YouTube? I Tube! We all Tube! - In June of 2006 I first set up my YouTube account, but it wasn’t until this week that I started adding videos to it - 5 years later! I’ve been using VIMEO to host all my videos for a while now but I recently decided that parallel accounts might be good.

So, here’s my “new” YouTube channel and I’m kicking it off with an oldie but a goodie - a video my best model bud Behati Prinsloo, childhood friend Kelly Dawson and I made in our Paris hotel room years and years ago. This is the delirium that happens when models come to the end of 4 weeks of runway shows.

Add me on YouTube!

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A few weeks ago I posted a teaser of the journal I wrote documenting my trip to Haiti. If you haven’t been able to get your hands on a copy of the issue of FLARE magazine where my journal and Behati Prinsloo’s photos were printed, here is the text in full.  Please do read it:LETTER FROM HAITIBy Coco Rocha I first saw the reports of the massive earthquake in Haiti a little over a year ago. I was sitting in an airport and I’ll never forget the shocking scenes of destruction, death and chaos. I knew I had to do something. Since then, I’ve been helping raise money in New York for a non-profit organization called LakayPAM (“my home”). It helps provide more than 500 orphans in Haiti with shelter, food, medical care and education. Despite our success with fundraising events in New York, I still felt very distant and disconnected from the people and the children I was trying to help.  What I really wanted was to actually see the children of Haiti. My husband, James, and I started planning our trip last year. The first person we enlisted to join us was my good friend and fellow model Behati Prinsloo. I asked Behati because she has such a  big heart. A few years ago, I had a great time helping her at her dad’s soup kitchen in Namibia, Africa. She gladly signed on as our trip’s photographer. The next person we called was Gilbert Le, the filmmaker who created our beautiful wedding film last summer. He and his cinematographer, Ben, were on board to meet us in New York when we headed down to Haiti in mid-January. As I started gathering the toys I wanted to give to the children, I thought about what they really needed. It occurred to me that many of the orphans had lost so many people in their lives that what they probably needed most was the love of another human being. I decided to create a pen pal program to deliver these children messages of hope and love from other kids. I put the word out on my blog (oh-so-coco.tumblr.com) and letters immediately started flooding in from every corner of the globe. In the final week before our trip I spent most evenings hunched over my computer, reading, editing and translating every letter into French - the language most children are taught to read in Haiti.  January 22 A final batch of letters arrives from a French school in Canada - they make my translation job that much easier. They are from very young school children and are absolutely adorable. Most start by saying their name and grade, and then explaining how many brothers and sisters they have, or how desperately they want a dog. They talk about their favorite sport, color or how they love to dance, read and write. All of the children explain how they’re thinking of the Haitian children, thousands of miles away, and that although times are rough, they will eventually get better. They all end with “Please write me back.” I hope they do! January 23 My agent, Micki, and Behati are downstairs waiting at 6:30am, and we all head to the airport. I am surprised by how close Haiti is - it’s just a three-hour flight from New York. As we descend, I see what looks like a tropical paradise: beaches, blue sea, lush greenery and, in the distance, a massive city in the bay. As we get closer, I begin to make out the details of Port-au-Prince. What I thought were houses are actually makeshift tents, thousands of them, one stacked on top of the next.  Moments before we land it becomes clear to me that what looked so perfect from afar is actually in total chaos. Stepping off the plane, I’m immediately hit by a wall of heat. At the airport, we see our first example of the earthquake’s power.  Most of the terminal is cracked and zoned unsafe so the customs and immigration have been moved to a makeshift hangar a bus ride away. I say “makeshift” but a year later this is probably as permanent as they can expect. We leave the airport for our first trip through Port-au-Prince. People are everywhere, and piles of rubble are heaped in the middle of what were once major roadways. There are no rules to the road as James learns to navigate the madness of the streets. To my right we pass a massive tent city in what was once a beautiful city park. All I can see are tents and the smell is of rotting garbage and unsanitary conditions. I see a woman bathing her baby in the gutter. The sheer number of people living this way is staggering. Across the street from the tent city is the former Haitian Palace. It looks like it was once the size and grandeur of the White House but now appears to be a giant heap of stones - as fitting a symbol as I can imagine for this country’s state.  January 24 After breakfast, we head to Oeuvre Notres Dames Des Victoires, an orphanage with a school in the heart of Port Au Prince. Before the earthquake, the complex consisted of two buildings: a school in the back and an orphanage in the front. The earthquake destroyed one of the two buildings so now all 400 children are crammed into half the space. Some classes are being held in what would have ordinarily been hallways. The cafeteria is now home to about five different classes and we hear the teachers reading the words off the chalk board and the children repeating them in a haunting chant.  