Movie Review – The Holiday. . .

The Holiday . . .

. . . is almost like an old-fashioned romantic comedy—and I mean that in a GOOD way! I’m not sure why, but I went with low expectations. I didn’t EXPECT to like this movie, but I was surprised. It was fun from beginning to end—and I mean “especially” to Jude Law’s end. (Okay, it’s a cheap shot – but I had to take it. He is so cute!) If truth be told, I was never a Jude Law fan before and didn’t understand why everyone made such a big deal about him. Perhaps I was remembering him from his other films where he often played the “bad” guy. But I never found him that handsome or sexy. Now, I have completely revised my thinking.

Jude Law was made for romantic comedy. He is handsome, charming, adorable, and PERFECT in this film. I heard several women in the theater discussing how he reminded them of a young Cary Grant. My boyfriend responded, “No, he’s BETTER than Cary Grant.” So… it’s not just a “girl thing.” Jude Law is fabulous and adorable in The Holiday.

Kate Winslet is also marvelous sans period clothing, for a change, and playing a contemporary girl, ditched and wounded. The two of them shine. Cameron Diaz is fun and Jack Black—well, it’s nice to see him finally get the girl in a movie, too.

The best part of The Holiday—other than Jude Law—is that there are surprises! Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, it turns out it’s something else, and something better than what you thought. Nancy Meyers, writer-director, has utilized show business as a background (a supposed no-no in the biz—but it works here—and works wonderfully). I love the parts where Cameron Diaz’s character, a movie trailer producer, sees and hears her life like a trailer. I could even have enjoyed more of these! That’s about all I’ll say about the plot. I like to go to a movie knowing nothing and letting the story completely unfold in front of my eyes, so I’m not telling any of it here. Suffice it to say, you’ll smile, you’ll chuckle, and you’ll enjoy! If you miss it at the theaters, get it on DVD!

Written by Marilyn Anderson

The Madewell Party Food, drink, clothes, and a movie – the perfect night for any girl!

The Madewell Party
Food, drink, clothes, and a movie – the perfect night for any girl!

Madewell, a new clothing store in Century City, had a super party for the holidays. The tasty goodies started before you even got in the door. Donuts, anyone? These were mini-fried doughnuts with a choice of toppings. You were questioned as you entered. Powdered sugar? Chocolate? Maple honey? Oreo Cookie? or Vanilla? What a fun way to start a bash—with a great dessert at the very beginning!

Inside the store, a deejay played as people milled around looking at the clothes, drinking green drinks and wine, and nibbling on a tasty selection of hors d’oeuvres. Everything from little purple baked potatoes with caviar, ahi tuna on star crackers, basil & tomato tartlets with cheese, mini-turkey & cranberry jam biscuits, and salmon and crème fraiche on teeny potato pancakes. The appetizers kept flowing.

The clothes ran the gamut of conservative sweaters, jackets, and pants, to a lovely great-shade-of-blue dress, to some black & sexy see-through blouses—a terrific mix for various occasions.

Everyone who attended was invited to see a screening of “The Holiday.” Did they give out tickets? No. It wasbetter than tickets. About twenty minutes before we were to head to the movie, the Madewell ladies brought out bags of cool purple scarves. Then the whole party romped over to the theater, each person with a blaze of cool purple wrapped around his/her neck or flowing from his/her side. The movie—what can I say? Jude Law, Jude Law, Jude Law! He is sooooo cute. And he was “made” for romantic comedy. See the Review.

Meanwhile, check out the cool clothes at Madewell (JCrew’s sister brand) at the Westfield Shopping Mall in Century City.

Madewell
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310-772-0428
www.madewell1937.com

Written by Marilyn Anderson

Dancing with the SENIOR Stars – Gotta Dance!

Dancing with the SENIOR Stars – Gotta Dance!

Who would pay money to see old ladies’ legs? That was the question posed by a skeptical critic when producer Riff Markowitz started “The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies” 16 years ago. The answer, as it turns out, is over two and a half million people from around the world!

