THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Coco Rocha dishes her favorite fashion moments, tech goods and Brooklyn shop. by Lindsay Flans Following model Coco Rocha’s career in the world of high-fashion (from catwalking for designers like Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Emanuel Ungaro, to lending her face to a limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Coco Cola Light campaign and his Macy’s collection, and filming commercials for clothing super-store White House Black Market), the Canadian has stylishly segued into the weekly TV circuit as a mentor on Oxygen’s The Face. Rocha, who coaches aspiring models through photo shoots and commercials (alongside supermodels Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova) in order to help the winner become the face of ULTA Beauty, has some mentors of her own. “I will always have a special place in my heart for Jean Paul Gaultier who has given me so many amazing opportunities on his runway. He was the designer who asked me to Irish dance down the runway in 2007, which really put me on the fashion radar,” she says. “He has to be one of the kindest, most sincere people you could ever hope to meet and he’s one of the few designers who treats models as muses and really values our opinions.” FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Zac Posen has always been like a big brother to me. When I got married three years ago he was the only person I wanted to create my wedding dress and he went above and beyond, creating the most amazing dress I’ve ever worn. The support goes both ways, in eight years I don’t think I’ve missed a single show of his! Karl Lagerfeld also has always been a loyal supporter of me in his many ventures. From campaigns at Chanel to working with him on a Diet Coke commercial. I will always admire him and his work ethic immensely. Lately I’m really loving the work Nicola Formichetti is doing with Mugler. It’s digital, high tech and everything we hoped and expected fashion would be in the second decade of the 21st century. I’m also extremely excited to see Fausto Puglisi’s first season as the creative director for Ungaro. I love Fausto’s aesthetic, wearing his clothes makes models like me feel like supermodels. I think Ungaro as a brand has gone through some hard times but in Fausto’s capable hands I’m expecting great things for the house in 2013. FASHION MISHAPS: My entire early high school career was a fashion mishap, I had the dorkiest style. I would wear big baggy sweaters, bell bottoms and the same running shoes every day. By the end of Grade 10, I was traveling quite frequently for fashion shows and shoots and at the same time receiving a crash course in fashion 101 at the feet of some of the world’s greats. I remember being given all these cute little dresses by Anna Sui when I was 17 and wearing one of them for my graduation boat cruise. I also remember doing looks for Louis Vuitton around then and being given my first designer handbag, it was my prized possession for a long time. Since then I’m sure I’ve made a few blunders and fashion faux pas. I think anyone who takes risks with fashion is bound to make a few mistakes! FAVORITE RED CARPET MOMENT: Zac Posen gave me this amazing gown he called the “Cloud Dress” which I wore to the Met Ball a few years ago. It had a seven-foot billowing train that was way over the top and tripped more than a few people, I adored it! I even wore the train as a cape when I entered! I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor and last year I got to go to her estate auction in New York where I bought this amazing 1980s Givenchy jumpsuit. I ended up wearing it to last year’s Met Gala which was all about “impossible conversations.” I imagined it represented my impossible fashion conversation with one of my personal style icons, Miss Taylor.  [[MORE]] FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP: I rarely get to shop these days! I remember when I first started modeling and moved to New York I discovered vintage shopping and loved the hunt for some obscure one-of-a-kind piece. Lately most of my shopping is done on TheFancy.com - It’s this great site that shows you what you’re looking for, before you even know you’re looking for it. I love gadgets and with The Fancy the crème rises to the top so that you’re treated to an endless stream of lust-worthy products, all of which can be purchased either on the Fancy or a third party site. Personally I am a huge tech fan and there are some amazing tech products and accessories on the fancy that I haven’t seen anywhere else. FAVORITE RECENT PURCHASE: My latest purchase was the iPad mini. I’ve had an iPad since they were first launched and I had no complaints about it so I didn’t really see the point in getting an iPad Mini in addition. As always with Apple products, seeing and feeling the device in person changed my  perception. The Mini is shockingly light and easy to manage. It also easily fits into a medium-sized purse which I can tell you is extremely important to a New York City girl. FAVORITE UNDER-THE-RADAR STORE: In New York there is very little that is great and can remain under the radar for long. For home furniture I’d say Film Biz Recycling in Brooklyn is a best-kept secret. It’s this great charity that takes in abandoned movie props that would have ended up dumped in a landfill somewhere and recycles them back into use. My husband James and I have found a lot of our favorite treasures there and we think it’s a must-go-to for anyone who’s looking for that unusual piece for their home.  TRAVEL MUST-HAVES: I have a great pair of Molami headphones that I go everywhere with. Also a must is a good Rebecca Minkoff bag to hold my iPad mini!

