Margaux Brooke

First issue of the The Hornet is out!

2012-02-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

My first double page layout for Fullerton College's paper The Hornet.

I know it's been awhile but school has been CRAZY! So far my classes are really easy but the paper is A LOT of work! I can honestly say I thought being editor would be easier than being a writer, boy was I wrong! Laying out the pages is NO JOKE!

First off all I was given a page and 2/3rd of a another page space. I had a lot of content so I thought it would be NO problem! What I wasn't expecting was for writers to get their stories in last minute. A school publication is different from an every day publication in many ways, but one of the biggest differences is, no one is getting paid. When you have writers whose only motivation is to get their stories in is for a good grade, you sometimes don't get stories in at all. Especially on the standard of "C's get degrees." Regardless, I got only half of my page done after six hours of work.

I came in on Tuesday (our production day) to work on the paper around 3 p.m., which was the earliest I could get there since I had castings that morning. I worked relentlessly till about 6:30 p.m. which is when my Journalism 101 class started. I had emailed my teacher asking for half the class off so I could get back to the paper and received a long reply stating "she was never given a break by her teachers when she was on the paper." (FAIR ENOUGH). So I stayed for the entire class and got back to the newsroom around 9 p.m. I had about a page and a third done total. Krysta my editor-in-chief had put my top story on the first page while I was in class, so that was done.

I got to work on my second page and finished it around 11 p.m. We were saving it to send to Krysta for one last look over before it went to printers, when the program crashed and the file become corrupted. We couldn't open the finished second page at all. Jesse my managing editor helped me rebuild the entire page in 20 minutes. It was very impressive. We got the entire first issue sent to the printers around midnight, making the paper delivery time delayed for the following day. Issues weren't spread around campus till about noon on Wednesday.

On Thursday, I walked in to the first issue critique expecting the worst. Jay went page by page explaining what could have been improved upon. When he finally got to my page he didn't really nitpick too much. He just said I could have been a little more creative with my design, which I totally agree with, but my first time was more like a panic attack so I'm glad I kept it simple.

The only real error on my page, and it was a major one was that the byline for one of my top stories, the one on the first page, was wrong. The story was not by Kelsey Smith but by Mike Atchue. I made a public apology in class and owned up to the mistake. I later apologized to Mike in person and assured him it would never happen again and that at the very least it would be corrected and available online.

I learned a lot from putting this first issue together. It definitely showed me that I need to work on my time management. Writers need to get their stories in sooner so I can edit them, no more slacking. I am really excited and possibly even more nervous for the second issue. I have less stories coming in for that issue and no more excuses. But I'm going to do my best to try and improve every issue regardless. Let the crazy begin again!

Juliana Herz Joins the Elite Family

2012-02-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! A dear friend of mine, Juliana Herz, has just signed with Elite Model Management in Miami! I am so happy for her!

I met Juliana in 7th grade at Country Day School in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I had just moved there with my family for some unknown reason. Juliana was the only other girl in the class! I know, crazy right. Not to mention our class had about 12 people in it, total.

Juliana, Emily and I in Costa Rica- age 14/15

I'd like to say that our relationship started off nicely but if I remember correctly it started off more in the "frienemies" category. I was invading on all her "men" when I joined that class. She had grown up with them and known them basically her whole life but now I was the "new girl," which always ends up being popular with the guys, and instant loathing with the girls.

But over the years, after Juliana and I had dated almost all the same guys (lol), I think we managed to get over our petty nonsense and just be genuine "friends." I wish it had happened sooner though, as I moved away from Costa Rica at the age of 15. I haven't seen Juliana since but I still regard her as a close friend and always will.

I am so happy for her success and wish her more and more in the future. Elite Miami is a huge step and I'm so glad we are apart of the same, great agency! Hopefully we'll end up working together at some point. That would be all together too amazing! Love you girl, hope you make it big!

Jason Wu for Target- eBay Scalpers Suck!

2012-02-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

So if you're a fashionista like me, than you've also had the release of Jason Wu for Target marked on your calendar for months! I had circled all the items I was going to buy, budgeted for the collection and it was all for nothing.

I'm no stranger to the high end designer collections that Target has been selling over the years but ever since the Missoni meltdown they have been harder and harder to get my hands on. The last collection I snagged from Target was the feminine and colorful, Rodarte line. I managed to walk in nonchalantly at 10:30 a.m. day of and get everything I wanted, no problem!

