squint and will also cast strong shadows.

--Emili Vesilind

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Photo credit: Courtesy of the Gap

Milan Fashion Week: Madonna's alleged boy toy among the dazzle at Dolce & Gabbana

MILAN -- Fresh off Sao Paulo Fashion Week just two days ago, Brazilian model (and widely reported Madonna paramour) Jesus Luz strutted his stuff on the catwalk at today's Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2010 show, which the label touted as an exclusive runway turn during Milan Fashion Week. Apparently, he's also the face of the brand for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2009/2010 ad campaign, which was shot by Steven Klein and inspired by Italian director Luchino Visconti’s “Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli” (“Rocco and His Brothers”).

According to the designers, Luz was chosen because, like the character in the film, he "is "the modern emblem of hopes and dreams” (we suspect they mean hopes and dreams beyond bedding the Material Girl).

But his presence didn't seem to cause much of a stir, either because no one else knew Jesus from Adam (I confess, I had to Google him) or because he was nowhere near as memorable as the black embroidered shawl collar tuxedo he was wearing.

In fact, the entire collection looked as if it had been attacked by a band of BeDazzler wielding tailors that left nary a surface unglittered. In addition to jackets, there were heavily embroidered scarves, trousers and slippers. 

In addition, there was some seriously distressed denim on the runway -- worn over top of black and white striped silk pajamas (perhaps a residual of the pajama trend Dolce & Gabbana captured so perfectly with their Spring/Summer 2009 collection).

By the time the sun set on the first day of shows here, it was clear that Dolce & Gabbana were paddling in their own trend pool when it came to the heavy handed embellishments. We'll see how the next two days play out, though their decision to stay almost completely in the black and white color palette underscored one of the more curious trends to emerge in a spring/summer collection -- a serious color drought.

More on that later.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: Jesus Luz in Dolce & Gabbana's Spring/Summer 2010 runway show. Credit: Dolce & Gabbana

More photos from Dolce & Gabbana's Spring 2010 menswear show

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More from Milan Fashion Week | Photos

Susan Boyle and the era of ordinary chic

There's been lots of Internet chatter about "Britain's Got Talent" breakout star Susan Boyle's new, darker, more relaxed 'do and plucked eyebrows. (Boyle's performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" during the show, when her hair was more frizzy and her appearance more frumpy, has gotten more than 13 million hits on YouTube.) But she's not going from ugly duckling to swan just yet.

"Maybe I'll consider a makeover later on," Boyle, 47, told the London Times on Saturday. "For now I'm happy the way I am -- short and plump. I would not go in for Botox or anything like that. I'm content with the way I look."

And why not? Isn't it funny that now, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute is getting ready to launch its annual fashion exhibition "The Model as Muse" on May 4, it's not models but mortals who are the focus of our attention? Welcome to the era of ordinary chic. After all, first mom Michelle Obama is the style icon of the moment, despite her toothy smile and sometimes awkward gait, not Kate Moss or Katie Holmes.  

Over the weekend, I watched a screener of the upcoming Fox show "Glee," about a group of high school outcasts who bond over show choir. There's something telling about the fact that this is Ryan Murphy's follow-up project to the plastic surgery show "Nip/Tuck," and that the most memorable line of the pilot is when the singing jock says to his football teammates, "We are all losers." 

The flip side of that is that we can all be stars, so long as we find our own voice. Maybe the collective embrace of Boyle is a sign that we are at last tiring of faux-reality and unattainable perfection, of the "happy couple" Heidi and Spencer, the airbrushed Kim Kardashian and the rest of Hollywood's incredibly shrinking celebrities. In this age of engineered attractiveness anyone can be beautiful, but oh, to be ordinary!

What do you think? Is Susan Boyle a style hero?

-- Booth Moore

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Follow fashion critic Booth Moore on Twitter

Photos: At top, Susan Boyle on April 21. Credit: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images. At bottom, Boyle on April 24. Credit: AP Photo / Andrew Milligan, PA

Are you Joe's Jeans' next top model?

Earlier this week we told you about music-loving fashion designer John Varvatos' new rock star search. But what's a rocker without a model in his or her entourage? Luckily, Joe's Jeans has stepped up to the plate. In a separate contest being held in conjunction with their website redesign, the folks behind the denim-and then-some label have their eyes peeled for a new face.

Those interested have until July 15 to make a video that answers college-entrance essay-style questions such as “What’s my Joe's Fit?,” “Why I should be the next Joe's model,” and “Why I am the Undiscovered Choice." Fans can log onto the website and vote for their favorites. Then industry experts Mary Filar (Marie Claire), Nicole Bordeaux (Photo[genics) and Joe's founder Joe Daham will choose five male and female finalists to attend a private casting in L.A.. The winner will be announced Aug. 12.

-- Whitney Friedlander

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Matvey Lykov and the model artist

Over at the Rage compound, we're always happy when something from the Image section moves a reader to write in. So we were impressed, and yes, a bit flattered, when we received an e-mail from a Claremont, Calif., teenager who was so inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Times photographer Carolyn Cole's cover shot of the rising star who appeared in our story about male models on the subway, that she put pencil to paper. Here's her e-mail:

Hi! I read your article in the newspaper about Matvey Lykov. I saw his picture in the front page of Image, and I thought he looked cool!
Anyway ... I drew a picture of him from the front page, and I thought I'd send it to you.
...The image quality isn't that great ... I took it on my cellphone camera. So ... There you are!

From: Nina Merry, 15

We're forwarding it on to Lykov, who told us the piece had also generated some interest from people interested in helping him take his career to the next level (in our interview, he expressed an interest in the film industry), and we've posted the drawing above as well.

-- Adam Tschorn

Image: A sketch of Matvey Lykov. Credit: Nina Merry

A giggle at the guys -- and the get-ups -- at the men's shows

Yesterday, local style blog Racked LA posted an item referencing Best Week Ever's second installment of a feature called "The Saddest Male Models in the World," some of the more outlandish get-ups and odd-ball models paired with snarky titles like the "Paxil Rose," the  "Scientology," and the  "Meth Rogen."

Since we'd just put the finishing touches on our own story for today's paper exploring the purpose of barely wearable, out-of-the-curve clothes  that appear on the menswear runways, it gave us a good chuckle.

In a way it's a bit unfair and certainly not the point -- kind of like looking at a Jackson Pollock painting and saying: "Gee, your cat can paint!" but at least BWE was kind enough in its mockery not to mention the designers by name. (And we'll give them a pass on calling them all looks from spring/summer 2009, some of them are definitely from the most recent fall/winter collections.)

Our favorite of the bunch -- and I'm including it here since it actually has nothing to do with the designer (in this case Rick Owens) and everything to do with the model's uncanny resemblance to a certain actress. It was titled the "Tilda Swinton."

And in the interest of disclosure, the Image section also ran a photo gallery of some of the more fashion-forward looks from the Paris and Milan men's shows.

-- Adam Tschorn

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Fall 2009: Rick Owens men's runway video

Photo: The Rick Owens look dubbed the "Tilda Swinton" in Best Week Ever's "The Saddest Male Models in the World" roundup. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson for the Los Angeles Times.