Braces and pimples be damned — they’re going to take the modeling world by storm!
A bevy of teenage beauties arrived in New York this week for “Modeling Camp,” a four-day workshop that teaches pretty young things ages 12 to 18 — some of them admittedly going through a bit of an awkward stage — makeup tips and runway techniques.
Run by former Vogue model Heather Cole, the camp also offers meetings with industry professionals and costs $999 per four-day session. The camp already has locations in Washington, DC, and Boca Raton, Fla., but is new to New York City. A second session will be held here Aug. 3 to Aug. 6.
PHOTOS: NEW YORK’S MODELING CAMP
The camp included lessons on how to strut the runway with style, as well as a photo shoot yesterday by fashion photographer Barry Hollywood. Hollywood himself is no stranger to working with young girls; he snapped the cover shot of sister models Niki and the late Krissy Taylor in 1992 for Seventeen magazine, when Krissy was just 11.
“We replicate the professional experience,” said Cole, who said the camp teaches girls self-confidence as much as anything else. There are no criteria for entry — just a budding interest in modeling. (Having tolerant parents doesn’t hurt, either.)
Thirteen-year-old Chelsea Eareckson from Brielle, NJ, and her twin sister, Hannah, found the camp online and begged their parents to let them enroll.
“My mom was OK with it, but my dad didn’t really understand,” Eareckson said, as a makeup artist brushed blush onto her cheeks. “My mom convinced him.”
Twelve-year-old Savannah Schulz from Fredericksburg, Va., has no interest in modeling; she’s got her sights set on being a designer. She signed up for the camp because she wanted to “understand what it’s like for the models” who one day will wear her clothes. She even modeled one of her own designs, a minidress with a flower-print halter top and a black tulle skirt.
Cole acknowledged that 12 is young to begin modeling, but said, “It’s great to start building confidence so in a few years they will have the social skills they’ll need.”
An older girl, Julita Cardenas, 17, who is already signed by an agency in her hometown of Vienna, Va., looked like Gisele Bundchen in front of the camera, arching her back and smiling widely into the camera.
“Great, darling,” said Hollywood, “but soften the eyes.”
Cardenas said she’s hoping to become a high-fashion model, but she’s only 5-foot-7, and the cutoff is generally 5-foot-8.
“Maybe I’ll be an exception, like Kate Moss,” she said.
Fourteen-year-old Lauren Gerrish from Brimfield, Mass., posed in a kilt, black blouse and red suede high-heeled boots, sealing her lips in a tight smile.
“Beautiful,” said Hollywood. “Now smile wide.”
Gerrish opened her mouth to reveal a set of gleaming silver braces. “Oh well,” said Hollywood, clicking away. “Embrace the braces!”