By Millicent Lambert – themodellife.net
@millicentlambert
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live the life of a model for a week?
During the week of Fashion week here in Milan I kept a diary everyday.
I had decided with my agent NOT to try out for Milan Fashion week shows although I did somehow end up casting for a few shows and I did get one scheduled show. Yay!
Here is my diary entries from the week.
Sunday 18th September
Sunday is usually a quiet day in the fashion industry. Fashion weeks are the exception. During the fashion week *before and after”, the bookers often spend late nights and weekends in the office to cope with the craziness.
Today I have 3 castings. My appointments didn’t come through from the agency until 10.30pm last night. I originally had 2 coffee dates planned with two model friends but I had to cancel as we all received last minute appointments.
My housemate has the same castings as me today. We head to our first open-call casting, and arrive 45 minutes early. We get our names on the list and I am number 11. I change out of my sneakers and into my heels, I brush my hair and apply lip balm. By the time the casting starts there are about 60 models waiting in line.
When it’s my time to cast, I do my walk for the client and offer them my comp card. The client appears to like me and takes a photo of me for reference. In less than 2 minutes the casting is over and we head home for a quick lunch.
After lunch it is time for a request casting. There are a few models waiting and we get in line. The casting goes quickly. The client looks at our portfolio, take a composite and gets us to walk. He takes a photo of the models we likes. He doesn’t take my photo but tells me I have a great book and wishes me luck for fashion week.
The last casting is another open-call. When I arrive the casting hasn’t started yet but I am already number 98. After waiting for a half hour in line – one model says that no one is using the list and as a result the models are like animals. It’s a stampede, 20 models push ahead of me.
When I FINALLY get my turn. I give the client a composite and did a walk for them. The client does not appear keen.
One of my friends is at the casting and we go afterwards for a long walk and a gelato. We take some photos for Instagram. Then I go home for dinner and bed.
Monday 19th September
Today there is only one open-call casting, 2pm-4pm. I take the tram and arrive at 2pm. Theres at least 50 girls there already.
I decide to go off to find an Acai bowl and return in an hour hoping there will be less girls. I get lost on my way to find the cafe but I get there eventually and still return by 3pm. I realise on my return there was a list. I didn’t put my name on it before. I am now number 89. I wait for 30 minutes. My turn inside with the client lasts but not even a minute.
My ex-housemate luna is at the casting, we go for an hour of window shopping. I then return home to film a short beauty casting video for a client in Stockholm. I cook dinner and have an early night.
Tuesday 20th September
First thing today I have a request casting for a big lingerie/swimwear brand. Theres not a lot of girls in line so I don’t have to wait long. I give the client my book and composite and do a walk for them. thy ask me to try on a bikini “Just in case”. The client doesn’t seem to keen.
I return home after my casting for lunch.
My next appointment is an Open call casting for a show. The casting is very quick and I don’t have to wait in line long.
I now have a fitting for the Luisa Beccaria show that I cast for on Sunday. I try on two dresses and some heels. My fitting finishes faster than anticipated and I meet up with Luna for a espresso and croissant. My next appointment is close so theres no sense in going home in-between. 
My next casting is a callback for a Showroom for a big designer. Luna comes with me as it won’t take long and my next fitting is two hours later. She waits in a cafe for me.
I am ten minutes early to the casting and so I have to wait in the lobby for ten minutes. The client gets me to quickly try on one dress. There is one other model there. The casting is over quickly and I meet back up with Luna and we hang out for an hour and a half before my next fitting.
After a walk around we part ways and I continue to my next fitting. My fitting is for a presentation for a luxury shoe brand. I arrive ten minutes early and have to wait for 25 minutes for the stylist. When she arrives we head upstairs and I try on some dresses. We settle on a black dress and a black pair of heels. I sit and wait while they fit the next model as well. I finally head home after an hour and pack my bags for tomorrow when i arrive home.
It’s an early night for me.
Wednesday 21st September
My alarm goes off at 5am. I try not to wake my housemates whilst I get ready for my flight to Hamburg. Today I have an important casting for big hair brand. I blow-dry my hair because it’s a hair casting so its important to have nice hair. I finish packing my bags and have a quick, early breakfast. I walk to the train station and take the train to Malpensa airport. The train is delayed 15 minutes and I start to stress that I might miss my flight.
When I arrive at the airport my flight is delayed 20 minutes. I relax a bit and wonder around the airport.
When I arrive in Hamburg, I try to recharge my german simcard but for some reason the data won’t work. This makes it difficult to get around on my own but I manage to find some wifi.
I planned to go to the agency in hamburg first but I run out of time because of the flight delay. I go straight to my casting. There are a few girls waiting at the casting before me. When it i my turn the client seems quite keen. They want to cut off my hair at the shoulder and dye it pastel pink.
I would be very well interested in such a dramatic change but it seems unlikely that it will go through.
After the casting I pass by the agency to talk to my bookers and i also pass by the health food store to pick up a few things they don’t have in Milan.