“Gotta Dance!” is the title of the Follies sixteenth birthday edition, which runs until May 20, 2007. The Las Vegas-style extravaganza is a celebration of the music, dance, and comedy of the 30s and 40s, starring performers who have actually lived it! Guest starring in this edition of the Follies will be three legendary lady singers: Gogi Grant, Gloria Loring, and Mimi Hines.

Audiences are wowed by the Follies’ legendary Long-Legged Lovelies and Dapper Dandies, who, this season, range in age from 57 to 82! Their talent and showmanship prove that biological age is irrelevant when it comes to crowd-pleasing entertainment. Singers & dancers must be over 55 to audition, unlike Hollywood, where it seems they have to be under 25!

The music, choreography, and costumes are sensational. One of the most charmingsegments is when the dancers—first the men, then the chorus girls—wearing magnificent sequined costumes with 10-foot-high feathered headdresses, introduce themselves and tell their ages! It’s endearing to “get to know them” and then watch in amazement as they dance gloriously across the stage. Collectively, the cast of 20 has quite an impressive background; they’ve danced on Broadway, in Paris and Tokyo; on stage, in television and movies; in the Folies Bergere, June Taylor Dancers, and Alvin Alley; and from 1924-2006!

Hank Brunjes, 74, trained at New York’s High School of Performing Arts, and appeared in the original Broadway productions of “West Side Story,” “Mame,” and “Chicago.”

Dick France, 77, was in the Mary Martin touring company of “Annie Get Your Gun” in 1948, and on Broadway with Shirley Jones in “Oklahoma!” He returns to the Follies for his fourth season after an absence of a year. Dick says, “I hated to miss the Follies last season, but quadruple coronary by-pass surgery got in the way… but now, I’m back!”

Glenda Guilfoyle, 73, is a single mother of seven children and grandmother of eight. She started dancing professionally at age 17 as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette.

Now in her eleventh season, the Follies’ oldest performer, Dorothy Kloss, is 82. She began dancing at three and throughout her career, starred in shows with a young Bob Fosse, Eddie Duchin, Liberace, Howard Keel, Mel Torme, and Frankie Lane.

But just because the performers are seniors, don’t think they “take it easy.” They do shows twice a day, 5 nights a week! And this is no laid-back, slow-paced show! There are three high-energy acts of fabulously costumed splendid singing and dancing, ending with a rousing patriotic finale. Interspersed between music numbers are various guest headliners. The show is produced and emceed by impresario Riff Markowitz, who recounts witty jokes and social commentary with a suave, charismatic style.

The Fabulous Palm Spring Follies is performed at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtownPalm Springs. Built in 1936, the former movie theater was home to Bob Hope radio broadcasts, The Jack Benny Radio Show and live performances by Frank Sinatra and Gordon McCrae. Today you can go there and spend a marvelous evening of pure fun and enjoyment that will leave you smiling for days. So no matter how old—or young—you are, kick up your heels and dance your way over!

Fabulous Palm Springs Follies
128 South Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-327-0225
www.psfollies.com

Written by Marilyn Anderson

Cool and Comfy in Rails

The beauty of California goes beyond lusty ocean waves, the chill of winter mountaintops, and breezy months of spring. It’s being able to wear what you want pretty much when you want. Of course, give and take your basic layering pieces.

And speaking of basic, newcomer Rails offers refined relaxation to anyone looking for cool and comfy additions to their leisure-wear wardrobe and dress-up-dress-down pieces. Designer Jeff Abrams launched Rails during summer 2006, proving that he most definitely knows a thing or two about form, fit, and feel. Because really, looking good doesn’t have to mean compromising your body into unflattering and uncomfortable pieces. (Wearing a style that feels awkward opens the door for a bad day anyway.)

With delicate textured screen-print tees, super soft hoodies, simple sweaters, and boxy caps, Abrams’ no fuss spring 2007 collection includes unique styles for the likes of both men and women. Having quickly made its way on some of Hollywood’s most notables, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Alba, Adrian Grenier, Ellen Pompeo, and Evangeline Lilly, Rails can be found in boutique favorites across the country. Think yummy shops like Kitson and Fred Segal.