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Coco Rocha dishes her favorite fashion moments, tech goods and Brooklyn shop.

by Lindsay Flans

Following model Coco Rocha’s career in the world of high-fashion (from catwalking for designers like Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Emanuel Ungaro, to lending her face to a limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Coco Cola Light campaign and his Macy’s collection, and filming commercials for clothing super-store White House Black Market), the Canadian has stylishly segued into the weekly TV circuit as a mentor on Oxygen’s The Face. Rocha, who coaches aspiring models through photo shoots and commercials (alongside supermodels Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova) in order to help the winner become the face of ULTA Beauty, has some mentors of her own. “I will always have a special place in my heart for Jean Paul Gaultier who has given me so many amazing opportunities on his runway. He was the designer who asked me to Irish dance down the runway in 2007, which really put me on the fashion radar,” she says. “He has to be one of the kindest, most sincere people you could ever hope to meet and he’s one of the few designers who treats models as muses and really values our opinions.”

FAVORITE DESIGNERS:

Zac Posen has always been like a big brother to me. When I got married three years ago he was the only person I wanted to create my wedding dress and he went above and beyond, creating the most amazing dress I’ve ever worn. The support goes both ways, in eight years I don’t think I’ve missed a single show of his! Karl Lagerfeld also has always been a loyal supporter of me in his many ventures. From campaigns at Chanel to working with him on a Diet Coke commercial. I will always admire him and his work ethic immensely.

Lately I’m really loving the work Nicola Formichetti is doing with Mugler. It’s digital, high tech and everything we hoped and expected fashion would be in the second decade of the 21st century. I’m also extremely excited to see Fausto Puglisi’s first season as the creative director for Ungaro. I love Fausto’s aesthetic, wearing his clothes makes models like me feel like supermodels. I think Ungaro as a brand has gone through some hard times but in Fausto’s capable hands I’m expecting great things for the house in 2013.

FASHION MISHAPS:

My entire early high school career was a fashion mishap, I had the dorkiest style. I would wear big baggy sweaters, bell bottoms and the same running shoes every day. By the end of Grade 10, I was traveling quite frequently for fashion shows and shoots and at the same time receiving a crash course in fashion 101 at the feet of some of the world’s greats. I remember being given all these cute little dresses by Anna Sui when I was 17 and wearing one of them for my graduation boat cruise. I also remember doing looks for Louis Vuitton around then and being given my first designer handbag, it was my prized possession for a long time. Since then I’m sure I’ve made a few blunders and fashion faux pas. I think anyone who takes risks with fashion is bound to make a few mistakes!

FAVORITE RED CARPET MOMENT:

Zac Posen gave me this amazing gown he called the “Cloud Dress” which I wore to the Met Ball a few years ago. It had a seven-foot billowing train that was way over the top and tripped more than a few people, I adored it! I even wore the train as a cape when I entered! I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor and last year I got to go to her estate auction in New York where I bought this amazing 1980s Givenchy jumpsuit. I ended up wearing it to last year’s Met Gala which was all about “impossible conversations.” I imagined it represented my impossible fashion conversation with one of my personal style icons, Miss Taylor. 