Apparently, many babies have begun showing up at orphanages in the last few months - the result of rape in the madness following the earthquake. Half of them are sleeping, a few are quietly playing, but one just keeps crying. I’m told that he arrived today and doesn’t understand what is going on. No one is holding him - he has a painful rash all over his body. I try to comfort him, brushing my fingers against his little fingers. It’s devastating to see him suffering like this, so alone.  Outside, hundreds of children are leaving their classes. Behati and I spend an hour playing, dancing and taking lots of pictures in the hot midday sun. There is nothing as contagious as the happiness of a child. After a very depressing tour of the city, this visit is exactly what we need. After leaving the school in Port-Au-Prince, we head up the mountain to a tiny orphanage, Orphelinat Souer Solange, of 22 children that LakayPAM supports. We give them all gifts: model airplanes, yo-yos, bouncy balls, art supplies and stickers. Once they realize that they can keep the toys, they are ecstatic. A circle of about eight girls forms around me as they immediately get to work on their drawings.  Before we leave, the children get together to sing a song they have made up. At first they are a little shy but by the end they are belting out the tune. I get goosebumps and can’t stop smiling.  January 25 We wake up before dawn and head back to the orphanage up in the hills. Our little friends are already either eating breakfast or standing in line to have sunscreen applied. I learn that all children must wear a uniform in order to attend school. I think of the children living in the tent city I saw yesterday. How could they afford a uniform? I spin one little girl around in the backyard. Putting her down, another little girl waits with her hands out. Next, every child wants to be spun around again and again and again. Behati joins me and we spin until we can’t see straight.  After our good-byes we travel back to the big school in Port-au-Prince. Today, we’re giving the children the letters. We bring a map of the world and explain to the five- and six-year old kids that these letters are from children all around the world. I don’t think they understand my pen pal concept but they love having us around. As we hand out the letters - mainly drawings with few words - they excitedly show them to each other. The teacher promises that the children will draw pictures in return. The next room is packed with more than fifty children who listen carefully as I explain the concept of the letters. Once they start reading - and can see that strangers care about them - I can see the excitement in their eyes. My hours of translating are worth every thrilled little face. January 26 Today we walk around the city. Every street is full of people selling and trading random things like fruit, cups or shoes… sometimes all three on one table. We walk around the outskirts of a tent city - it’s too dangerous to go much further. A lady takes us into her tent so that we can see how she lives. I see a bed made of a flat tin sheet elevated off the ground (and out of the rain water) with a few old blankets. Clothes hang from the ceiling and a small hot plate is tucked in a corner.  Our final stop of the trip is a soccer camp that LakayPAM funds. It’s a long drive and when we arrive, about a hundred young boys are practising. For many of these boys, the food they get at camp is the only real meal they will get that day. Behati and I start kicking around a ball with some little boys off to one side and before I know it, I’m drawn into the game. Before leaving, we hand out 15 soccer balls that Micki has brought. They are so thrilled to have extra balls to practise with.  January 27 As we leave Haiti, I’m struck by what I did not see. Other than a few old women trying to sweep piles of rubble and dust, I didn’t see any significant clean-up efforts. I can remember just one occasion where I witnessed any construction and that was at the school in Port-au-Prince. If you asked the average Canadian, I suspect they would think that the worst of Haiti’s troubles are over - but it seems like nothing much is happening. A year has already passed since the earthquake struck; I just hope that we don’t allow an entire generation of children to grow up in this chaos.  Haiti has to stay in our minds and hearts. If this trip proved one thing to me, it’s that the children still need us, and I will not give up. By Coco Rocha*Flare has donated Coco and Behati’s writing and photography fees to LakayPAM. For more information and to donate, visit Lakaypam.org

A few weeks ago I posted a teaser of the journal I wrote documenting my trip to Haiti. If you haven’t been able to get your hands on a copy of the issue of FLARE magazine where my journal and Behati Prinsloo’s photos were printed, here is the text in full.  Please do read it:

LETTER FROM HAITI
By Coco Rocha

I first saw the reports of the massive earthquake in Haiti a little over a year ago. I was sitting in an airport and I’ll never forget the shocking scenes of destruction, death and chaos. I knew I had to do something. Since then, I’ve been helping raise money in New York for a non-profit organization called LakayPAM (“my home”). It helps provide more than 500 orphans in Haiti with shelter, food, medical care and education.
 
