crazy test?

Do you remember when i told you about that crazy test i had in Paris, where i was supposed to be a housewife and then my face was coloured in black stripes?

Well, here is the final product. Last Sunday the Photographer, Cindy Gravelat had an exhibition in Paris. Photos of all 3 girls involved in a project. Anastasiya, who was a 'doll', who was my rommate, and another girl, who is from Barrie, Canada! But i am so bad, i forgot her name :(

 Ksenia

casting time

If you'll excuse me for not updating the blog regularly! I just came back from Paris, where the internet stoped working in our apartment, so i could not keep up with the blog.

I will make sure to fill you in with what had happened. But for now... just a photo from one of the castings...
it was a casting for LOREAL. A lot of girls, a lot of hours of waiting. In fact, i came to this casting a day before, because the client gave a wrong time, so there was noone there. Then, i guess the client was very busy, gave a wrong time of the casting on the day it was supposed to be held. So, Nastya, my friend and apartment mate, a gorgeous Russian model, arrived to the location and found ourselves being there 2 hours earlier than we were supposed to be there. Since, it was out of the city, we decided to stay in the building and just had a lot of coffee and chilled there with other models who started arriving early as well. When the client came in, they moved us to a cuter room, filled with cool lights and colourful bean bags. We spent there another 30 mins. Then, the casting began :) In fact, i had an option for this job after the catsing. Unfortnately it did not get confirmed. Hopefully, next time? ;)

Photo form the casting:



Ksenia

LANVIN for H&M

Folks, its here. Lanvin for H&M is out and about!
People gone crazy for the collection. Well, at least in Paris they did!
Today i came by my agency here and each one of the bookers had 1-2 bags full of new clothes they got early morning or during their lunch break. To be honest some pieces are really cool. I even hear that some men's pieces are good! I fell in love with a few dresses. Flirty and colourful!
If you don't mind that half of your city will be wearing it, go to the store now, because i am afraid that there isn't much choice left!

And here is the video commercial. Love it, by the way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdV4xpTiS1s

shooting with Lagerfeld's muse

                The other day I was given a casting for an editorial for some French magazine with the #1 male model  and Lagerfeld’s muse, Baptiste Giabiconi. I was sure that when I’d come to the casting there would be hundreds of girls there. To my surprise, I came to the magazine’s office and found myself there alone. The client looked at me, at my portfolio and asked me if I was available to shoot Friday. After my obvious positive answer, she said ‘See you then’. I did not know how it happened, why I was there alone, and how the hell I got it, but yes, Friday I was shooting with Baptiste, the top male model in the world at the moment. I arrived at the shoot a little early and saw everyone already there. The other girl we were shooting with was from Estonia, and the photographer was German, who I happened o shoot with for a jewelry catalogue the day before. We started hair and make up that took 3 hours but was so perfect and did not need any touch ups during the day. While Kirsten and me were getting our hair and make up done, Baptiste staretd shooting single pages. After we were done we got dressed up and got on set. It was an easy shoot, although with lots of movement and attitude. The concept was created by Karl Lagerfeld himself, as he closely watches Baptiste’s career, and was inspired by the video “Addicted to Love”. So, we were his bodyguards, pretty, rock and roll girls always cold and attitudy. During the day there was a lot happening at the same time, many people coming in and leaving, doing interviews with Baptiste, TV, etc. At the end of the day, they also did an interview with me and asked if it was any different shooting with Baptiste. I said that it was not very different, because he was not looking for any special attention from anyone because he was a ‘Top model’. He was very down to earth, fun, sweet and professional. Later, his producer asked me and Kirsten if we wanted to come out that night to celebrate Baptiste’s birthday. Of coarse we  wanted, however Kirsten could not come, so I came with my flat mate, Nastya. It was a very private dinner in honor of Baptiste’s 21^st birthday (I had no idea he was so young)! He already celebrated his birthday earlier in the week, but this was a special evening organized for him by his producer with lots of people from entertainment industry. There was a producer of Lady Gaga there, producer from universal studios music, TV reporters, and many more important people. It was a fun night. Later we went downstairs to the club to dance the night away. Later Baptiste perfrormed his song from his 1^st album for the 1^st time ever! It was a great, very energetic performance, which the audience loved to say the least. It was a great honour to have worked with him and his team.


