What It’s Like to Juggle High Fashion Modeling While Going to School

The Deets

• Name:  Zella Christenson
• School: Steinhardt ’19
• Major: Nutrition and Dietetics

1. What is the hardest thing to deal with when working in your industry?

“Living in the models apartment was definitely the most difficult aspect of the modeling industry. In New York, the apartment was tiny, but the agency still fit eight girls in there – with one bathroom! Getting ready in the morning was a nightmare, and it was not a peaceful place to come home to in the evening after a long day running around the city.  It was dirty and cramped, especially if girls were not cleaning up after themselves, which most of the time they were not. When I lived in Paris, all of my roommates were Eastern European, meaning their language of choice was Russian, not English, and it definitely became lonely at times. I don’t know how I would have survived without Skype to keep in contact with family and friends. You definitely need a tough skin to survive in the fashion industry.”

2. What coffee shop do you frequent and what do you order when you go there?

“Most of the time, you will just find me with a thermos from home. I am very thrifty, and I have never really been into coffee. But during Fashion Week when I was running around all day, Starbucks was usually the most non-judgmental coffee shop if I went in to use their restroom.  But Starbuck’s jade mint green tea is really nice so I would usually buy one to assuage my guilt of using their facilities and their Wi-Fi.”

3. What has been your favorite show to walk for so far?

“Without a doubt my favorite experience on the runway was during the Fall/Winter 2015 season when I walked on exclusive for Saint Laurent in Paris. Up until that point, I had mostly walked for more boutique designers, which are a wonderful experience in it of themselves, but the energy is much different walking for a huge designer like Saint Laurent.”

4. What are your favorite songs to listen to before a show?

“I have songs that I associate with each season I have walked that helped motivate me and keep my energy up when Fashion Week became super stressful. My first season, I was obsessed with the song “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias. I first heard it in New York through my roommate who was from Madrid. Then when I went to Milan, it was all over the radio there. If I found a moment alone in the model’s apartment, I would blast it on my phone and dance around to stay positive. Then this February I really loved the Pentatonix version of “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit. It also inspired many a solo dance party.”

5. What do you think is the biggest misconception about runway models?

“​The biggest misconception about runway models, and models in general, is that we are busy all the time. The modeling industry has seasons of extreme business and then periods of total stillness. During fashion month, the entire fashion industry is pretty much busy nonstop. Models can have anywhere from 10 to 20 casting per day and people are running around from dawn until midnight going to shows, fittings, castings, etc. Then after fashion week ends in Paris, everyone falls into their beds and doesn’t move again for a few weeks before the work begins for more print modeling. I lived in Paris for five months last year, but I had plenty of time to explore the city when I wasn’t working. Also, getting paid in clothes is not as glamorous as most people think it is. Most of the time, the trade we receive are the discards from last season that didn’t sell. I have received a few great pieces, but many of them I have just donated because I would never wear them. Also, clothes don’t pay the rent.”

Follow Zella on Instagram: @zellachristenson; Zella’s Trump Models profile: http://www.trumpmodels.com/models/zella-christenson/

Photos courtesy of Zella Christenson and Trump Models (5)