Despite our success with fundraising events in New York, I still felt very distant and disconnected from the people and the children I was trying to help.  What I really wanted was to actually see the children of Haiti. My husband, James, and I started planning our trip last year. The first person we enlisted to join us was my good friend and fellow model Behati Prinsloo. I asked Behati because she has such a  big heart. A few years ago, I had a great time helping her at her dad’s soup kitchen in Namibia, Africa. She gladly signed on as our trip’s photographer. The next person we called was Gilbert Le, the filmmaker who created our beautiful wedding film last summer. He and his cinematographer, Ben, were on board to meet us in New York when we headed down to Haiti in mid-January.
 
As I started gathering the toys I wanted to give to the children, I thought about what they really needed. It occurred to me that many of the orphans had lost so many people in their lives that what they probably needed most was the love of another human being. I decided to create a pen pal program to deliver these children messages of hope and love from other kids. I put the word out on my blog (oh-so-coco.tumblr.com) and letters immediately started flooding in from every corner of the globe. In the final week before our trip I spent most evenings hunched over my computer, reading, editing and translating every letter into French - the language most children are taught to read in Haiti.
 
January 22
 
A final batch of letters arrives from a French school in Canada - they make my translation job that much easier. They are from very young school children and are absolutely adorable. Most start by saying their name and grade, and then explaining how many brothers and sisters they have, or how desperately they want a dog. They talk about their favorite sport, color or how they love to dance, read and write. All of the children explain how they’re thinking of the Haitian children, thousands of miles away, and that although times are rough, they will eventually get better. They all end with “Please write me back.” I hope they do!
 
January 23
 
My agent, Micki, and Behati are downstairs waiting at 6:30am, and we all head to the airport. I am surprised by how close Haiti is - it’s just a three-hour flight from New York. As we descend, I see what looks like a tropical paradise: beaches, blue sea, lush greenery and, in the distance, a massive city in the bay. As we get closer, I begin to make out the details of Port-au-Prince. What I thought were houses are actually makeshift tents, thousands of them, one stacked on top of the next.
 
Moments before we land it becomes clear to me that what looked so perfect from afar is actually in total chaos. Stepping off the plane, I’m immediately hit by a wall of heat. At the airport, we see our first example of the earthquake’s power.  Most of the terminal is cracked and zoned unsafe so the customs and immigration have been moved to a makeshift hangar a bus ride away. I say “makeshift” but a year later this is probably as permanent as they can expect. We leave the airport for our first trip through Port-au-Prince. People are everywhere, and piles of rubble are heaped in the middle of what were once major roadways. There are no rules to the road as James learns to navigate the madness of the streets. To my right we pass a massive tent city in what was once a beautiful city park. All I can see are tents and the smell is of rotting garbage and unsanitary conditions. I see a woman bathing her baby in the gutter. The sheer number of people living this way is staggering. Across the street from the tent city is the former Haitian Palace. It looks like it was once the size and grandeur of the White House but now appears to be a giant heap of stones - as fitting a symbol as I can imagine for this country’s state.
 
January 24
 
After breakfast, we head to Oeuvre Notres Dames Des Victoires, an orphanage with a school in the heart of Port Au Prince. Before the earthquake, the complex consisted of two buildings: a school in the back and an orphanage in the front. The earthquake destroyed one of the two buildings so now all 400 children are crammed into half the space. Some classes are being held in what would have ordinarily been hallways. The cafeteria is now home to about five different classes and we hear the teachers reading the words off the chalk board and the children repeating them in a haunting chant.
 
Apparently, many babies have begun showing up at orphanages in the last few months - the result of rape in the madness following the earthquake. Half of them are sleeping, a few are quietly playing, but one just keeps crying. I’m told that he arrived today and doesn’t understand what is going on. No one is holding him - he has a painful rash all over his body. I try to comfort him, brushing my fingers against his little fingers. It’s devastating to see him suffering like this, so alone.
 
Outside, hundreds of children are leaving their classes. Behati and I spend an hour playing, dancing and taking lots of pictures in the hot midday sun. There is nothing as contagious as the happiness of a child. After a very depressing tour of the city, this visit is exactly what we need.
 