Today, for the Jason Wu line, was not a similar experience. I woke up early, around 9:30 a.m. and got to Target around 9:45 a.m, just an hour and 45 minutes after they'd opened. There were three items left on the racks, all of which were the matronly blouses (sorry Jason) in extra large. I walked around the three empty racks about five times, mostly because I was in a state of pure shock and wishing the clothes would some how magically reappear when I got to the other side. They never did.

I walked over to the accessories department (still in shock) in attempts to formulate a Plan B. All of the Jason Wu accessories were gone as well. Clearly, the racks had been cleaned out by those who intended to sell the collection on eBay, this was Brea and the store hadn't even been open for two hours!

I dialed the number for the Target in Yorba Linda and started to make my way back towards my car when I spotted a girl about my age, with no makeup on, speed walking (clearly she had done what I'd done, rolled out of bed and driven to Target as soon she woke up) towards the women's clothing department. I turned around just as she reached the empty racks, she too was clearly in denial over the whole situation and began circling the racks in hopes that a miracle would take place.

I got into my car just as the operator for the Target in Yorba Linda answered my call. Her first question was, "Target, Yorba Linda, this is Sherry speaking. How may I assist you?" I asked if she had any Jason Wu items left on the racks, in a size small. I did this while simultaneously regretting that I hadn't gone to church as a child and that my present days prayers would some how be answered. She put me on hold and came back with, "We only have a pink and white polka dot shirt with the black tie around the neck. People are trying stuff on right now though so it might be gone before you get here." I thanked her for her time and stepped on the gas as I jetted on to the freeway.

I didn't really want the pink top, but since I, myself was still in denial over the whole situation I decided to check it out (just in case there happened to be one of everything that I wanted in my size when I got there- a girl can dream right?).

The Yorba Linda Target had a few items in extra large which in my mind were extra smalls in need of tailoring. But alas, they didn't have the particular items I wanted, so I decided it was best not to waste my money. I only wanted four things- the white blouse, the blue floral skirt and the red cardigan/blouse combo as originally styled. Oh and maybe the blue dress with the red and white stripes at the bottom.

Most disappointing was that Target started filling the Jason Wu racks with mediocre look-a-likes. Anyone who was there before 10 a.m. would not be fooled by such trickery (shame on you Target!).

I drove home defeated and disappointed, like I said, I had been planning this for months. But you can't win them all I suppose. The most frustrating part was that the entire collection was up on eBay in mass quantities just minutes after the stores had opened. I know they limit items per guest but it seems to be an ineffective method of creating buyer equality. #bitter. Instead of refilling the racks at 8:30 a.m. why not wait till 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.?

Not to mention the entire collection was launched online at midnight, meaning those who go to bed at a reasonable hour or enjoy sleeping in managed to miss out entirely. It's rumored that Target did this to avoid system crashes like they experienced with the Missoni line.

Target hasn't announced their next designer collaboration yet but when they do, I will be up at 6 a.m. in front of the store on the release date (Starbucks in hand, well maybe not. I need two hands to shop properly) ready for the next great race.

Click on the photo at the beginning of the post to read about how things went down on the east coast!

Modeling- TONI&GUY: Freedom Collection 2012

2012-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! I worked with TONI&GUY in September of last year shooting their new collection, "Freedom." They cut my hair, colored it three times in the course of two days. On day one I shot a tutorial video that took almost 3hrs to do, grueling. But on day two I got to do a photo shoot with two of my favorite Los Angeles models, Ariel and Frankie.

Oh and did I mention I got my hair cut/styled by Guy's son, and Creative Director for the company, Zak Mascolo!? Crazy right. It was an awesome experience and I had an absolute blast working with everyone. The campaign was styled by Zak's wife, Caroline.

I think the new collection is unlike anything TONI&GUY has done before. It's fresh, modern and bright. Where as there past collection have been more edgy, rock n' roll and dark. I love it!

Fullerton Brings Snow to the Local Community

2012-01-31T01:34:00.000-08:00

So my first article of the semester is up! I wasn't planning on writing any articles this semester, being editor and all. But unfortunately a lot of stories weren't taken the first week of school, so I had to cover a few.

This is story I wrote on the Snow Day that Fullerton put on for the local kids. It was actually really neat. After interviewing a few parents I found it was a lot of these kids' first time seeing snow! How exciting right?! You can check out the original article here!