Baptiste on set




picture of one of the chosen pics




Baptiste performing later at night










picture of one of the other chosen pics

 Ksenia

Le festival de l’extreme Burning Man

         Today at the shoot I was looking at Paris Vogue (Issue November 2010) and on the cover with beautiful Natasha Poly I saw a headline “Le festival de l’extreme Burning Man”. I rushed into opening the page where there was article dedicated to this amazing festival! The author was the guy who was sent to the desert in Nevada to experience it in August and he was also the one who took all the pictures published there next to the article. His impression about the festival was amazing. He is saying that he was not excited about going there, because he is not into this kind of stuff. However, he was pleasantly surprised with what he got to see and go through there. He describes the event very beautifully and recommends everyone to go to Burning Man! He finishes the article with a quotation from Iran that says: “ You may not be always in comfort, but it would always be an experience”, referring to the amazing time he had at the festival. Here are the photos and article from Vogue:

         The reason why I was so excited is that my fiancé and me also went to this festival this past August, for the first time, and we also had an amazing experience! And I realize that the photos in Vogue were the ones from this year’s event. I looked for myself and my fiancé and my friends, but we weren’t in them. However, I thought, if I were  to find myself in those pictures, how cool would that be? I would be able to say “I was in Vogue, Paris!” Oh, well, next time and for another article or editorial ;) For now, here are a few pictures from our trip:

Burning Man last day

 

art car

Ksenia

castings time!

 Tomorrow i have ‎7 castings, half outside paris, in opposite ends of the city. To get to them i have to take not only metro but bus too must be used for some... All must be done in 5 hours...AMAZING RACE PARIS here i come :) (oh, and it's also cold and raining!) So, tell me now that the life of a model is easy and glamorous!:) lol.... terrified how i will do it tomorrow... but isn't it what i was asking for?:) So, i am staying positive!

Meanwhile, i photo that was taken in Disneyland in Paris... i was walking by some house in the park that had a door that said 'Casting Agency. It takes people to make their dreams a reality'... :)) How cute is that?

Ksenia

Paris day 15

Another day another weird test. First I arrived late, again, now, it wasn’t my fault either, the agency told me 10:30, because the photographer told them 10:30, but then the photographer sent them an email when they finished their week and asked me to come at 10:00, however no one got to read that email. We figured things out and started the shoot. The idea was crazy. The first part was the shoot with a guy, as if we were both in a bathroom, and doing our own stuff, but he was applying a mask and then cream on his face, while I was using shaving cream and something else. So, as if we changed our roles as man and woman. I had shaved cream all over my face for one of the shots, and for the next shot, we had to play with this shave cream, while for the next shot we were playing with water. Crazy! In the second part of the test, the other girl arrived. We took pictures together, then the hairstylist started putting different wigs on me, and I would get some crazy make up. Oh! At the end of the shoot when I was taking off my make up, we realized that the eye liner was waterproof and it took me several minutes to get rid of it! Again, like the last weekend my eye lids are scratched and feeling horribleL  Oh, and I almost forgot, the whoel day at the shoot I felt super dizzy. At first, I thought it was hunger, but then I realized that I had a good breakfast and after lunch I also did not start feeling better. It’s a good think that the shoot was only for beauty and because of the wigs you could not see my eyes in all the shots, so you could not see the fatigue. However, it is still weird for me why I felt so bad, that a few times I felt that any second I could pass out.

