Despite being surrounded by a gaggle of ash-blond, too-tan-for-November women in their 40s, Sean Haefeli is concentrating hard on doing his best impression of a mannequin.
The 28-year-old Ford model from the West Loop has been dispatched to the Louis Vuitton store on Michigan Avenue for GQ magazine’s Chicago Men of Style event. Even though the crowd around him is sipping wine and mingling, he must focus on the task at hand–specifically, looking really hot in his Vuitton trench coat while perched atop a small platform and clutching a monogrammed briefcase.
Occasionally he pauses to talk with one of the blonds, who, like the two women who came before her, have stopped to tell him, “My friend thinks you’re cute.”
From his platform, Haefeli is gracious. In a storage room where he and another model, Wade Gotwals, have a makeshift dressing room, he rolls his eyes.
“They get feistier as they drink more,” he says.
Gotwals agrees. One of the blonds has just pulled the neck of his sweater down so she could massage his chest.
The scene at the swanky boutique, the men say, is a typical night on the Chicago modeling scene.
While not as glamorous as the catwalks of New York or Europe, it’s still pretty fun and an easy way to make $500 for three hours of work.
And with shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and the national Victoria’s Secret “Angels Tour” receiving attention, mega-modeling careers have been thrust back into the spotlight.
Industry professionals agree that models can make a great living in Chicago doing catalog work and advertising campaigns. But they also say that if you want to become a star like Tyra Banks or Gisele Bundchen, you’ll need to catch the first plane out of town.
“Chicago is a big modeling city,” says Eric Bean, a top fashion photographer who recently wrote “The Complete Guide for Models: In side Advice from Industry Professionals.” “But all the those Glamazons–you know, those girls who look funkier and are taller–they’re all in New York.”
In New York, a model may find high-profile jobs, he adds, but competition is fierce, and there are many advantages to staying in the Chicago market.
One of the biggest advantages is that the catalog and advertising market that dominates Chicago pays much better than the typical magazine work a model might get in New York. Bean says a model on the cover of one of the major magazines may only be paid a few hundred dollars, but a spot in a national ad campaign could make her as much as $100,000.
Don’t let the catalog biz fool you, though. Chicago has had its day in the glam supermodel world, says Lynne Hamilton, vice president at Chicago’s oldest modeling agency, Shirley Hamilton, which was founded in 1962.
“Chicago had a strong fashion sense in the 1980s and early 1990s,” she says, noting that Cindy Crawford came from DeKalb. “We were booking models so fast we had to schedule 15 minutes between appointments. Those were the good old days of high fashion at Marshall Field’s and Carson [Pirie Scott]. They’re definitely not booked like that anymore.”
Hamilton says that the fashion industry shifted focus away from Chicago as the big department stores here were sold and the new owners started working with New York agencies more.
There are still runway shows in Chicago, and occasionally magazine work comes up, says Emilie Bartolomay of Ford Models in Chicago, but the agency’s top models tend to move on.
Joy Nakayama, who grew up in Tinley Park, is one of those examples. Nakayama was discovered by Bartolomay at a party several years ago. She quit her job in one of the furniture showrooms at the Merchandise Mart and started doing catalog work for Carson Pirie Scott and Target, but after about eight months, she decided to go on location in South Africa and Europe.
“You can make a good living,” says Nakayama, who now lives in New York. “But if you want to open up more doors and do bigger things, I think you have to leave. The opportunities just aren’t available like they are in New York or Paris or London.”
Nakayama says she misses Chicago’s relaxed atmosphere, but that she prefers her new scene. “It pays well,” she says. “But modeling for Target is not superglamorous.”
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Paid to pose
Male models also may have an advantage in Chicago, industry insider Eric Bean says, because there is more demand for them here and there are fewer competitors. This is important, he explains, because female models are preferred in New York and usually make double or triple the amount of money male models do. If a female model earns $15,000 for a shoot, a male model working the same shoot would only earn about $4,000, he says. Female beauty, Bean explains, requires more upkeep.–m.c.
Getting into the biz
So, you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Gisele. What do you do now?
Eric Bean, fashion photographer and author of “The Complete Guide for Models: Inside Advice from Industry Professionals” gives the following advice for aspiring supermodels:
– Don’t spend a lot of money putting together a portfolio. Get a friend to take a couple simple outdoor photos of you. Be sure to have one clean face shot without makeup and have your hair pulled back. Also take a full body shot wearing shorts and a tight top.
– When you have your s two photos, send them to as many agencies as possible. All it takes is for one person to like your look.
– If someone approaches you about modeling, take his business card and call him later. All legitimate scouts will have a business card and will also understand that you want to speak with them in a more professional setting. You should never go home with a scout or pay him money.
– If you are considering breast implants, think again. Agencies and photographers prefer your natural look. “I can make things look bigger,” Bean says. “But I can’t make them look smaller.”
– Take very good care of your body, especially your skin. Bean says he can tell if a model is not eating or getting enough sleep by looking at the health of her skin.
–m.c.
Super models through the years
The desired look for “it” girls has evolved over the years, from the prim, hair-sprayed elegance of the ’60s to the looser, more natural look of today.
Jean Shrimpton
Lanky Vogue cover girl embodied the swingin’ London scene of the ’60s and was one of the first models to reach household-name fame.
Twiggy
Along with Shrimpton, the ultrathin blond helped bring miniskirts to the masses.
Lauren Hutton
Gap-toothed beauty was the face of the ’70s. Her exclusive deal with Revlon was a breakthrough for the model industry.
Carol Alt
Life magazine once called her “The Face.” And the rest of her’s not bad, either.
Cheryl Tiegs
Appearances in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issues sent her career skyrocketing in the ’70s.
Iman
Graceful, exotic African beauty who, like Twiggy, became famous enough to require no last name.
Christie Brinkley
SI swimsuit star cemented icon status with roles in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” video.
Cindy Crawford
DeKalb native and former Northwestern co-ed was host of MTV’s “House of Style” and did famous Playboy pictorial.
Claudia Schiffer
Statuesque German blond got major exposure as Guess? jeans girl in ’80s and ’90s.
Elle McPherson
Six-foot-tall Australian bombshell known as “The Body” epitomizes modern Amazonian ideal of beauty.
Naomi Campbell
Lives up to the stereotype of temperamental, overindulged model.
Kate Moss
Racy Calvin Klein Racy Calvin Klein ads made rail-thin Brit a star and helped make “heroin chic” hot.
Tyra Banks
California dreamboat was first African-American cover girl for GQ and SI’s swimsuit issue.
Gisele Bundchen
Discovered at a Brazilian McDonald’s, freckled-face stunner was recently named Rolling Stone’s “Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”
Heidi Klum
German uber-hottie got big break as cover girl for SI swimsuit issue, which led to a deal with Victoria’s Secret.
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mcarberry@tribune.com
