Fashion Week Survival: The Models Speak

Backstage at Lincoln Center, the biggest names in the business were caught in the act: Jacquelyn Jablonski dashing past security for the Narciso Rodriguez show, Freja Beha cat-napping at Michael Kors while getting her hair blow-dried, and Liu Wen kicking back a quick cup of coffee before Richard Chai. Amid the flurry of hairspray, mascara wands, and makeup brushes, they shared their secrets—beyond the prerequisite “I drink lots of water!”—on what gets them through New York’s weeklong frenzy of shows, fittings, and the general fête-ing of fashion.

“Frozen spoons!” cried out model Sessilee Lopez backstage at Zac Posen’s Z Spoke show. “It’s for those early call times,” she said of the age-old trick for depuffing tired eyes. She also copped to a hefty application each night of Embryolisse cream—the must-have model favorite takes second place to a solid eight hours—following an all-over cleanse with Shiseido’s The Skincare Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover.

Hilary Rhoda—mid-application of yellow, blue and green makeup at Z Spoke (the inspiration, said Maybelline’s Charlotte Willer, was “street performers”)—also extolled the benefits of taking all that excess makeup off before bedtime. Her tonic of choice: Estée Lauder’s Gentle Eye Makeup Remover.

Hidden inside Jersey girl Jacquelyn Jablonski’s saddle-brown leather PS1 bag at Narciso: snacks. She usually carries a handful of granola bars (a.k.a. model fuel) from Nature’s Valley—the Trail Mix and Cranberry & Pomegranate flavors are her favorites—and “anything with nuts or fruits.”

Chanel Iman’s Fashion Week fixation: the stacks of new sheets she somehow found time to buy from Duxiana, the Swedish brand most famous for their coveted, high-tech beds. “During the week it’s important to find time for myself, so I’ve gotten a new comforter and lots of sheets,” Iman said of her desire to nest, or renest. “I’ve lived in my Battery Park apartment for three years now, and I just felt like [it was] time for a little change.” And no hotel whites for her: “I need lots of color in my room because it makes me feel good when I go to sleep.”

Karlie Kloss—flipping through the pages of Vogue’s October issue mid–blow dry backstage at Michael Kors—confessed her love for Moroccanoil’s hair mask. “My three sisters all have curly, textured hair, and I got stuck with this stick-straight hair, so they’re the ones who turned me onto it. And you know what? It works wonders!” she said of the treatment that seems to have everyone hooked. “It really replenishes my hair after a week of styling, and makes it silky and healthy.” (Our own Meredith Melling-Burke made sure to stop by the Beauty Department to scoop up a bottle as a part of her Fashion Week beauty arsenal, too).