            It has been raining in Paris for the past 2 days, and even though I have not been feeling well and I feel like this weekend was totally a waste of time, I love this city way too much! I even learnt to love the things that were irritating me at first. For example, that fact that French people do not move when you have to get on or out of the train, you have to go around them. Before I would get upset, where as now I go around them with a smile on my face. Or the fact that French people like to take their time doing anything was also upsetting me for the first few days. Now, I understand them, they just enjoy their lives, they like to have a coffee with a cigarette (by the way, they would not start a day with out a coffee), lunch for them is more important than anything else! And I figured, the best part to be content with all these is to become a part of them. And so I did, well at least a little part of me is integrating into a Parisian life. I also drink a lot of coffee ( thank God for those coffee machines all over the city!), ok, I don’t smoke and won’t ever start. I also take my time, I also enjoy my lunch even if it is a baguette or croissant on the way And I also sometimes do not move when people get on or off the train, and it is not because I am a bad person but I figured if they expect you to move around them, then they do not expect me to move for them either J

         My life in Paris consists of baguettes, crepes, macaroons, tarts, croissants, croquet monsieurs and éclairs. I am loving it! I love the fact that you walk by the boulangeries and there are tons of people standing in the line only to get a baguette for breakfast or dinner, and this line might even stretch to outside!

        In less than two weeks, I am going home to Toronto. Although I miss all my friends, family and my fiancé, I really do not want to leave Paris. The more time I spend here the more I realize that this is my city. I even try to speak French here and there. At today’s shoot, no one spoke English so I had to get used to it. Well, because of it I was unusually funny, because every time I wanted to say something I had and urge to open a dictionary because i happened to not know any words. Obviously, I can say some things, but it is still very hard for me to communicate.  However, I did understand the most of what the crew was saying. Practice makes perfect. But I hope that I will be back again next year. This time with a book ready for Paris, ready to see all the clients and rock this city ;)

while running around the city for castings i also get to do some sightseeing

at a private party with my beautiful apartment-mate, Nastya

behind the scenes of the test that was good



behind the scenes of the test that was weird...yes...shave cream... for the shoot!

Ksenia

Today I had a very cool test. It starte doff weird, wit crazy make up and hair and continued on with cool editorial, great styling, beautiful light and amazing photographer! Here are some photos that I like, but are not final choices of the photographer.

    

 

Afterwards, our booker invited us to a party. Only me and my flat mate, Nastya. We did not know where we were going, but just in case we brought a bottle of champagne. It turned out to be a party organized by one guy who does organizes this evening only 2-3 times a year with the it people of Paris. So, lots of stylists, designers, photographers, celebrities and many other people attend this guest list event. We came in without knowing what it was and when we got inside we realize that it was very fancy. The party’s location was next to Champs Elysee, next to L’Arc de Triumph, in the apartment building! The place was huge! I don’t know how you can design such big places for living, especially after you live in NA, you start appreciating the space much more! This was a party and a dinner together, so we ate some good food that lacked spices, but wasn’t bad at all, regardless! Then, we started just talking to people while many many more of them were arriving. Someone told us that everyone would love to be at this party so we were lucky. As expected, after some food and much more Champaign, everyone started dancing. Although everyone was dressed casually nice, some people were over the top, and Nastya and me notice a girl who had a very long sparkly pink gown, which turned out to be  Tara Reid from American Pie. Later, we heard that we got to meet an old partner of John Galliano, who was definitely inspired by his previous job, although now he was working on his own ligne. Then I turned around and I felt like I knew the person standing next to me. Yes, of coarse, that was Jude Law J Unexpected, eh? That’s what I thought. We talked, he was cute and funny, but looked different from what you would like him to be. This was a very cool night. We also got to hang out with Ellen Von Unwerth and some other interesting people. I am so so grateful for being here in paris right now!
Sorry, no pictures from the party. J

Ksenia

           Working tomorrow with the photographer, Patrick Laugier, who was the first assistant to Peter Lindbergh for 10 years. Very excited!

Here are two pictires from the tests that i did here in Paris... more coming!

Ksenia

modeling in Paris

Today I was woken up with good news from the agency. Got a job and will be working on Thursday and Monday!