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SPOILER ALERT!! - My The Face finale recap for People MagazineWell, here we are: The final episode of The Face. It seems like just yesterday we had 24 girls and now all of a sudden we’re down to four: Team Karolina’s Devyn, a mother from the Bronx who all three mentors fought for on day one; hardworking and sweet Ebony, also from Team Karolina; Team Naomi’s former Miss Universe China, Zi Lin, who has been one to watch all season; and finally the beautiful Margaux from my Team Coco, a quirky model after my own heart who won me over on the first day with her risky head shot. Together, for better or for worse, we never played it safe as a team and we always strived to think outside the box.The final stretch: The girls are introduced to the Director of Public Relations and the Director of Trend Development at Ulta Beauty, the clients who will ultimately pick one girl to be the face of their brand. Their final test run involves learning about products and interacting with customers at an Ulta beauty store. Team Karolina’s Devyn, who works in retail, and Ebony, a preschool teacher, both seem very comfortable with the customers. Zi Lin gives it her all and does well despite her language barrier. Naturally a shy girl, Margaux pulls through and is very warm and engaging. When asked what the brushes are made of by a would-be client, she admits that she doesn’t know the answer. I was very happy with her response, as admitting you don’t know something is much better than making something up (which we saw Team Naomi do to their downfall last week). The girls give it their all: Photographer Dusan Reljin gives the girls one last shoot to help Carrie and Molly of Ulta decide which girl should be The Face. Margaux is first and needs no time to warm up; as far as modeling and posing go, this girl is a machine and gives Dusan one amazing shot after another. She works with her facial expressions, her angles and even her hands. I could not be more proud of my little protégé. [[MORE]] By comparison, Ebony (Team Karolina) falters. She is a little slower in finding her groove and seems to be unsure of her angles. Devyn makes up for her teammate’s shortcomings with a great connection to the camera. The clients have no problem choosing a usable shot from her work. Zi Lin is last and, with warning from mentor Naomi to not “do that pageantry thing,” serves model all the way. It’s evident these four girls are the best in the competition and all deserve their spot in the finale. However, in reviewing the pictures, the client decides that Ebony does not have what it takes to be the face of Ulta and she is sent packing before the final runway show. This season of The Face opened with the girls watching myself, Naomi and Karolina walk in a Zac Posen show at Lincoln Center, so it only seems right that it closes with the girls actually walking alongside us in another Zac Posen show. All three girls look amazing and we all feel like proud mamas. And the winner is…Taking into account everything they have seen, the representatives from Ulta decide that The Face will be (drumroll, please) … Devyn! Personally, I believe that any one of the top three girls would have done an amazing job with Ulta, so Carrie and Molly couldn’t have made a bad choice. Margaux takes the loss in stride. In the modeling world we hear “no” just as often (if not more) as we hear “yes,” and although she didn’t win the Ulta campaign her story does not stop here. Margaux has since been signed to my agency, Wilhelmina NY, and is being guided by the same amazing agents who have worked with me for the last decade. This last month Margaux was featured in Virgin Mobile’s television spots (airing between commercial breaks of ‘The Face’!) she shot a campaign with Target and, surprise surprise, a Zac Posen for Moda Operandi look book! All very impressive accomplishments for any model, and I, for one, could not be more excited to continue to watch and mentor Margaux and all my girls as they expand their careers in the months and years to come. You have not seen the last of Team Coco!

SPOILER ALERT!! - My The Face finale recap for People Magazine

Well, here we are: The final episode of The Face. It seems like just yesterday we had 24 girls and now all of a sudden we’re down to four: Team Karolina’s Devyn, a mother from the Bronx who all three mentors fought for on day one; hardworking and sweet Ebony, also from Team Karolina; Team Naomi’s former Miss Universe China, Zi Lin, who has been one to watch all season; and finally the beautiful Margaux from my Team Coco, a quirky model after my own heart who won me over on the first day with her risky head shot. Together, for better or for worse, we never played it safe as a team and we always strived to think outside the box.

The final stretch: The girls are introduced to the Director of Public Relations and the Director of Trend Development at Ulta Beauty, the clients who will ultimately pick one girl to be the face of their brand. Their final test run involves learning about products and interacting with customers at an Ulta beauty store. Team Karolina’s Devyn, who works in retail, and Ebony, a preschool teacher, both seem very comfortable with the customers.

Zi Lin gives it her all and does well despite her language barrier. Naturally a shy girl, Margaux pulls through and is very warm and engaging. When asked what the brushes are made of by a would-be client, she admits that she doesn’t know the answer. I was very happy with her response, as admitting you don’t know something is much better than making something up (which we saw Team Naomi do to their downfall last week).

The girls give it their all: Photographer Dusan Reljin gives the girls one last shoot to help Carrie and Molly of Ulta decide which girl should be The Face.

Margaux is first and needs no time to warm up; as far as modeling and posing go, this girl is a machine and gives Dusan one amazing shot after another. She works with her facial expressions, her angles and even her hands. I could not be more proud of my little protégé.

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TEAM COCO SHOOT - Behind the Scenes

With the finale of The Face over and done with I know you’re already missing Team Coco (Hey, I am too!). Here’s a little shoot the girls and I did with Ben Cope of 7AM last month in LA. You might have seen some of the images already in my People Mag blogs. 

Special thanks to Stephen Steelman of Brigantine Films for documenting the whole experience, and Bob Dixon and Micki Schneider for helping put it all together for Marlee, Margaux, Brittany, Stephanie and myself.

Fashion by: Fausto Puglisi, Cote-Armour and Versace. Additional styling by Jayne Seward with clothes from Steve Madden, Alternative Apparel and THVM.