After leaving the school in Port-Au-Prince, we head up the mountain to a tiny orphanage, Orphelinat Souer Solange, of 22 children that LakayPAM supports. We give them all gifts: model airplanes, yo-yos, bouncy balls, art supplies and stickers. Once they realize that they can keep the toys, they are ecstatic. A circle of about eight girls forms around me as they immediately get to work on their drawings.
 
Before we leave, the children get together to sing a song they have made up. At first they are a little shy but by the end they are belting out the tune. I get goosebumps and can’t stop smiling.
 
January 25
 
We wake up before dawn and head back to the orphanage up in the hills. Our little friends are already either eating breakfast or standing in line to have sunscreen applied. I learn that all children must wear a uniform in order to attend school. I think of the children living in the tent city I saw yesterday. How could they afford a uniform? I spin one little girl around in the backyard. Putting her down, another little girl waits with her hands out. Next, every child wants to be spun around again and again and again. Behati joins me and we spin until we can’t see straight.
 
After our good-byes we travel back to the big school in Port-au-Prince. Today, we’re giving the children the letters. We bring a map of the world and explain to the five- and six-year old kids that these letters are from children all around the world. I don’t think they understand my pen pal concept but they love having us around. As we hand out the letters - mainly drawings with few words - they excitedly show them to each other. The teacher promises that the children will draw pictures in return. The next room is packed with more than fifty children who listen carefully as I explain the concept of the letters. Once they start reading - and can see that strangers care about them - I can see the excitement in their eyes. My hours of translating are worth every thrilled little face.
 
January 26
 
Today we walk around the city. Every street is full of people selling and trading random things like fruit, cups or shoes… sometimes all three on one table. We walk around the outskirts of a tent city - it’s too dangerous to go much further. A lady takes us into her tent so that we can see how she lives. I see a bed made of a flat tin sheet elevated off the ground (and out of the rain water) with a few old blankets. Clothes hang from the ceiling and a small hot plate is tucked in a corner.
 
Our final stop of the trip is a soccer camp that LakayPAM funds. It’s a long drive and when we arrive, about a hundred young boys are practising. For many of these boys, the food they get at camp is the only real meal they will get that day. Behati and I start kicking around a ball with some little boys off to one side and before I know it, I’m drawn into the game. Before leaving, we hand out 15 soccer balls that Micki has brought. They are so thrilled to have extra balls to practise with.
 
January 27
 
As we leave Haiti, I’m struck by what I did not see. Other than a few old women trying to sweep piles of rubble and dust, I didn’t see any significant clean-up efforts. I can remember just one occasion where I witnessed any construction and that was at the school in Port-au-Prince. If you asked the average Canadian, I suspect they would think that the worst of Haiti’s troubles are over - but it seems like nothing much is happening. A year has already passed since the earthquake struck; I just hope that we don’t allow an entire generation of children to grow up in this chaos.
 
Haiti has to stay in our minds and hearts. If this trip proved one thing to me, it’s that the children still need us, and I will not give up.
 
By Coco Rocha

*Flare has donated Coco and Behati’s writing and photography fees to LakayPAM. For more information and to donate, visit Lakaypam.org

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TEEN VOGUE - May 2011 issueThank you to Teen Vogue who joins this month’s Flare magazine in covering the trip to Haiti Behati and I recently made. Stay tuned to this blog for my diary of the entire experience (For Canada, it’s available in the pages of Flare right now) and for a very special short film my husband and I are producing.

TEEN VOGUE - May 2011 issue

Thank you to Teen Vogue who joins this month’s Flare magazine in covering the trip to Haiti Behati and I recently made. Stay tuned to this blog for my diary of the entire experience (For Canada, it’s available in the pages of Flare right now) and for a very special short film my husband and I are producing.

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Letter From Haiti- My diary in this month’s Flare.It’s now been 3 months since my trip to Haiti and I’m sure a few of you have been wondering what it was like. I’m very pleased to let you know that Flare magazine has offered to print my entire diary of the trip in a special article, out this month. In the article you’ll also find the photography of my good friend Behati Prinsloo, which I can tell you is absolutely beautiful. I’d like to thank Flare for giving me the opportunity to share my message with its readers, and I’d also like to thank them publicly for the very gracious donation they made to the actual orphanages we visited.Please go out and get your copy today, I promise it’s a good read! If you don’t have access to Flare magazine, I will be posting the diary on here in a month’s time. I’m also excited to let you know that James is hard at work on putting together our first documentary - a film all about our special project in Haiti!