Growing up among a family of artists and holding degrees in political science and business, this 2001 U.C. Berkley grad eventually found his way to Europe after working several years at a major L.A. television studio, a job where he helped launch brands that targeted the same youth demographic that has inspired his direction withRails. And alas, as he worked three years in Italy, soaking in the influences of art and travel, all the while maintaining his desire to creatively explore a new area of interest, Abrams’ vision of this contemporary unisex line took ground. And over here at Agenda, we’re so glad it did.

A line that is influenced by European couture fashion and youthful Southern California lifestyle? And blended into a collection that captures a sophisticated spirit and carefree attitude all at once? Check it out. You’ll be all over it.

Written by Elana Pruitt

J.B. Hill Boots – A Well-Constructed Western Boot Never Goes out of Style

J.B. Hill – A Well-Constructed Western Boot Never Goes out of Style

What makes a good sturdy pair of boots? For one, the leather toe is meticulously carved down to a streamlined classic look. Number two, experienced hands welt the boot, using little extra length to ensure the welt never breaks free. Number three, there are a minimum of 36 lemon wood pegs per side, all leather heels are cemented and nailed, each stitch on the welt is hand scored, and engraved sterling silver conchos are inlaid and stitched to the leather pull straps. At least that is how a superior boot made by J.B. Hill goes out into the world.

J.B. Hill is a line of designer boots made with keen

precision and a pure essence of good ol’ western charm. Jessica Simpson has worn these boots while in concert, and Gwyneth Paltrow sported them in the movie Proof. It seems like the traditional cowboy boot has never really gone out of style. In the past, women used to wear their cowboy boots with prairie skirts, but now you can mix and match them with mini skirts, jeans, and even an evening gown. And since Country Western music is so popular today, even its icons have made the cowboy boot a hootin’ and hollerin’ fashion statement. In fact, ZZ Top’s bassist, Dusty Hill, wore boots by J.B. Hill on his wedding day!

J.B. Hill’s prices range from $688.00 to $4,810.00 retail. Compared to other designer brands like Back at the Ranch, whose price points can range anywhere from $1,500.00 – $5,000.00 a pair, or Lucchese, whose prices are firmly planted in the low budget $275.00 range, J.B. Hill seems to be the ticket for style, durability, comfort, and highest quality—the answer to off-the-rack, bland, conventional footwear for men and women today. There are a variety of designs to choose from, including alligator, calf top, lizard, kangaroo, and a host of other exotic skins. The stitching is made to last for years, and the styles are timeless while still setting the trends. The catalog presents a variety of styles, and each boot comes with the choice of several stitch patterns, heel and toe styles. They can also build belts to match your boot style. To ensure customer satisfaction, J.B. Hill even offers to send “fitter” boots in case any adjustments on their recent purchase(s) are needed.

Another popular boot-like shoe is the Mule. If you’re looking for that boot feel without the boot constriction, this could be the answer for you. Throw on a pair of Levis and slip into one of these comfortable styles. Traditionally, Mule styles are low-heeled boot-like clogs. And again, J.B. Hill crafts these with the finest leather and stitching. Prices range from $335.00 to $1,100.00 retail.

To Learn more about J.B. Hill boots, visit their website atwww.jbhilltexas.com. They are located at 335 N. Clarke Drive, El Paso, TX 79905. Tel. (915) 599-1551. Call for store listings in your area.

Written by Kaylene Peoples

Keepin’ It Real with L.A. Style

Tart – Keepin’ It Real with L.A. Style

Everyone remembers his/her first of something, be it a horrifying moment or merely a teaser of the excitement that sits around the corner. As forTart’s head designer Sherry Wood, if her first fashion show at Smashbox Studios is any indication of what lies ahead, count her in!

“I loved every second of it,” she proudly admits. “It was the most fulfilling experience in my career.” Wood was 100 percent involved with the models, accessories, hair and make-up, and every other detail that can either make or break a fabulous show.