Inspiration- "Mechanical Dolls" by Tim Walker

2012-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

I don't normally post work on here that isn't my own, but every once in awhile I become so inspired that I have to share it with everyone! For the full editorial go here.

"Mechanical Dolls" by Tim Walker for Vogue Italia, October 2011

Behind The Scenes- First Week As Local Editor

2012-01-27T00:04:00.000-08:00

So I made it through my first week of school unscathed. This semester should be rather simple considering I only have two classes that are once a week. The rest of my energy will be going in to my Local Editor position at The Hornet. I spent Tuesday and Thursday of this week cleaning up my desk (seen above). I bought these computer cleaning wipes because the Apple Macs in the office looked like they hadn't been clean since they were put there. I also wiped down the entire desk itself. I reorganized everything and bought a potted orchid to bring some nature into the artificially lit newsroom.

The end result was quite nice though I think I'm becoming more anal with age because my desk had to be perfect and I noticed when I'd write stories on the whiteboard I found myself erasing and re-writing them till they were all symmetrical. Haha! What?! I wanted it to look perfect for the writers' first day in the newsroom, thats all! ;)

So I had all my stories on the board and my handouts (I made "How To Cover An Event" handouts for all the new writers) all piled up nice when the writers arrived. Krysta, our Editor-In-Chief, gave them all an overview of the room and then told them to get stories. I kid you not, ONE girl came up to my desk and asked about a story. The others grabbed a story from other sections or just left without getting any stories. But luckily Michelle Wallace agreed to take one of my stories. She chose the "Monster Jam" which is a monster truck rally that takes place at Angel's Stadium in Anaheim every year. Yes, one of the perks of being a writer for an accredited newspaper is getting free tickets to many cool events. I managed to score tickets to the first show of "Immortal" the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show. Unfortunately I couldn't go because I had class so Krysta ended up covering it. Not a bad perk huh?

So I ended up pawning off stories to other editors and photographers (who dont usually write). I am covering two stories and a restaurant review myself, but at least stories will be covered. So by next Tuesday I will have six stories for the Local section. Not too shabby.

As the weeks progress people will start taking more stories, hopefully. I think I lucked out and found a mini me with Michelle though. I challenged her with a 600-800 word count (my editor last semester was asking me for around 300 words but every story I wrote was over 500 but sometimes ended up at nearly 900) and she said she could do that no problem and would get the article to me 'same day.' Now thats what I like to hear. Hopefully she's an amazing writer and will want to take more stories. If you get just one person you can count on, you will have a great section. That's what I was for Jalina last semester and hopefully Michelle will be that for me this semester. Only time will tell. Regardless, I'm excited and can't wait to put together my first page layout. More pics and stories coming soon!

Modeling- Face Award Campaign

2012-01-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Last fall I shot a campaign for a watch company named "Face Award." They are based out of Japan and make these AMAZING, chic watches with Swarovski crystals embedded in them. The campaign was shot by photographer Catherine Asanov. She's really talented and is a super fun person to work with.

I drove to downtown L.A. to Catherine's studio in the morning. Once I got there I met her and her assistant who funnily enough was named Michael Jordan. He was a very tall guy, who, if I had to guess was about 6' 6", crazy right? He was really cool and along with being Catherine's assistant he played DJ for the day. I was requesting Radiohead a lot.

The makeup artist, Cassie Lyons-Marquez showed up a little after me. I'd met her before but we had never actually worked together, so I was excited to finally get the chance. After her, the stylist showed up. Her name was Dixie Toledo, cool name right? She brought some very basic but unique pieces. Since the product was watches we weren't going to be seeing too much of the clothing. In some cases I wasn't wearing any, at least on the top, haha!

The client showed up last. They were very nice but did not speak much english, so they were quite and reserved. They had boxes of their beautiful watches with them. Each one was original and stunning. I wanted all of them!

There was something different about this shoot that made it unlike any other I'd ever done. These beautiful watches needed an equally phenomenal canvas. So what did that mean for me? I had to shave my arms! Yep, that was interesting, but they looked great after. But growing the hair back was definitely weird, many awkward stages.