Letter From Haiti
- My diary in this month’s Flare.

It’s now been 3 months since my trip to Haiti and I’m sure a few of you have been wondering what it was like. I’m very pleased to let you know that Flare magazine has offered to print my entire diary of the trip in a special article, out this month. In the article you’ll also find the photography of my good friend Behati Prinsloo, which I can tell you is absolutely beautiful.

I’d like to thank Flare for giving me the opportunity to share my message with its readers, and I’d also like to thank them publicly for the very gracious donation they made to the actual orphanages we visited.

Please go out and get your copy today, I promise it’s a good read! If you don’t have access to Flare magazine, I will be posting the diary on here in a month’s time. I’m also excited to let you know that James is hard at work on putting together our first documentary - a film all about our special project in Haiti!

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COCO & BEHATI IN MARCH VOGUE
American Vogue,
Patrick Demarchelier

If you’ve already got your March copy of American Vogue, you might have seen a couple of appearances by Behati and I. The first is an article about the recent trip to Haiti we took together - I promise you more information is coming out soon regarding that, including a special short film James and I have been producing!! Behati and I are also featured on a two page spread for Loft photographed by Mr. Patrick Demarchelier.

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NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINEBy Kavitha Surana Models aren’t generally known for their word play. But Modelinia.com’s cool new T-shirts are emblazoned with model-related catchphrases that riff on well-known idioms and logos. Now you can Facebook “like” Karlie Kloss or proclaim that “Nobody does it better than Abbey Lee” on your shirt.Backstage buddies Coco Rocha and Behati Prinsloo combine their names in the “Team Cohati” tee, a take on the pro-Conan O’Brien “Team Coco” graphic. “I like that we’ve become the Brangelina of the modeling world,” Rocha said backstage at Anna Sui. “But I’m kind of obsessed with Lara Stone’s Rolling Stones spinoff — that gap tooth is just perfect.”The tees are $45 each on Modelinia’s Facebook store, and all the proceeds go to Unicef. Get them while they’re hot: as the Modelinia editor Bianca Posterli says, “We made them limited edition because our girls are too special to be mass.” We won’t mention the early catalog years.

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
By Kavitha Surana

Models aren’t generally known for their word play. But Modelinia.com’s cool new T-shirts are emblazoned with model-related catchphrases that riff on well-known idioms and logos. Now you can Facebook “like” Karlie Kloss or proclaim that “Nobody does it better than Abbey Lee” on your shirt.

Backstage buddies Coco Rocha and Behati Prinsloo combine their names in the “Team Cohati” tee, a take on the pro-Conan O’Brien “Team Coco” graphic. “I like that we’ve become the Brangelina of the modeling world,” Rocha said backstage at Anna Sui. “But I’m kind of obsessed with Lara Stone’s Rolling Stones spinoff — that gap tooth is just perfect.”

The tees are $45 each on Modelinia’s Facebook store, and all the proceeds go to Unicef. Get them while they’re hot: as the Modelinia editor Bianca Posterli says, “We made them limited edition because our girls are too special to be mass.” We won’t mention the early catalog years.

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Who’s team are you on?Every New York Fashion week Modelinia.com likes to do something special with the models. This season they’ve created a series of T-shirts based around 7 models. My friend Behati and I (under our “couple name” COHATI) are the only two-for-one deal of the bunch. From my perspective that makes our Tshirt the best value for money. Wouldn’t you agree?! Though neither of us are currently red-heads, ours is based on the “TEAM COCO” logo Conan O’Brien has been using.CLICK HERE TO BUY YOURS.

Who’s team are you on?

Every New York Fashion week Modelinia.com likes to do something special with the models. This season they’ve created a series of T-shirts based around 7 models. My friend Behati and I (under our “couple name” COHATI) are the only two-for-one deal of the bunch. From my perspective that makes our Tshirt the best value for money. Wouldn’t you agree?! Though neither of us are currently red-heads, ours is based on the “TEAM COCO” logo Conan O’Brien has been using.

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOURS.