And yes ma’am, she did it all while wearing her finale design – that beautiful low-cut, peach number which graced the floor and proved sexiness, comfort, and versatility are treasures worth making a dime off of. Describing it as a “micromodule design,” Wood knew that it would be a perfect dress to run around in.

“Fashion, like life, is in a constant state of evolution,” the Los Angeles-based designer has said, which sets the stage for her spring 2007 collection. “Even if cycles repeat themselves, there’s always the opportunity to reinterpret fashion in new ways, and as opportunities for self-expression.”

This season, Tart is aimed at creating a “chic and confident” look, according to its design leader. With an undeniable statement of ultra cool, 70s-inspired sexiness, Wood’s collection featured deeply shaded solids, ranging in the likes of navy, purple, orange, chocolate, and with, of course, a springtime accent of white. Jumpers, leggings, below-the-bosom belts, and mini-dresses (a “Lolita feel”) are soooo Southern California on-the-go appropriate.

Most women barely have the time to actually walk into a Starbucks these days for a quick java, strictly opting for drive-thru java instead. So finding extra moments to change outfits throughout the day? Um, yeah right.

Wood is all about bringing a woman from day into night in a single outfit; offering styles that, really, are for ladies who know their bodies and are not ashamed to wear fashion that embraces their femininity.

As depicted in Tart’s debut fashion show, a woman shalt not leave behind the support of her accessories. Clutches, handbags, wide brim hats, oversized sunglasses can add the right touches in the right places. “Wearing accessories makes an outfit your own,” Wood says. She cites Halston as a major influence on her collection, gracing the season of spring with “Grecian Goddess” styled pieces that offer a “clean, sophisticated silhouette.”

For the woman who started her professional career in retail by working out of the men’s department at Nordstrom because “it was easier on the men’s side,” her passion behindTart seems to be the new cure for the very self-loathing feelings and woe-is-me mentality that exists in nearly every woman’s fitting room: “I know where women want to emphasize and de-emphasize.”

A fashionable lifestyle means many things to many people, and in committing the past 20 years to a variety of facets of the fashion industry, Wood is planted in spreading the seed of L.A. style.

“I feel like there is a lot of talent here,” she says, giving a shout out to local favorites like Ashley Paige and Jennifer Nicholson, both of whom are no strangers to fashion week. “There should be more support for L.A. designers.”

Yet despite her vision of a time when even more buyers and celebrities turn out for great SoCal fashion at Smashbox, having people like Stacey Keabler, Samaire Armstrong, and a brunette Josie Davis arrive for her debut event…well, that ain’t too bad for a first time and all.

Written by Elana Pruitt

Xtreme Lashes™ – Made for the Low Maintenance Beauty Junkie

The Beauty Agenda

Xtreme Lashes™ – Made for the Low Maintenance Beauty Junkie

As I lay on the table in the stark white room, the skillful technician placed one eyelash at a time on my lids. I closed my eyes and imagined just how lovely I would be in the tropical islands that I would be visiting on my trip to the Caribbean. Some people thought that what I was doing was indulgent, but I saw it as self-preservation. After all, I wouldn’t have the time to apply false eyelashes after a long day’s excursion in Key West, Cozumel, or the Caymen Islands. I had to look glamorous. Why? Because I was on a cruise! I had to dress up for dinner and be elegant for at least half of my meals.

You might think that spending $250.00 for eyelash extensions is extravagant. But it reallypaid off big when I received compliment after compliment, and stare after stare. A couple of people even commented on how gorgeous my eyes were. I am not an unattractive female, but never before have I received so many comments directed at my eyes. What made the eyelash extensions so wonderful was the fact that I could go scuba diving, disco dancing, jet skiing, and sunbathing, and never once did I have to worry about my eyelashes. My makeup might have worn off a time or two, but my eyelashes lasted the entire trip. The only problem I encountered was the extreme humidity of the Caribbean. Instead of my lashes lasting two months, they only lasted three weeks. They started to fall off shortly after I returned home from my vacation.