I just went to 2 castings during the day. One of the castings was a go see with a magazine that I very important. It is called ‘Your Beauty’ but in French. This magazine is great if you want to do beauty campaigns. Most of the girls that shot with this magazine later got great beauty campaigns/ jobs. So, it was just a go see and let’s see what it will result in.

Tomorrow I have another two important castings, one is with Marie Claire France, and the other one is for something else, some billboard, but I am not sure what it is yet.

Remember, I mentioned that on that crazy test shoot we had to do a video and I was asked to scream in Russian as if I was a crazy housewife mad at someone? Lol, here is the video ;)

Ksenia

crazy shoot!

The day started off with me being late for a shoot (creative) by an hour. Now I had another excuse, France just changed time from summer to winter hours and I got confused in the morning. Anyways, no one told me a word and was not going to start working on me the minute I got there. I notice that French people are really laid back, they like taking breaks, going out for a cigarette, or even smoking it anywhere inside, having wine or beer, talking… all that until they realize that they have to finish really soon and they must start working! It makes me laugh when they say that they are so stressed because they have too much to do, because I see them collecting all the things they need to do and leaving them till the last minute and then rushing and stressing.

So, I arrived for the shoot, had a coffee, hung out, had another coffee and we finally started the process. The idea was that there are 6 characters, there were another 2 girls playing 4 characters in previous days (one of them was my apartment mate Nastya) and the other girl was from Barrie! I was supposed to be a housewife for the first look and a ‘blakk’ for the second look. To be honest, I never thought I would shoot something like this in Paris. It was beyond crazy! First, this was for an exhibition that will take place at the end of November. Second, they weren’t only taking a regular shot, but also a portrait, also a 3D photo and a video! It was one loooong day! We shot for 10 hours… and don’t get me wrong, the photos are cool, especially the 3D (which can be seen with the glasses only, unfortunately), but I would never be able to use this for my portfolio! It also turned out that the agency did not know that this would be the concept. Regardless, it was a fun day but crazy.

For the housewife I was dressed up in an orange neon dress, with orange tights, stripper shoes, some weird sparkly jacket, crazy orange make up and outrageous hair with rollers in it. I was playing a crazy housewife. In the shot, I was standing with an ironing board, pretending like I was ironing and a phone beside me. I was making crazy faces for the picture. Making the video was more fun. For one shot I was asked to throw all the clothes that I had on an ironing board to the sides and one piece at the camera, as if I was pissed off at something. I did that. Then for the next, face shot, I was asked to take the phone and started yelling at someone, as if I were mad at a person on the phone. It was so funny, because i was actually supposed to scream something. I decided to say things in Russian, and I was yelling and yelling, and playing the character when the videographer said ‘stop’, I did not hear him and continued on. Everyone started laughing at me. It was a good laughJ They, later, told me that I am a good actress and a great model, which was a nice compliment.

The next look was less fun primarily because of my hair and make-up. My poor hair was teased, and sprayed and straightened, but the outcome was cool. The hairdresser came up with something spectacular on my head. Make up was a whole other story. The make-up artist put tape on my face, painted blank spots black colour and put sparkles all over the black stripes. I was put on set, we did a shoot, we did a video, we did a 3D photo… during this process I could not have any water because there were no straws and I had black make up on my lips, and my face was itching because of the sparkles on it. When the shoot was over, the crew screamed ‘Champaign for everyone!!!’ I guess this was to make everyone feel better after a long day! And I had to take this make up off my face. The baby wipes, the make up remover, the soap and water did not help. I looked like I had a poppy seed disease, all covered with those sparkles. So, make up artist and hairstylist and me had to take those things off with tape! The next day I woke up with skin on my face scratched and irritated. Yes, I can officially call this shoot the craziest one yet.

getting my make-up done



make up station




Barrie girl on set




crazy houswife



'Blakk'



tryong to take these things off...



Ksenia