Hair & makeup by: Veronica Chu, Anna Branson and Tara Jean Mann.

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SPOILER ALERT!! - My Episode 6 recap for People Magazine This week’s episode of The Face is all about being a brand ambassador. The most envied campaigns in fashion and beauty nearly all require that the model be able to speak, sometimes extensively, about a product. Learning how to communicate as a brand ambassador is a must. The challenge is a red carpet press event thrown by a magazine. The clients are journalist William Norwich and iconic model Pat Cleveland, both experts on red carpet etiquette, who will look at how the girls walk and hold themselves in front of press, photographers and fans, as well as they answer questions. Billy and Pat teach the girls how to pose for the cameras in their Guido Maria Kretschmer gowns, and remind them that “to admit when you don’t know something” is the height of intelligence. In other words, no making stuff up.On the red carpet, Ebony (Team Karolina) breezes through a tough question from Wendy “How You Doin’” Williams about her children having different fathers. Devyn tells Wendy that she doesn’t categorize herself as a “black girl model” and Naomi calls her out. “That’s a disgrace!” she says, throwing Devyn off her game and making her think she has lost it for her team. [[MORE]] Next, Jocelyn (Team Naomi) is upstaged by former pageant queen Zi Lin on the red carpet. Jocelyn refuses to answer a question about her mystery “reality star boyfriend.” Zi Lin is asked the name of her eyeshadow (by Ulta, the brand these girls represent) and instead of admitting she doesn’t know, she starts talking about how her name means purple in Chinese and then says of the eyeshadow “I call it Ulta Special Purple.” Googling that product name does not get you very far. Team Coco does well. Margaux quickly fires back at a negative comment about her height with the classic example of 5-foot-7 Kate Moss. Although inaudible to anyone else, Naomi thinks she hears Margaux mispronounce the apparently complex and nuanced name ‘Moss’ and calls her out on that. It’s an act both distracting and completely uncalled for considering no one criticized Zi Lin’s pronunciation, ever. Team Karolina wins and Naomi gives the news to her girls, saying, “We’ve won three challenges, Karolina has won three challenges, and Coco’s won zero.” Although technically correct, my team won the biggest challenge of all: the public vote. Fans of the show gave Team Coco 70% of the popular vote online, leaving just 18% for Naomi and 12% for Karolina. Whatever the outcome of The Face’s challenges, the people have spoken and they loved the way my girls played the game. Karolina is faced with the difficult task of sending two girls home this week. Apparently Naomi’s name-calling last week made no impact on her as she puts Zi Lin and Margaux, arguably the two strongest girls in the competition, through to the finale. Stephanie leaves with her head held high and says she is walking away as a model and that she never could have said that before. Of course the show cannot end there. Despite the fact that both of our teams lost, Naomi seems determined to make Team Coco feel like somehow we’re the real losers, saying she’s “yet to be inspired” by us. Regardless of how the points are divided, I’m very proud of my team. As aspiring spokespeople for Ulta Beauty, none of my girls made up an imaginary brand name like Zi Lin did. “Do not say my girl lied, you better re- check your facts,” says Naomi. I remind her those were the client’s words, but Naomi couldn’t care less and goes off topic telling me “Check your lipstick, before you come and talk to me, because you’re wearing it.” For the record, my purple lipstick was not called “Ulta Special Purple.” –Coco Rocha

SPOILER ALERT!! - My Episode 6 recap for People Magazine

This week’s episode of The Face is all about being a brand ambassador. The most envied campaigns in fashion and beauty nearly all require that the model be able to speak, sometimes extensively, about a product. Learning how to communicate as a brand ambassador is a must.

The challenge is a red carpet press event thrown by a magazine. The clients are journalist William Norwich and iconic model Pat Cleveland, both experts on red carpet etiquette, who will look at how the girls walk and hold themselves in front of press, photographers and fans, as well as they answer questions. Billy and Pat teach the girls how to pose for the cameras in their Guido Maria Kretschmer gowns, and remind them that “to admit when you don’t know something” is the height of intelligence. In other words, no making stuff up.

On the red carpet, Ebony (Team Karolina) breezes through a tough question from Wendy “How You Doin’” Williams about her children having different fathers. Devyn tells Wendy that she doesn’t categorize herself as a “black girl model” and Naomi calls her out. “That’s a disgrace!” she says, throwing Devyn off her game and making her think she has lost it for her team.

