Don’t Mess with Texas

I love Dallas for 2 things, great models and Mexican food. They grow their models tall in Texas and there’s heaps of them pouring in from all around the lonestar state. The Texans love their flair so you always get a little bonus with them arriving with their snazzy outfits and sparkly accessories.  I’m a Californian and California has phenomenal mexican food. Texas has insane Mexican food. In the civil war-like Texas rivalry which is Pappacitos vs Chuys I always make Chuys a tradition ordering the “la comida deluxe” with a pillow and comforter chaser. I dream about that dish.This trip just happened to be the same time as game 3 of the Mavs-Lakers NBA playoff game so coupling with the fact that one of my models Colin Branca was in town shooting and me winning tix to the game on ebay we rolled hard with extra large foam finger in hand to watch a raucous cowboy mob cheer on their team to a buzzer beater and ultimately back breaking win over the Lakers.  Models, some potential but no one ready now. My best find was in the hyatt fitness center, a young 15 year old not in the competition. I hope her mom calls.

Cute. Reminds me of Anna Paquin. She’s a baby at 12 yrs. Will watch her body develops.

Good face, good height, right age. But is he strong enough? WIlhelmina Men is so hard to get into.

Award winning hash browns

Cowboy posse arrive for Mavs playoffs game 3.

Pretty girl. Miami maybe but she is 5’6″ and sadly it’s not tall enough for the bigger markets.

Love the face but his height is challenging, long torso, short legs. 6’0″ just isn’t good enough for NY anymore.

Beautiful face, eyes. She can model. But uncertain about NY level.

La comida deluxe at Chuys.

For casting assessment

Mavs-Lakers pix http://www.flickr.com/photos/60231305@N08/sets/72157626701310906/

Glowsticks required

When Kylie Minogue rolls into town it’s usually with her long time boyfriend and our beloved Wilhelmina model/fashion obsession Andres Velencoso. Papi hooked us up with private balcony seats for a crystal view of the show, hovering atop a sea of fashion queens smushed and pushed up inside the Hammerstein Ballroom for ferocious laser beam-video drone=creatine pumped rave-a-palooza. Grown men burst into flames when Queen of Dynasty Joan Collins arrived in balcony above us. This tour should be sponsored by the Shamwow to mop up the buckets of sweat from the colossal Ibiza-like dance party.

Lucky fan pulled onstage

Joan Collins arrives, crown erupts

Ode to Andres

There’s way too many fabulous people at this dinner table

Venus, Nicole Miller, Nick Von K, Heather Graham

Nicole welcomed super talented Kiwi jewelry architect Nick Von K to new york with a New York welcome  pulling out the stops with a 40 person table at Indochine. Sitting him in between Heather Graham and Karen Duffy ensured a constant smile on his face. But it wasn’t until Zach Braff demonstrated his best runway down the length of the restaurant to us that the party hit its stride, followed by one of the legendary palm trees going down to the gasp of the room. Bloggers typing furiously. 8 glasses of wine later Nicole told me we were filming for her new webisodes soon to be a Bravo show. Thanks Nicole. Welcome to New York Nick.

My posse’s on Broadway

Venus and Crazy Janey

Black Hawk down

June Ambrose

Zach Braff working the bling

Zandile Blay and Nicole Miller

Venus, Nicole Miller, Nick Von K, Heather Graham

I’m still alive

I’m always seeking inspiration in as many forms as possible. Rothko said that a picture must be miraculous and is deeply personal. I believe it should be the same with models and the image they convey to us in fashion.
A model’s performance should be as unrepeatable as the weather or emotions.
The encounter between image and viewer, photographer and model is ultimately private and defies explanation.

Derelict by Mugatu

A very young Richard Prince shot by Cindy Shepard

Happy Easter

Be a Dutchess or wear shoes like one

Fans mob Macy's for Fergie

Wilhelmina represented  artist Fergie came to town to promote her sexy shoe line “Fergilicious” at Macys. First lucky 300 in line got a photo with her. I stopped by after work on my way to acupuncture to find a hungry mob of devotees in a scrum to catch of glimpse of the Dutchess.

Rockin Robyn

Aussie plus size model robin lawley slices into the fashion coolness by getting booked by steven meisel for italian vogue. This morning she just went live on vogues’ website homepage as the hot new face of the moment. Robyn is a true plus size at size 14 and after shooting her video for the site I realized what an extraordinary model she is. The business needs visionaries and Franca Sozzani is one of them.  Have the courage to re-define the borders of beauty.

The Cheshire Cat

Sam Way. This kid is one of my favorites. He’s always smiling and has this constant look like he has a secret that he can’t keep inside. You know him as the current face of tommy hilfiger. He’s an incredible magician and its rare that were with him where we don’t starting chanting for magic. No tricks necessary.

Winners take all

My bff Crazy Janey on “The Price is Right.”

Bienvenidos a Panama

It can be hard finding tall, skinny girls in a place that there are few and far between.  But I love the challenge. And I love Central America. For 3 years I got to choose Mr. and Mrs Panama with the help of my dear friend Raul Cubilla who organized the competition and I have since made a part of our Wilhelmina family. He knows I love the local food too so always finds a way to fill my insatiable appetite, and always features a churrasco along the way. This past trip I was a judge in the Panamanian tv Star 23 competition which was a VH1 esque mix of “Dancing with the Stars” and a ruckus New Years Eve party; the studio deafening by families armed with whistles, posters and thundersticks cheering on their favorite candidate. Check it out.

Her regal cheekbones mixed with innocence is exquisite. A fawn.

Yomali and Yazmara

Adorable. Young but Ill be watching him.

Very cute. Ethnically ambiguous. Great for Miami.

Happy New Year. Fans come for a party.

A beautiful 5’11” Chinese girl in Panama? Amazing.

Can you believe I got this at the mall? I love churrasco!

This kid is gorgeous. I have plans for him.

Dance competition

Rebel yell

I gets terrifyingly serious at the office. Sometimes to the point where the models are afraid to say hi. When I can I’ll try to take the time to get to know them and take them out for dinner or a night out.  I’ve always been inspired by album covers so when you get a group of guys out on Mexican night at my favorite “Festival Mexicana” and after to the usual watering hole “The National Underground” for some Johnny Cash music, there’s bound to be some legendary moments made for film.