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DIARY OF PARIS FASHION WEEK

For this seasons ELLE Collections (A bi-annual industry standard dedicated to the catwalk) I was asked by their lovely Editor-in-Chief, Lorraine Candy, if I would like to submit my Paris fashion week diary for printing. If you can, please go buy the magazine, its basically a beautifully put together art book and something you will want to save for years. For the rest of you, I thought you might like to see a little bit of what I wrote about!

Wednesday the 29th of September

The first day of Paris fashion week my husband James and I rented bicycle’s and headed across town to see my old friend Jean Paul Gaultier. Coming to see Gaultier has always been a highlight of my visits to Paris through the seasons. The last time we saw each other, Jean Paul stopped everything to lead me up a series of staircases to watch the sun set over the city. It was like a wild fire on the horizon, so beautiful. This time I was there to try on clothes for Saturdays show and members of the press were invited to observe the process. The great thing about Jean Paul is that unlike many other designers of his stature, he still styles all the models himself. Together we had fun experimenting with different looks and he ended up wrapping bandanas all down my leg as a photographer documented the humble genius down on one knee. The prints Gaultier came up with this season were all 3D inspired images printed in dirty shades of blue and red. I loved the look and suggested that he should do all the makeup in a faux 3D coloring and style also. Jean Paul and I have a history of throwing out crazy ideas that actually become reality. Over the years I’ve Irish danced his runways, Ive had a public cat fight in mud and I’ve been dressed as a mermaid on crutches. Gaultier’s eyes lit up at the idea of the 3D make-up but in the end practicality would win out this time.

After my fitting with JPG I went to see Zac Posen and Christopher Niquet at their impromptu studio in Paris. I’m so happy Zac decided to show in France this year, I feel like its a good fit for him. At the fitting are Isabeli Fontana, Crystal Renn and Zacs little dog who keeps running off with pieces of fabric and clothing. Crystal and I talk about what to wear for the big event Paris Vogue is throwing for their 90th anniversary this week. Do we go casual or do we go all out? We both agree that if there was ever an occasion to “go all out”, this was it. Zac kindly loans me an amazing dusty peach ball gown dress he just happens to have laying around the studio and voila! I have my outfit. Its good to have friends in Paris.

Thursday the 30th of September

Thursday morning I walked in my first show of PFW and Zac Posens first show in Paris, ever. The show was set in the beautiful Westin Hotel ballroom and I feel like the clothes gave off a particular Parisian vibe this season; lots of feathers, sheer fabrics and marabou jackets. As far as the cast goes, Zac had a dream team of girls to work with - Hillary Rhoda, Crystal Renn, Behati Prinsloo, Karlie Kloss, Isabeli Fontana… all the girls were there.

That night James, Behati, Cameron Russell and myself all headed out to the ball, thrown in Karl Lagerfeld’s incredible old house. Everyone you can imagine was there, whether you realized it or not. Its was interesting to see who wanted to be seen and who didn’t. Some masks are obvious: Gisele, Tyra, Marc and Natalia were all fairly easy to spot. Diane Von Furstenburg had probably the most glorious head dress of the night and for some reason Lenny Kravitz, who I kept bumping into, reminded me of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? As we wander around upstairs Sasha Pivovarova told me that the 4 giant rooms we just walked through were formerly Karls clothes closets!? You could have fit my entire apartment into each room. In the final room we discovered what can only be described as a Willy Wonka garden of deserts. Entire plants and vegetables were made of chocolate and fountains overflow with every delight you can imagine. I break every model taboo by gorging on chocolate to the silent horror of the fashionable crowd.

James and I round up Behati and Cameron and decide to leave the party. The only problem is we never arranged a car to pick us up, and taxis are next to impossible, so we end up walking the entire way home, in ball gowns and masks. Eventually we ladies in our impractical heels are forced to walk barefoot through the Louve gardens which must have been quite the sight in the middle of the night.

Friday the 1st of October

Friday afternoon was Dior. Its notoriously hard to get people backstage but with the help of a manager we snook James in, who spent his time trying to stay out of the way in the smallest backstage of Paris fashion week. John Galliano loves his themes and this year he had nautical inspired clothing: sailor pants, caps galore paired up with the vintage glam of Betty Page inspired hair and make-up. Other than a massive paparazzi fuss over Kate Moss the show went off without a hitch and I had the rest of the day to relax!