I get the train back to the airport. Once i arrive to the airport my first flight is delayed 20 minutes. I worry about missing my connecting flight. The other passengers complain to the air hostesses as we check in and it ends up delaying the flight further.
When we arrive in Brussels I have missed my connecting flight. There are no more flights to Milan and I need to stay overnight in Brussels. The airline has booked me a hotel at the airport for the night. I have the earliest possible flight in the morning booked. My phone doesn’t work here and I need to be in the lobby for wifi.
My agent finally gets in contact with me. I have a job tomorrow morning at 9:30am, thank god I have the earliest flight tomorrow .
Thursday 22nd September
My flight is very early. I wake up at 4am and have a shower. I have a coffee and croissant in the hotel at 4.30am, then I pack my stuff and check out.
I wait for my flight at the airport. It is delayed 15 minutes. I haven’t had a lot of luck lately with services leaving on time.
When I arrive at malepensa airport I head to the train and catch it to garibaldi station. Something is wrong with my phone and I can not get any internet and wifi won’t work. I have to catch a taxi from the airport to the show because I don’t know where it is and I’m running late.
Upon arriving at he show I have had 6 missed calls from the agency because i was 5 minutes late. I don’t have time to callback as I am taken to fittings and then sat in the makeup chair. My agency calls another model at the show who then finds me and puts me on the phone. Oops. I learnt a lesson – always call your booker back asap.
We have rehearsals and then I sit back down to finish my hair and makeup. There are a lot of models at the show. I am number 12 and i have just one outfit. This is relatively stress free. The show is at 11.30am. The collection is simply stunning and the location at the museum is just as beautiful.
After I finish the show I go to have lunch with a fellow Aussie model, Whilst at lunch I receive two castings. I won’t have time to go home first. I have to find a mobile store and wait in line half an hour so they can fix my internet so I can figure out how to get to my castings.
I get to my first casting and it is over within a minute. Then I head to my next casting which is much the same. I have had a big day and am exhausted. I am still carrying around my bags from my trip to germany yesterday and can’t wait to get home and drop them off.
After my castings I head home, where I only am for 30 minutes. The agency calls my and I have a callback casting with the lingerie/swimwear brand I casted for earlier in the week. I need to go there immediately!
When I arrive there there are 3 other models waiting. I wait for 45 minutes before I get to cast. I try on one outfit and do a walk. The client tells me that they don’t need a photo (they take photos of the girls they like). So I get undressed and back into my own clothing. I am a little frustrated I had to cast for this client again when I knew they didn’t like me to first time. Oh well.
I am now off to meet with two other Aussie models for apperitivo. We eat and chat for two hours and then I walk half an hour home and get straight into bed.
Friday 23rd September
I wake up at 6am for my presentation today. I get a takeaway ham and cheese toastie and espresso on the way to the studio. The I arrive the team isn’t ready yet. I wait half an hour before they start on hair and makeup prep. There are four other models on todays job.
The presentation is relatively easy as a majority of the day we have to sit on a couch looking “sexy and sophisticated”. We are fed a small lunch of pasta and get one half hour break each.
By the time we finish at 7pm in the evening I am exhausted. It s not hard to sit down all day but it is tiring. It’s like being on a flight.
My muscles ache and i feel all over exhausted.
After my presentation I walk 15 minutes to a fitting. I try on a one piece swimsuit and walk for the client. I am tired, the heels are very high and the polished floorboards are slippery, so I slip and stumble a bit on my second lap. This is disappointing and now I know I won’t get the job.
I head home, I don’t have dinner because I’m not hungry and I’m too tired. At 10pm I meet up with my friend from New York who I met when I was in LA. I haven’t had a chance to see her yet and this is the last chance to see her before she flies out at 6am tomorrow. We have one glass of wine at her hotel.
I have to catch a taxi home because there are no more trains running. I get home and get straight into bed.
Saturday 24th September
I didn’t get the job I had the fitting for last night. Oh well.
I get to sleep in bit today. My only appointment today is a photoshoot at 2.30pm.
I get up late have a leisurely breakfast, and throw out most of my food as it has gone mouldy over the last few days. I speak to my boyfriend and my family – I haven’t talked to them this week as the time difference and my schedule has made it difficult.
I pack my handbag and head to the shoot. I am not sure what to expect as the details had been vague. “Show pictures” was all my call sheet said.
Prep and the setup is the same as a show and there are “backstage photos” being taken but there will be no guests arriving. Once ready we get dressed (we have 4 outfits each). The team of dressers and makeup and hair people sit in as the audience and we do a fake runway, to get runway pictures.
As we are finishing up there is an argument between two designers. One designer has the hall booked until 6pm and the next designer has turned up early and wants to start setting it up for her show. There is a lot of yelling and I am keen to finish and get out of the madness.
We finish up at 6pm and i head straight home to watch a movie, relax and get some sleep.