The shoot went by rather quickly, and we all had a blast on set. The pictures came out great and the campaign is now finally up online. You can see the website splash page here and the slideshow below has all the images! The client even gave every one of us a watch to take home with us, though the style I wanted ironically named "Brooke" (seen up and right) was not working so they mailed me a new one from Japan! I love it and wear it all the time! It's absolutely stunning. The client said they wanted to use me for their next collection. Let's hope they meant it ;)

Adventures- ABS Divisionlas: Day 2

2012-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

After some much needed sleep we awoke to Finals day. Nathan was competing around 9am and after a repeat of the previous days hotel breakfast, we packed in to the truck and headed to The Bloc. It felt like there were less people there that morning, maybe because the competitors that didn't make it past qualifiers just went home. I'm not sure. But we and many others stayed to cheer on our friends.

Nathan did really well on his first climb but didn't finish by a move or two. He put a lot of effort in to the rest of his routes but did not end up completing any of them. I love watching Nathan climb because he's confident and focused and doesn't let the pressure get to him. He climbed to the best of his ability and you could see that every single time. He ended up ranking 8th in his category, one spot short of making it to Nationals.

Noah Voloshin, who was also in Nathan's age group did very well. He managed to flash his last three climbs and fell on the last hold of his first climb. He got really close to a perfect score but due to ABS's new way of scoring he came in 3rd which meant he received and invitation to Nationals.

Maddy Voloshin was up next. She seemed very determined but in the end she was only able to do the majority of each climb. It seemed the women's junior final climbs, in particular, were rather difficult. I don't think I saw any of the women junior finalists completed the last climb. Maddy kicked ass and ended up ranking 5th in her category, also scoring her an invitation to nationals.

At this point I was tired of taking pictures and the only competitor left (that was a mutual friend of my group) was Charlie Andrews-Jubelt. We were all up in The Bloc's yoga room, which was being used as a viewing room for the competition. Charlie was on his final climb. Most of us thought he would flash it, and he almost did but when he threw for the final hold he swung out to the point where his body became parallel to the ground and ended up falling on his shoulder/neck. The spectators did an, "OOOHHHHHHHHH" when he fell, but he stood up and gave a signal to the crowd to cheer him on. He jumped up on the climb again, but unfortunately ended up falling the exact same way for the second time. Charlie came in 2nd place. Good job Charlie! Michael O'rourke was the only one of the junior males to finish all four climbs (he came in 1st).

By the end of the day I was exhausted and my feet were killing me (Converse provide zero arch support fyi) but the walls were open to the public so I had to climb. Did I mention all these climbs were set for people who climb above v5 (go here to understand the difficulty levels) or at least thats what it seemed like. Denice and I jumped on a few of the routes. We were able to get at least half way up some of them but others we could barely start. There was this one route that had in-cut crimps (my style) which was super fun. I got all the way to the last move but chickened out going to the finish.

After the competition was over we loaded in to the truck and headed back to Orange County, California. The eight hours flew by because we were all completely exhausted and most of us ended up falling asleep. I feel like I slept for at least five hours (Dan's lap was very comfortable). We finally made it back to La Quinta around 10pm but then Dan and I had to drive back to my place, another 2 hours away. Needless to say we both passed out for a good 12 hours or so once we got back.

It was a great trip, my first ever to Arizona and to Divisionals so I was was super excited about the whole experience. Seeing all of those great climbers really motivated me to want to climb harder. I am going to start training asap. My goal is to climb v6 consistently, though Dan thinks I can get to v8 rather quickly with his help (yay!). We will see! I took a ton of pictures over the two days I was there but I also decided to take some video. I will be posting the video tomorrow or the next day. Until then enjoy the slideshow! Noah's in black, Nathan's in teal, Maddys in grey. The girl with the curly hair is Taylor Clarkin, she placed 2nd (and kinda looks like Taylor Swift). Also click here to see the final rankings for the Tuscon, AZ Divisionals.

Adventures- Driving to Tuscon/ ABS Divisionals: Day 1

2012-01-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I went on an adventure to Tuscon, Arizona last Friday. Dan drove up from San Deigo Thursday night and then we headed to La Quinta to meet up with our friends the Withey's, who were the reason we were going to Arizona in the first place. They were both competing in the American Bouldering Series (ABS) Youth Divisionals. Those wanting to compete at Nationals in Colorado Springs, Colorado in February, had to rank in the top 7 finalists. I was really excited to see how the brothers were going to do.