Saturday the 2nd of October

Saturday was Gaultiers show. Rather than my idea for 3D make-up Jean Paul decided on a Joan Jett meets Ziggy Stardust inspired look. The make up is so severe that its kind of hard to recognize the models backstage. Is that Karolina Kurkova or Anja Rubik? A problem arrises when t I’m given red boots that are about 4 sizes too big for me, I look like Ronald McDonald. Finally my size is found and I’m ready to go, but, the show isn’t. We run over time by about an hour but I’m sure everyone was glad they waited when they discovered that Beth Ditto was opening and closing the show with acapella performances and a strut down what would be the longest runway in Paris until Chanel’s epic show.

After the show my car picked me up and I headed to my fitting with John Galliano. Girls from the JPG show had already got there ahead of me. The Russians, Sasha and Snejana were hard at work on a pack of cigarettes while Karli Kloss and I hungrily picked from a snack table that consisted entirely of candy and coke light? As we all sat waiting what seemed like forever I started getting a little anxious, I had a dinner event to go to later that evening. Luckily for me, my amazing agent Micki Schnieder called the casting director and told him I needed to leave very shortly. Out came the casting director who asked all the other girls if they would mind if I went in first. Very graciously they allowed me to do so, though I’m sure they wanted to kill me.

Running a little late I finished my fitting and headed directly to my dinner party. Glamour magazine had invited James and I to have dinner with Leah Michelle, star of Glee, in recognition of her recent cover. We got there a little after appetizers were served and I find Zac Posen had stole my seat right next to Leah. Oh well, that’s what happens when you’re late. Zac introduced me to Leah by telling her I can sing and dance and that I should be the next guest on Glee. As a side note, Zac has never heard me sing, nor do I - still Zac makes a great, if not slightly dishonest talent agent! We have a lovely dinner together and we all take turns feeding Zacs little dog (named Tina Turner) who is hidden under the table of this fancy restaurant.

Sunday the 3rd of October

Sunday was the Galliano show at the beautiful Opera Comique. Galliano was inspired by the muse Maria Lani, a woman from the 1920’s and 30’s who posed for artists like Matisse and Leger. Our hair and make-up were inspired by different portraits those artists have made of her and before the show began John encouraged us to be as dramatic and theatrical as we wanted on the runway. If we wanted to sit in Hamish Bowles lap, we could. If we wanted to pirouette in front of Janet Jackson, that was fine too. I decided I was going to play with my pigtails like a scary rag doll. Ive seen the pictures, it was pretty scary.

After the show I was chased through the streets by the Asian paparazzi with my hair and make up in full effect.  I got home and scrubbed the makeup off my face and red dye out of my hair just in time for the Fendi party. At the party Duran Duran performed their biggest hits and everyone was turned into a 14 year old fan again. Of course my fellow Elite model Yasmin Le Bon was there in support of her husband Simon. Abby Lee, Anja, Behati, Dree and a slew of other top models were there too and in the middle of “Hungry Like the Wolf” I looked up and there on the balcony was Mr. Karl Lagerfeld himself, nodding in approval to the music.

We all sang our hearts out and had the best time. Lucky for me, the next day I could sleep in.

Monday the 4th of October

After a long sleep in Behati calls James and I and tells us she’s coming over. Behati was like our 3rd room mate the entire week in Paris and nearly every night ended with all three of us sat in bed playing the addictive game “Angry Bird” on our iPhones and iPads. By mid-week we had nearly conquered every level. I hear a knock at the door that can only be Behati and I decide to answer it with my scariest face… it turns out to be a poor maid who I horrify.

Behati does eventually come over and we decide to go on a bike ride up to one of my favorite spots in Paris, Sacre Coeur. Unfortunately it rains most of the way and we all realize how horribly out of shape we are. So after a delicious onion soup lunch at the top we call a car to come pick us up to take us to our fittings with Chanel and Hermes.

Tuesday the 5th of October

Tuesday morning I’m up at the crack of dawn. Only Chanel could get me out of bed at 5am. Behati and I head to the Grand Palais where we find a massive indoor garden inspired by Versatile has been laid out, Chanel never cease to amaze. In the background an 80 piece orchestra practices as we models are shown how we are to walk the runway, a catwalk so long it would take each model 5 minutes to complete. Right behind me is a newer model, a beautiful doll faced girl named Barbara Palvin. She’s almost crying with excitement before we go out and I’m reminded of how excited I was before my first Chanel show. Barbara says she’s a little nervous she won’t remember where to walk, I tell her to follow me and she’ll be fine… i think?