Xtreme Lashes™ is the product that I used. This was an experiment to see if I could go without those cumbersome false eyelashes and enjoy the freedom of “naturally” long eyelashes.

Xtreme Lashes™ is a relatively new product that lengthens and thickens eyelashes. They are semi-permanent eyelash extensions that are individual synthetic lashes designed to replicate a natural eyelash, and are applied one eyelash extension at a time. They not only extend the length of your original eyelashes, but they also thicken at the same time.

To apply one set of eyelash extensions, the procedure takes anywhere from 90 to 150 minutes. When I got my eyelashes extended, I was comfortable—I had my iPod for entertainment, and it was over before I knew it. Touch-ups can be done in as little as 15-45 minutes.

Xtreme Lashes™ uses HP-3 high performance bonding agents. It has all the key featuresneeded in superior eyelash extension glue. It is odorless and bonds stronger, dries faster and lasts longer. The primary agent of HP-3 is the same substance used for closing wounds without stitches. And to remove these lashes, you use the Xtreme Lashes™ Specialty Formulated Bonding Agent Remover. This is a gentle remover that quickly and gently removes the bonding agent without harming your natural eyelashes. It is a medical grade that smells great and contains antibiotic agents.

If you are not into high maintenance, then eyelash extensions could be the answer. I highly recommend this product for brides. Imagine looking gorgeous with your semi-permanent lashes. And after you remove the elegant bridal makeup and gown after your special day, you still have those long luscious lashes. And when you board that plane, that ship, or that bus for your romantic honeymoon, you will be the envy of all women. No matter how extreme the temperature, your lashes will last. I don’t know about you, but I am one of those people whose eyes seem to disappear when they’re not wearing any eye makeup. Xtreme Lashes™ takes care of that problem completely.

I know this is starting to sound like an advertisement, and I am by no means being paid to endorse this product, but I can assure you, it is worth every dollar. Try it once, and you will be amazed. You just might get hooked as I did.

Xtreme Lashes™ has been featured in Redbook, Hairstyles, Hairdo Ideas, Spa Review, Inside Edition, Jane, Teen Vogue, OK Weekly; and has been worn by celebrities Diedre Hall, Bai Ling, Regina King, Cathy Hickland, Shannon Doherty, Miss Texas 2007, and Allison Janney.

To learn more about Xtreme Lashes, or to set an appointment for eyelash extensions, visit their website at www.xtremelashes.com.

Written by Kaylene Peoples

The Good Eater – Author Ron Saxen

The Good Eater

Ron Saxen

The Good Eater by Ron Saxen, due to be published in March, is the true story of a male model’s struggle with binge eating. This is a problem more common among women, but this young man at a very early age found solace from his problems by eating, and as a result, always struggled with a weight problem.

Ron’s binge-eating roots, like most people with emotional problems, lay in his past. He was the third child of a very strict, tyrannical father and a mother who was a religious fanatic. He had two older brothers and two younger sisters.

His binge eating started at thirteen years old, when waiting for his father to come home and punish him for the wrongs of the day his mother had written down in her notebook, he began to eat the chocolate from the school sales he had stored in his closet. And he felt better immediately! From then on, to placate himself, he ate. Food gave him pleasure. He had learned that anything he could do to please his parents and maintain the “fragile” peace was a good thing. Winning food contests at the dinner table—finishing before everyone else—was one of those things that pleased his father and kept the peace, staving off the punishments and whippings. And he loved food!

At sixteen, his father left home; and since his two older brothers had moved out, he became the man of the house. He went on his first diet; but since his answer to every problem was eating, of course, he always returned to eating for comfort. He became obese, and for the next years struggled with his weight.

However, Ron was very good looking, and in 1984, at the low end of his yo-yo dieting (260-225), he was asked a number of times if he was a model. He was twenty-one years old. Encouraged to try modeling, he lost enough weight to qualify as a model. He tried out and was very successful, until confronted with a problem and returned to binge eating to solve it, or at least to make himself feel better. He put the weight on again and gave up modeling. He tried being a comedian, writing acts and performing them on stage. Eventually, failing at that, having now received his college degree, he tried the Marine Corps’ Officers Candidacy School. He hoped that being a Marine would magically erase his past and solve all of his problems. When this failed, he tried selling insurance, then using drugs . . .one attempt after another to control his eating and thus his weight.