Once we met up with the Withey's (Ryan, Nathan and their mom), as well as their friend, Denice, we piled into the back of their truck and headed out to Tuscon. Anyone who knows me, knows I hate road trips. I can handle maybe two hours to be comfortable but once it gets passed four I start going insane! Little did I know this trip was going to be a total of EIGHT! Luckily my boyfriend is super sweet, so he sat in the middle there and back haha! Plus I also managed to sleep a little, so that helped. We headed out around 11am and got to Tuscon around 9pm (we stopped for food a couple times).

Some of our friends, already at the hotel, had told us that there was a hot tub and heated pool that we definitely had to check out, and after being crammed in a truck with five other people for eight hours, a hot tub sounded like heaven. Unfortunately, Dan and I had forgotten to grab our bathing suits, so we decided to take a trip to the local Walmart. Once we got there we realized they weren't selling bathing suits yet (isn't Arizona suppose to be hot all year round? Just sayin). So I purchased some shorts from the little girls department (yeah I couldn't fit in the women's size. Apparently I am a medium sized little girl in the hip/butt region) and I borrowed one of Denice's bikini tops. Dan managed to find these very enthusiastic, sparkly, red shorts to sport in the hot tub.

So after some relaxation time in the hot tub we all headed up to bed to get some much needed rest before qualifiers the following day. I snuggled into one bed with Denice and Mrs. Withey while Ryan and Nathan took the other bed and Dan got stuck on the hard floor with a sleeping bag. He took it like a champ.

We rose bright and early around 8am (well at least most of us did), Dan had to drive Ryan to the gym around 7am. All competitors had to go into isolation (iso) a few hours before they competed (this is so they can't see the climbs or get any of the beta beforehand). We scrounged down some hotel breakfast (waffles and orange juice for me) and then headed to the event to see Ryan climb (Nathan wasn't competing till the afternoon).

Divisionals took place at The Bloc, a brand new gym in Tuscon. In fact the gym hadn't even been climbed in previously, this was its first official day of use. The parking lot was packed with cars holding license plates from all over the country. Competitors came from Nevada, California, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, you name it. The gym itself was even more packed and though it was only around 9am, parents and friends were full of energy, cheering on their favorite climbers.

The categories were (Male Youth A (oldest) -D (youngest), Female Youth A-D) which were the younger competitors and then, Male Juniors and Females Juniors who were in the 17yr old-19yr old range.

Ryan, 17, was competing in Male Juniors. He started around 9:15am, and got off to a sort of rocky start. The first climb was very much height dependent and he being only about 5' 4" struggled with it. Not to mention all competitors only got four minutes to get as far as they could on each climbing route, and they had to do four routes total.

Ryan did better on the other climbs but did not manage to make it in to finals. His brother Nathan however, did very well. He flashed (completed his first try) his first two routes and got pretty far on the last two. It was enough to get him into finals. He did a great job!

Around noon everyone was kicked out of the gym so the route setters could change the routes over for the next couple groups. So to kill time we all headed over to "Risky Business"- an all-American style restaurant, to get some grub and talk about the days events so far. All the ladies at the table ended up ordering drinks, myself included. I got an "electric lemonade" aka lemonade and vodka and something blue all blended together. It tasted like watered down lemonade haha! The guys that were of age ended up getting beer to compliment their meals. Almost everyone got either a burger, pizza or some form of a sandwich. I got a portobello mushroom burger myself, it was actually pretty good.

After lunch we headed back to support our other friends, Maddy (Female Junior) and Noah Voloshin (Male Youth B) climbers from Huntington Beach. Noah did very well and qualified for finals and despite a climbing injury, Maddy managed to flash her first two climbs and got far enough on the last two to qualify for finals as well.

A couple of kids from Rock City (my gym, in Anaheim, CA) were also their competing. Wyatt Hemerson gave his first time at Dvisionals a valiant effort but did not make it into finals. Another kid Max Matles also did very well but did not end up qualifying. David Patterson, also on the Rock City climbing team did great in qualifiers and managed to make it on to finals. Go Rock City!

This was my first time at a on-sight climbing competition and it was very exciting. I managed to learn a lot, including that 10yr old girls climb 10 times harder than me. All-in-all it was a good day and I was excited to see how the following day would go on at finals!

Here's a slide show of my all of climbers listed above, competing at qualifiers, as well as some funny moments before and after the competition! Enjoy!

Adventures- Tuscon, AZ

2012-01-14T10:33:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Sorry I didn't post yesterday! I'm at The Bloc in Tuscon, AZ for the ABS Climbing Divisionals. I'm here cheering on a friend, Ryan Withey! I'll be back on Sunday with a full post for the competition including rankings and who will be moving on to Nationals!