Wednesday 6th October

Wednesday was the final day of fashion week and in the afternoon was preparing to walk in Jean Paul Gaultiers final presentation for Hermes. For his last collection Gaultier went back to the roots of the Hermes brand with an equestrian theme and during the show there were actual horse and riders in the background. The whole thing was very beautiful and powerful, a wonderful conclusion to the week and Mr Gaultiers run as creative director.

A few hours after the show I again ran into Jean Paul, this time at the Marie Claire Prix d’Excellence awards. Apparently all the editors of Marie Claire had voted me model of the year and so I went up to accept my award. In fashion we don’t have a Grammies or an Oscars so this was my monument to thank all the people who have made my career a success - my family, my agents, the photographers, the editors and the designers. Especially Jean Paul, who gave me so many memorable fashion moments. Up next was Designer of the year award which, you guessed it, Gaultier won. He went on to thank his team and… me! Double the honor that night.

Off I went with my 15 pound crystal award in hand. An award that would go on to cost me over $200 in extra luggage fee’s to bring home, but never the less, it was a very nice ending to a very memorable Paris fashion week.

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Letters to Haiti In our years as friends Behati and I have been on many trips and adventures together all around the world. This January we will be traveling together for a very special reason. You’ve probably heard me talk often about Lakay Pam and the great work they do aiding orphans in Haiti. Together over this last year we’ve hosted events here in New York city which have raised a lot of money to benefit the children of that devastated country. Now Behati and I are again teaming up with Lakay Pam to travel to Haiti with a few other friends with the idea of seeing what more we all can do. We’re going to spend a few days with the orphans and experience their everyday life. While there we’ll film a little documentary of what we encounter so you can see it first hand, where the aid is going and where we still need to help. I have a big favor to ask of you all though, allow me to explain: When we visit the orphanages we want to take with us letters from people around the world to show the children of Haiti that they have global friends, real people who care about them. In return we will be bringing back with us their letters to you all.Please get out your pen and paper today and write a letter for them. If you could, include your name, age and address and send it to us here: Letters To HaitiC/O Wilhelmina 300 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-5398 More updates on this will be coming soon.

Letters to Haiti

In our years as friends Behati and I have been on many trips and adventures together all around the world. This January we will be traveling together for a very special reason. You’ve probably heard me talk often about Lakay Pam and the great work they do aiding orphans in Haiti. Together over this last year we’ve hosted events here in New York city which have raised a lot of money to benefit the children of that devastated country.

Now Behati and I are again teaming up with Lakay Pam to travel to Haiti with a few other friends with the idea of seeing what more we all can do. We’re going to spend a few days with the orphans and experience their everyday life. While there we’ll film a little documentary of what we encounter so you can see it first hand, where the aid is going and where we still need to help.

I have a big favor to ask of you all though, allow me to explain:

When we visit the orphanages we want to take with us letters from people around the world to show the children of Haiti that they have global friends, real people who care about them. In return we will be bringing back with us their letters to you all.

Please get out your pen and paper today and write a letter for them. If you could, include your name, age and address and send it to us here:

Letters To Haiti
C/O Wilhelmina
300 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10010-5398

More updates on this will be coming soon.

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Cohati Teams Up For Haiti

Taken from Modelinia.com

It’s no secret that Behati Prinsloo’s expanding her creative talents into the world of photography. She recently snapped images of her BFF Coco Rocha and her hubby (at the time) to-be and also curated her first exhibit as part of Fratelli Rossetti’s Fashion’s Night Out event to display their Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

But now, in addition to learning how to develop her own film, she’s turning her lens to a worthy cause, and teaming up with Coco Rocha to benefit those in need in Haiti. Given Coco’s involvement with Lakay Pam and latest plans for two upcoming trips to Haiti, it makes perfect sense that she would bring in her BFF to aid in the good of others.

“Coco approached me about the idea and I would love to help her out,” Behati explained to Modelinia. “We’re trying to go, [to Haiti] but she told me the other day that a disease broke out, so we’re going to wait until it calms down. I’m going to go to take pictures to show that they still need help after a year. We were thinking that after our first trip we’ll have a gallery exhibit to show what’s going on.”

We’re envisioning more than a few behind the scenes videos from the friends, paired with a blowout gallery exhibit, and massive outpouring of support from the fashion industry for Coco and Behati’s latest charity project.

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