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SPOILER ALERT!! - My Episode 5 recap for People MagazineThis week’s episode starts out with a clip of someone being called an idiot. Who’s the idiot and why, we ask? Turns out we will find out at the very end of the show. Idiot-calling aside, the test shoot this week is all about chemistry. Naomi teaches a lesson on how to sell a pair of Christian Louboutin heels alongside a male model and she’s looking for confidence, performance and charisma in the girls. The Drama Begins: When Margaux (Team Coco) is up, Naomi states her weakness is having no personality. To set the record straight, just because you’re not a loud or aggressive person does NOT mean you have no personality. Being humble, professional and demure are also personality traits – just not ones that register to Naomi apparently. But it’s Stephanie’s performance that has us all on the edge of our seats in the best way possible. Not to be outdone, Sandra shows up with a rose in her hand and goes in to kiss the male model on the neck. Naomi immediately throws herself into a fit of hysterics, falling out of her seat and running across the room laughing. Sandra is humiliated by her mentor and tells her so before storming off set. Naomi chases Sandra down to tell her off, claiming “no one is here to laugh at you” (previous scene excluded). Miss Campbell is furious at Sandra for walking off the set and so decides that she’s not returning to set either. Nigel is left to announce the winner alone and Stephanie is rewarded with a shiny new pair of Louboutins! [[MORE]] Video Girls: The girls are back to create a short video campaign for online retailer OpenSky.com. Team Karolina discusses the benefits of using an all-natural pomade on their children, which results in a genuinely engaging clip. Although at first Margaux has a little trouble with fluidity, Team Coco pulls out a funny skit about a chic tuxedo blazer. Team Naomi decides to sell a bean bag and uses every ’90s infomercial trick of the trade, but it’s just not authentic. In the end Team Karolina wins – a great decision on the client’s part. Stephanie did an amazing job this week, so it’s only right that I send Margaux into the elimination room for the first time. Naomi is still furious that Sandra walked out on her and so sends her to join Margaux. And about that name-calling…: When asked why she would be a better representative for Ulta Beauty, Margaux says that a model has to be professional at all times. I concur — there is no room in the modeling industry today for a model who has anger management issues and can’t work well with others. Sandra has not been professional in the course of this competition and Karolina’s choice is a no-brainer: Margaux stays. Naomi is furious. “Margaux is a threat, that’s clear!” says Campbell. “Now Karolina’s team is gonna lose.” Why, I wonder? Because little old Margaux came back? She flatters us! She also subtly infers that her girl Sandra was never a threat at all. Karolina receives the full wrath when she walks in the room and is called a “complete idiot.” In all the time I have known Karolina, she has been many things — sweet, honest — but never an idiot. For the record I think being reasonable and a good sportsman are enviable qualities. Naomi then turns to Margaux, who at 22 years old has been in school full-time until last year. “Margaux’s been working for eight years,” Naomi says. “Don’t you think she should have been someone by now?!”. The whole tirade is really harsh. We’re supposed to be role models, helping these girls, not tearing them down. The fact is, Margaux may not be rich or famous but she is someone, she’s a great model and more importantly a genuinely good person. Whether she wins or loses matters less than how she plays the game and that, I feel, goes for everyone.

SPOILER ALERT!! - My Episode 5 recap for People Magazine

This week’s episode starts out with a clip of someone being called an idiot. Who’s the idiot and why, we ask? Turns out we will find out at the very end of the show.

Idiot-calling aside, the test shoot this week is all about chemistry. Naomi teaches a lesson on how to sell a pair of Christian Louboutin heels alongside a male model and she’s looking for confidence, performance and charisma in the girls.

The Drama Begins: When Margaux (Team Coco) is up, Naomi states her weakness is having no personality. To set the record straight, just because you’re not a loud or aggressive person does NOT mean you have no personality. Being humble, professional and demure are also personality traits – just not ones that register to Naomi apparently. But it’s Stephanie’s performance that has us all on the edge of our seats in the best way possible.

Not to be outdone, Sandra shows up with a rose in her hand and goes in to kiss the male model on the neck. Naomi immediately throws herself into a fit of hysterics, falling out of her seat and running across the room laughing. Sandra is humiliated by her mentor and tells her so before storming off set.

Naomi chases Sandra down to tell her off, claiming “no one is here to laugh at you” (previous scene excluded). Miss Campbell is furious at Sandra for walking off the set and so decides that she’s not returning to set either. Nigel is left to announce the winner alone and Stephanie is rewarded with a shiny new pair of Louboutins!

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