See how, with some lifestyle changes and the help of friends, Ron finally, years later, gets his eating under control, and as a result, his life. This memoir, at times light and funny, at others dark and sad, reads like a novel, with a plot whose conflict I kept wanting to be resolved happily for Ron so that he could stop bingeing and keep his weight under control in order to get back to his modeling. You, too, will find it interesting and moving.

The following is from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/disorders/Bingeeating.html):

Although it has only recently been recognized as a distinct condition, binge eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with binge eating disorder are obese (more than 20 percent above a healthy body weight), but normal-weight people also can be affected. Binge eating disorder probably affects 2 percent of all adults, or about 1 million to 2 million Americans. Among mildly obese people in self-help or commercial weight loss programs, 10 to 15 percent have binge eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in those with severe obesity.

Binge eating disorder is slightly more common in women, with three women affected for every two men. The disorder affects blacks as often as whites; its frequency in other ethnic groups is not yet known. Obese people with binge eating disorder often became overweight at a younger age than those without the disorder. They also may have more frequent episodes of losing and regaining weight (yo-yo dieting).

If you think you might have a problem with BED, there are many programs to help you. You can find help first by simply doing a search on the Internet to learn just how serious is your eating problem and get help early, unlike Ron, who took twenty-one years of trying to solve his own problem alone before he got help. Recognizing he had a serious problem, as he tried one thing after another only to fail again, I kept screaming at him: Get some professional help!

You may visit Ron Saxen online at www.ronsaxen.com.

Reviewed by Lee L. Peoples

Dreams

Insights

Dreams

I’ve spent a fair amount of my adult life in serving others. I helped initiate three of my children into adulthood and single-handedly provided them the support they needed to launch out on their own and start to accomplish things and discover their dreams. While doing this, I put many of my own dreams aside and fell full into serving society, family, and others. That singer and dancer stood in the wings waiting for her turn to perform. In light of life’s little dramas, getting the kids off to school, helping them graduate from high school, and preparing them for college, the performance had to be placed on hold; and the artist writer stood, pen suspended in air, for her time to create.

In the meantime, the world has continued at its pace, and like the raisin in the sun, the dreamer’s dreams seemed to shrivel. All the while the singer and dancer ached to escape the mind’s barriers and make the appearance now.

I am that artist, that dancer, that singer, and that writer.

One day I realized that another moment waiting to find my passion was a moment ill spent. I got in my car and drove cross-country. I drove from Florida to California with only a few of my belongings.

I decided to materialize my dreams out of what seemed to be nothing, and I must say that I am starting to see them become reality.

It takes courage to make changes. It takes the type of courage that causes you to go against tradition to follow your dreams. I should have laid mine down a long time ago to be replaced by responsibility. Working and making a living took precedence for many years, but did not lend me happiness.

I have a friend who emigrated here from India. His long dream to be an actor has finally taken hold in America. He had to make many sacrifices and practice a kind of selfish virtue in order to start to see his dreams materialize. He left family and friends. He set out on the impossible task of learning the acting craft and then someday performing.

“Pressure, I know pressure,” he says. “Pressure to do what your family wants, pressure to do what is right, pressure to make it in a world where you often feel unwelcome.”

In spite of all the pressure, however, he still makes time to take acting classes where he has to let down defenses that were ingrained in him from his youth, taught never to disagree or argue. Taught to be nice always. He is now letting those barriers down to allow opportunity in. He has to pause and ask, “What is it that I truly feel?” In recognizing his true feelings, he can perform and become himself in any character.

I face a similar challenge. I’ve spent a few years caring for others, putting my dreams and myself last. Now I have more freedom. With that freedom I am faced with what do I do now? For so many years all I wanted was the opportunity to do what it was I truly desired: sing, write music, and learn to play the guitar. I’ve been conditioned to seek out something useful to do to ensure that others are cared for. I now am faced with the task of countering that conditioning and discovering what it is that makes me feel fulfilled and truly happy.

