September is a non-stop whirlwind for the girls who walk the world’s runways. For the select few who conquer the catwalks it is a month of flying, fittings and 24/7 excitement. This season an elite group of models dominated the scene, appearing at every choice show on the calendar and causing a sensation. MDC caught up with 14 of Spring/Summer’s busiest beauties to recount their favorite behind the scenes moments. The shows may be over but the party has just begun – be sure to keep your eyes open for these girls once those coveted S/S 09 campaigns start coming.
All images courtesy Style.com
Alyona at Chloe. Karmen at Balmain
1. Alyona Osmanova 67 Shows: “My favorite moment was the Marc Jacobs show in New York. It was absolutely beautiful and I really loved the play on color, texture, structure and design. The mirrored doors on the runway were so amazing! You see lots of mirrored doors in front of you and each one has something magical behind; like you are walking in a dreamland.”
2. Karmen Pedaru 67 Shows: “All the moments spent with my friend Margit and eating oysters at the Ritz in Paris!”
Anna G at Rodarte. Siri at Chanel
3. Anna Gushina 63 Shows: “One of my most memorable moments was in Paris this year during the Louis Vuitton fitting. There were a couple of masseuses there to give quick shoulder rubs and provide a few minutes of complete relaxation! After three weeks of travel, fittings, casting and shows, a quick massage gave me a jolt of energy to finish up the shows!”
4. Siri Tollerod 63 Shows: “My most memorable moment was running into my childhood friend, Lea in Paris. I barely had time to breathe between fittings and shows but I spent an hour with her. I hadn’t seen her in over 1 year. We had coffee and an intense girlie catch up. It just made me feel at home in Paris for a short but delicious moment.”
Olga at Lanvin, Karlie at Versace
5. Olga Sherer 62 Shows: “All I remember are planes, beds and walking. Planes, beds and walking.”
6. Karlie Kloss 60 Shows: “Hanging backstage at the shows with my friends, except those early morning call times. Ugh! Oh and I got food poisoning in Milan from risotto; give me a burger and fries any day!”
Jourdan at Prada, Anna J at Karl Lagerfeld
7. Jourdan Dunn 59 Shows: “Walking with Naomi Campbell in the ISSA show finale in London.”
8. Anna Jagodzinska 58 Shows: “Definitely a dinner at the Eiffel tower with my boyfriend in Paris.”
Ali at Ralph Lauren. Anya at Jil Sander
9. Ali Stephens 58 Shows: “I have a LOT of memorable moments that happened during fashion week. One that was quite funny happened in Paris. I had a fitting and it was running late and I had to be at a show that was starting in ten minutes! So we were driving there after I was done with the fitting, but the traffic was way too slow. The people from the show were calling to see where I was and were getting nervous. So we had to get out and run all the way to the Carousel de Louvre. Luckily, with the cross country training I have had I wasn’t having too hard of a time. But a booker that was with me started practically having an asthma attack! Basically, I got to the show all hot and flushed. But it turned out perfectly fine and the booker was fine as well!”
10. Anya Kazakova: 57 Shows: “The thing that got me through fashion week was my first cup of tea every morning. Sometimes I got it for myself – other times a friend brought it for me. It just helped to relax me, wake me up and get me ready for the craziness ahead.”
Eniko at Donna Karan. Irina at Dior
11. Eniko Mihalik 57 Shows: “I have to say I enjoyed NY fashion week the most. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any special treatments such as relaxing massages, but I guess it wasn’t the right time and place for that! When I think back of this season,the first memory that comes to my mind is the backstage of Lacoste. Basically I was the only girl who had a bikini as her outfit, plus I had to walk out with a golf bag. Before we started the show, at the line up everyone was joking with me like “Hey which golf club allows people to wear bikini!?” or “Oh I got it! You are carrying your boyfriend’s stuff… :)” then right before I did my walk with the huge bag the designer told me “I want you to feel happy on the catwalk! Don’t just smile! Laugh!” So I did it and that was my wicked backstage experience of NY fashion week this season.”
12. Irina Kulikova 57 Shows: “My most memorable moment during shows was opening Dior.”
Georgina at Oscar de la Renta. Heloise at Dolce & Gabbana
13.  Georgina Stojiljkovic 56 Shows: “I’ve lived through a lot of memorable experiences thanks to this job, so I can’t pick just one but one of the most exciting moments this season was in Paris. It was a motorcycle race on the highway with Kasia, Vlada and Natasha while trying to get on time for John Galliano show. We made it on time!”
14. Heloise Guerin 47 Shows: “I would say that my most memorable moments during fashion week were in Paris of course!! My family helped me to get through the last step of the fashion week tour. For instance when my sister drove me in a scooter late at night, or early in the morning in the dark and empty streets to a fitting. Or when my mother brought me in a small scooter from casting to casting in the pouring rain and freezing cold. Or again on a busy day when my father spent his only free day to drive me all around Paris. These were the memorable moments to me, they made Paris shows so easy and enjoyable!”
(Thanks to the models and all the agents who worked on this: Alyona-Supreme and Storm, Karmen- Next, Anna Gushina-IMG, Karlie-Next, Olga-One, Siri-Trump, Jourdan-Storm and Women, Anna J-Next, Ali Stephens-Elite, Anya K-Marilyn, Eniko-Marilyn, Irina K-IMG, Georgina-Women, Heloise-Women).