Behind The Scenes- Larry Bartholomew

2012-01-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last week my agent Tia contacted me, asking if I wanted to do a shoot with Larry Bartholomew. She said he was looking to build his editorial portfolio and wanted to shoot some black and white fashion stuff. I looked at his website and saw that he had a ton of really beautiful lifestyle work and almost no fashion work so I was a little hesitant, but because his overall work was amazing I said, "yes!" The shoot was set for Tuesday afternoon. We were going to shoot from 3pm to 8pm, which was perfect because I'd be missing traffic.

I had skimmed over the shoot details and saw the studio name was "5th and Sunset Productions" so naturally I assumed it was in the Hollywood area somewhere near Sunset but I couldn't remember ever seeing a 5th street near Sunset. So Tuesday rolls around and I type in the address into Google maps on my iPhone and find out the studio is actually located in Santa Monica (I hate driving past the 405 on the 10, traffic is always bonkers coming home). But I had already made the commitment and the new year gave me new energy so I toughed up and head out to Santa Monica.

I showed up to the location, had my car valeted and walked in to the enormous studio( coincidentally named "Studio Large." It was the biggest studio I'd ever shot in. The first thing I saw was this gorgeous black Porsche (I later found out that it was Larry's and that he collected Porsche's). Everyone greeted me with a huge smile and was very excited to start the production.

I walked in to the stylists area where I met Zoe Joeright, a very charismatic and happy person. She showed me all the clothes she pulled for what I realized was going to be a "60's" themed shoot. She had tons of mod dresses, shirts, these amazing striped pants, and beautiful shoes and jewelry to compliment each look. After that I met Erin Smith, she was very sweet and professional, I could tell she was going to do an amazing job on hair and makeup that day!

I did a short fitting with Zoe and then jumped into hair/makeup with Erin. She was using an iconic photo of Twiggy for makeup inspiration, I was really starting to get excited. An hour later I was transformed into a mod, GoGo-esk girl ready for a night of rebellion.

Larry wanted to shoot all of the looks in and around his Porsche which was a cool idea but in reality I wouldn't be able to use it for my book and neither would Zoe or Erin, so we talked to Larry and he agreed to shoot the looks on a plain white background as well. It turned out to be a good call because the pictures looked AMAZING! I'm more excited about these pictures than I've been in awhile. I know these will be a huge hit with my agents as well as clients. They are really going to improve my portfolio and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Shooting with Larry and his team was a wonderful experience. He's a super laid back, nice guy who gets the shot effortless within maybe 50 frames. He was great at directing and constantly giving me positive feedback. I wish I could shoot with him for every job.

I decided to do another behind-the-scenes video since Zoe was willing to assist in the filming process, although I didn't get quite as much footage as I'd like, so this ones a little on the short end. I hope you like it! All the looks were included in the video except one, but you'll see that one when I post the actual editorial later on. Enjoy!

Behind The Scenes- Beverly Hills Courier/ Rodeo Drive

2012-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

So back in December my agent called me up for a last minute shoot for a Beverly Hills Courier special issue called "Fashion Forward." I had no idea what to expect but tears (magazine pages) are better than no tears when it comes to a models portfolio.

The shoot started super early, around 7am if I remember correctly, which meant I had to leave my house around 5:30am (ouch!). We met at the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo drive, which was nice but not as fancy as you'd expect for the location. We had to cram seven or eight people into a pretty small room. The models were myself and Annastasija Makarenko (also signed with Elite). She was super laid back and nice, I really enjoyed working with her. Tawny Sanders was the creative director who orchestrated the whole thing, she was very bubbly and organized and had the whole day planned out.

Our photographer for the day was Tracey Morris. She came with a lot of energy and was all about expressing emotion when it came to each shot, which I really liked about her. She was creative with her backdrops and picked some really great locations for the shoot.

Alexis Ellen was in charge of makeup and she was amazing, super sweet girl with serious skill, she was also very fast and used a lot of products that I really liked. I remember asking her for the names of some of the stuff she used so I could pick them up later.

As for hair something about the hair extensions Randi Perterson used just did not look good on me. I think they were a tad too long, it just didn't look realistic. But I know it was the creative director's (Tawny Sanders) call and not hers, I don't think she personally wanted to use them. Regardless, Randi was super rad and I definitely hope ot work with her again.

