I ran into the timeless beauty Isabella Rossellini on the red carpet at Fashion Group International‘s fabulous Night of Stars gala last week. (Well, OK, she was on the red carpet; I was elbowing reporters along the fringes.) She was a vision of elegance, with impeccable posture and the calm countenance of someone who has spent her life around red carpets. You can’t look at Isabella without seeing her mother, Ingrid Bergman. You also see a woman who is aging gracefully, refusing to jump on the Botox and plastic surgery bandwagon. That is especially impressive for someone whose beauty and identity were so intertwined through her life. But clearly that entanglement was in the beholder’s eyes, not in the heart of this wise woman. I was lucky enough to have a few words with her…

Isabella Rossellini

JJ: What is your #1 tip for aspiring models out there?

IR: Well, you know, there is very little one can do. You are either selected for jobs—and it’s wonderful when that happens—or you’re not. There isn’t much you can do about it.

JJ: It’s good for aspiring models to hear that, because you just can’t take it personally.

IR: You can’t take it personally. And you shouldn’t lose weight or get plastic surgery to try to be accepted, because it either happens or not. It’s like winning the lottery.

JJ: Why did you come out to the Night of Stars tonight?

IR: I am here tonight because Natura is winning an award, and a friend of mine , Roger Schmidt, is the executive at Natura. I came to give him the award. 

Model Karen Elson

Model Karen Elson, truly aging like a fine wine, presented to Superstar Award winner Diane Von Furstenberg. Elson described her as the foxiest woman on the planet and the person who essentially runs the fashion business. I remember modeling for Diane for a Home Shopping Network episode shot at Diane’s HQ in the West Village, or more specifically the Meatpacking District; it figures that Diane was there long before it was declared the it place in New York.

Diane Von Furstenberg

Debbie Harry livened up the presenter panel. Glenda Bailey, EIC of Harper’s Bazaar, was thrilled to have someone as cool as Blondie introducing her.

Diane’s speech honored her dear friend Oscar de la Renta, with whom she dined weekly up until his passing several weeks ago. Her tender words revealed two close friends, disrobed of their celebrity and exposed to the same mortality we all face.

It was not a frivolous fashion fete by any stretch. But, the fact remains, dear readers, the fashion dictators can be a fickle bunch, so keep Isabella’s words in mind and don’t take it personally.

Stay tuned for some adorable scoop from Kids Fashion Week in New York!

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I just got a question from a mom about a contract a modeling agency presented to her. Contracts are invariably confusing no matter what the subject matter, but when it comes to the realm of modeling—so foreign to most people, including most lawyers—answers can be hard to come by. Here are some that I gave the mom, who, incidentally, signed off with “Help!!!! So confused!”—don’t worry, you are not alone!

She wrote: “I had an attorney review their contracts and he was alarmed that they required talent to pay to be on their website service and to print their comp cards.”

The last comp card of my career, from Madrid.

Jill: THIS IS STANDARD PRACTICE. MODELS HAVE ALWAYS HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN COMP CARDS, BUT SOME AGENTS WILL COVER THE COST AND THEN DEDUCT FROM FUTURE EARNINGS. YOU CAN REQUEST THIS BUT I WOULDN’T DEMAND IT. COMP CARDS ARE A NORMAL BUSINESS EXPENSE. RE. WEBSITES, IT’S A LITTLE TRICKIER BECAUSE NON-REPUTABLE AGENCIES SCAM PEOPLE THEY NEVER PLAN TO GET JOBS BY CHARGING THEM TO BE ON THEIR WEBSITE. BUT REPUTABLE AGENCIES CHARGE ALSO AS THEY HAVE TO PAY WEBSITE MAINTENANCE (FORMERLY MODELS WOULD PAY TO BE IN A PRINTED ‘HEAD BOOK,’ SO WEBSITES HAVE REPLACED THIS). IF AN AGENCY SITE FEATURES “MODELS” THAT DON’T LOOK LIKE MODELS, THAT’S A RED FLAG.

IMG’s website, featuring clearly legitimate models

“The lawyer was also alarmed that the agencies in some circumstances charge Clients (ie. Target, etc) a 20% fee.”

Jill: THIS ALSO IS STANDARD PRACTICE. MODELING IS PERHAPS THE ONLY BUSINESS IN WHICH THE AGENT TAKES A CUT FROM BOTH THE TALENT AND THE CLIENT!

“He also thinks I should try to deal wIth them freelance or sign for just a few months. Have you heard of this?”

Jill: SOME MODELS FREELANCE, EVEN MORE SO NOW THAN IN THE PAST. YOU CAN TRY TO GO THIS ROUTE AND SEE IF THEY AGREE. I DOUBT THEY WOULD DO A CONTRACT FOR A FEW MONTHS, BUT YOU CAN TRY TO OPT FOR 1 YEAR. I SIGNED 2 YEARS PLUS AN OPTION FOR 3 MORE WITH MY SON’S MANAGEMENT COMPANY. THIS SEEMED LONG BUT AT THE TIME THE OPPORTUNITY HAD FALLEN IN OUR LAPS AND I FIGURED “I’M NOT GOING TO RUN ALL OVER NEW YORK SEEING AGENTS ANYWAY, SO WHAT THE HECK, WE’LL SIGN.” NOW THAT HE IS GETTING BROADWAY CALLBACKS, I SOMETIMES WONDER IF I SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED TO KEEP OUR OPTIONS OPEN. BUT AGAIN, I COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION, “I’M NOT GOING TO RUN ALL OVER NEW YORK SEEING AGENTS.” CALL ME A LAZY STAGEMOM

If you need help with model lingo, here is a cheat sheet: A to Z Modeling Terminology

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