Lately I’ve been leaning toward learning the guitar, taking time to dance, and making room for an ever-expanding spiritual side that has lately grown beyond my ability to contain it.

What happens to a dream deferred? In my case, as Langston Hughes so eloquently states, it explodes!

Once your dreams are allowed to spill over, there’s no knowing where they will lead you. In my case they’ve led me to California, three thousand miles from where I started.

Written by Lisa Trimarchi

My First Photo Shoot

Talking Chic

My First Photo Shoot

I’m not sure exactly what turned me on to a day of outdoor modeling. Maybe I was tired of hiding behind the computer. Maybe it was to prove my sister right—that I really am the “cool auntie” my niece would grow to love. Maybe it was to explore a new art concentration. Or maybe, as an avid “America’s Next Top Model” viewer, I just wanted to see what all the hype was about… was it really that difficult ?

One word: YES.

Truth is, out of about 80 photos, only 20 were to my liking. Whether I got my money’s worth, whether I didn’t, whether I ever actually use the shots for anything worthwhile, or whether I hold onto them for my trips-down-memory-lane at 90-years-old, I learned more than I can really say.

To sum it up though, my experience in exploring this thing that we all know as modeling is something no lady of fashion can ever truly understand, or judge for that matter, unless she throws herself into the shoes of a model, especially if you think you can look even more fierce than winner Caridee in a single shot. (Yeah, good luck with that!)

So just do it—let go of all your inhibitions, choose a photographer you are comfortable acting a fool in front of, and realize that you are also choosing to do more than just model.

Because modeling involves much more than just “posing” for the camera, here are a few tips to amateurs who are yet to afford the luxury of hiring your own help or have yet to reach the status to be hired on yourself:

You have no assistant; eat something first! O. K., so the morning arrives and you decide that the only hard-core way to feel like a model is to skip breakfast and feel skinnier that morning. But guess what? Smack in the middle of working, you feel panicky because you ALSO forget your morning coffee. So in wardrobe (stiletto boots and all), you run into a local Starbucks for a quick java, all the while feeling ridiculous for being dressed totally inappropriate for a college-town coffeeshop.

Sorry, honey, no makeup artist for you this time! Ain’t that the truth. You love the job you did on your face with your new M.A.C. makeup, and you remember to bring nearly all of it to location. However, because you want to feel free in front of the camera, you leave EVERYTHING in the car. So as you go back and forth to touch up your lips and quickly combat T-zone shininess with powder, you are taking up too much time and losing all concentration because you are focusing too much on the outer beauty versus letting your inner beauty come through.

Without a publicist, you gotta make your own calls! So if you are serious about taking good photos and you happen to have an awesome photographer who says she will shoot as long as you have the time…don’t screw it up by cutting it short because you were supposed to meet a girlfriend for lunch. Do yourself a favor and keep the day as open as possible for your first day of modeling. And honestly, you will need about an hour to relax, EAT, and calm down from the excitement and stress that made your Saturday an unforgettable December 16th. Without someone next to you who can make that cancellation call for you, this means interrupting the shoot again to go find your cell and become an annoyance to both your friend as well as the photographer.

… And so many more lessons learned from this experience. As a writer who understands the loneliness behind a creative profession, I actually got a taste of the solitude a model probably lives through in order to play dress up and fully transform into that character, allowing herself to become vulnerable and weak in front of the camera. All this while trying to create a masterpiece of raw emotion—whatever that emotion may be.

Overall, it was an indescribable feeling, seeing myself in my favorite pieces (Fortunately, I DIDN’T have a stylist for my first photo shoot).

Because when it comes down to it, all that is really left is the photo…or the article. It is merely a point in time when you realize that you accomplished something you truly believe in, and a point in time when you know that the real accomplishment is simply having the guts to put yourself out there.

Written by Elana Pruitt