Every once in awhile there will be a manicurist on set and those are my favorite kinds of shoots. In this case it was Bethe Fricke who did an excellent job repairing the damage that climbing has done to my hands in feet, they looked amazing! It's always nice to get a little pampered on set. No job is easy, even modeling, so any relaxation time is appreciated.

The stylist, Kelvin Seah pulled some truly beautiful clothing. Everything was from Barney's New York and had a black, white or silver theme. There were sequins, feathers and fur and the accessories were to die for. I'm talking YSL, Giuseppe, Louboutin, Valentino... I was in heaven. I was definitely trying on every pair of shoes I could get my hands on, throughout the day.

We shot all over Rodeo Drive, which if you haven't heard of it (everyone in fashion has) is the mecca of high fashion stores in Beverly Hills, California. We collaborated with the head stylists of Lanvin and Fendi and shot in front of their stores, incredible! Each look was phenomenal and I had a blast shooting.

Even the lunch we had at the hotel was fantastic. I ordered a chicken caesar salad and I kid-you-not it was the best I've ever had, and the most beautiful. The whole day was an amazing experience and I met a lot of really creative and inspiring people. Unfortunately I couldn't use any of the pictures for my book because I have short hair now so pictures of me with long hair are misleading but I will show you a couple shots. I really loved the one where I was dressed in head to toe Fendi (seen right) the dress and shoes were amazing! But my all time favorite look of the day was definitely the Alexander McQueen that I got to wear in the last shot (below). I guess I like it most because it's closest to my actual style. I was in love with that dress, and one day it will be mine to keep!

Behind The Scenes- Elias Tahan

2012-01-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, two nights ago I received a text around 9pm from a photographer friend of mine, Elias Tahan asking for a favor. If you model and live in L.A. it's a total privilege to work with him. His work is amazing! Anyways, so he asked me if I was available for a last minute shoot that would take place the following morning. I had worked out and rock climbed all day so I was excited for Monday to be my "rest day" but I was not about to pass up an opportunity to work with him, so I said, "Yes."

Monday morning I woke up at 6am, drove to L.A. got there around 8:30am which was the call time (I'm always the first one there). Everyone showed up, which was awesome considering this was such a last minute production. We all loaded into Elias's house and got started on what I only expected would be a fantastic photo shoot.

Bobby Eliot was doing my hair, which I found out as the day progressed, was a huge plus. He's phenomenal! I'm gonna be honest, ever since I chopped my hair back in June I've had hair stylists complain nonstop to the photographers and stylist, "She just doesn't have enough hair for me to change it up." Well Bobby did not complain once and he made my hair work! It got better and better as the day/shots progressed. I loved it so much that I ask him to show me how to style it for my every-day wear.

The makeup artist was Maria Nguyen, she was hilarious and full of interesting stories, none of which I will share, but man, I wish I could. Elias had never worked with her before and he, being a perfectionist, was on her to make sure the makeup came out just right, and it did. Her skin work was flawless and she was able to color the lip in a way that complimented the clothes perfectly. They decided on a red/plum color which I now wish I could wear every day (if only lipstick weren't such a mess!)

Lastly, the styling was done by Holland Ingersoll. She was super nice and had pulled some seriously amazing stuff. Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Louboutin heels, I was in designer heaven. I was a little wary about the looks she chose by just looking at them on the rack but once on, they always looked fantastic, she had a great eye. Stylists have a serious skill that I've slowly come to understand over the years. Where normal people seem to pull items because they look good on the rack but can actually look TERRIBLE on, stylists pull stuff that looks crazy and weird on the rack but AMAZING on. If they are good, they will always make you look GREAT!

Elias set up the backdrop in his living room (why spend $500/day on a studio when you don't have to) and we got to work. Now as I said before, working with Elias is a privilege to say the least but it is hard work! He has a very critical eye and knows exactly what he wants. I'm not saying he won't help you get there, he's a great director, but he definitely makes you work for it. I was dancing, squatting, leaning, pushing my facial expressions to their limit, it was very difficult but I am so grateful for the experience. He completely changed my approach and made me want to be a better model. As intimidating as he can be sometimes it was easy to relax when he's throwing out directions like, "Look at me like, "HEY! YOU FOUND ME AT THE AIRPORT!" or "be like "WHO STOLE MY SHIT?!" Best explanations I've ever been given, it really did make it easier to portray an emotion even though it was hilarious and made me stop what I was doing and start laughing.

He's very creative and driven and I'm hard working and stubborn (only with myself), the rest of the crew (hair/mua and styling) was excellent and inspiring, all-in-all we made a great team. After looking at some of the shots with him I know we will have an amazing editorial. Hopefully it will get published. I'm sure I wont see the images again for a few months. But in the mean time Elias sent me home with some un-retouched screen grabs from some stuff we shot at the very end in just my jeans and a bra and some overalls that the stylist had. Very simple but the pics came out great and they're perfect for my book. I'll post the finished editorial when I get it! Also look out for a behind the scenes video from another one of my shoots tomorrow!

Adventures- Burning Man 2012?

2012-01-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've had many friends talk about "Burning Man." I never quite knew what it was and I still technically don't, but I think this year I will go discover it. I've heard it described as the "biggest party in the desert, where people create beautiful pieces of artwork for a week and then burn it all down." I've also heard it described as, "A place where creativity runs free and where you can be whoever you want to be." I've also heard it described as "A giant rave where people do copious amounts of drugs all day every day."

It basically sounds like its a, "What you make of it," kind of event. I was perusing the site and it basically described the festival as no ordinary festival. There are no stages with planned shows but rather a city that is built entirely by it's artistic participants who than leave the desert a week later without any trace that they had ever been there. The one thing that really sold me on the event was this video. If this doesn't look like an interesting, originally and creative time, I dont know what does. I hope I get to go and that it turns out to be an amazing adventure! I'm mostly looking forward to taking TONS of pictures. The shots I've seen from past Burning Man's have been INSANE! I'll definitely have to get my Nikon D300 by then!

Shopping- South Coast Plaza + Versace for H&M

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Since the holidays just happened I've been wary of shopping or even going near a store due to the amount of money I spent on Christmas presents, but when your best friend asks you to go to South Coast Plaza for the day, you don't say no!
Brenna was on a mission to find the closed toed, spiked heel, leather Sam Edelman's at a discounted price (I told her they never go on sale) but even so, she wanted to check out South Coast anyway. If you've never been to South Coast Plaza, it's basically like a normal mall but for rich people (like seriously rich people). Every car is either a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus or some other high-quality European/Asian automobile. All the women walk around in Christian Louboutins, Prada, and Chanel heels while toting their Coach, Louis Viutton and Hermes handbags with their styled-out husbands who are stuck holding the shopping bags and pushing the strollers. At South Coast, the women wear the pants, and they are always designer.

Anyways we entered the mall through Bloomingdales and the first store I wanted to check out was H&M. Now you might be asking, "Why is she checking out H&M when they have stores like Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Dolce & Gabanna there?" The answer is simple- I'm a college student, at a community college, and no I dont have a trust fund. Don't get me wrong, modeling pays well, but paychecks come about every three months and in odd amounts. So I save and then I splurge, and when I splurge I shop at places like H&M, Urban Outfitters and Topshop, not the fabulous stores mentioned earlier (unless they are having a CRAZY sale or make discount lines like Versace for H&M). Now you see why I wanted to go there! Not to mention South Coast Plaza has TWO H&Ms, one of which has WAY nicer stuff at similar prices as the regular one, and which also carries the designer discount lines.

So, walking into this "fancy" H&M I was immediately blown away! Everything was in spring colors like bright yellow, red, tangerine and green (GORGEOUS) and almost everything was in a form of color blocking or had some amazing print or phenomenal 60s silhouette! I was in LOVE. Brenna was starving, so I tried to hurry my browsing. Now, Versace's line for H&M came out in November so I wasn't expecting to find anything, let alone in my size (size 2 at H&M, 0 every where else). Then I saw them! A pair of the high waisted, red/yellow print trousers in a size 2!! I freaked and grabbed them immediately, I had to try them on!

They fit like a GLOVE! I mean skin tight but not too tight, they were PERFECT! So I bought them, and get this, they were 50% off. Originally $80 I paid around $34, crazy right?! What a find, I was so excited, still am. I can't wait to wear them!

So after that we went to every major department store looking for her Sam Edelman's, none of which carried them (they are a few seasons old, so thats expected). Also, Nordstroms shoe department at South Coast is embarrassingly small, once you've been to the one at the Grove in L.A. you'll never want to go to another Nordstrom again!). So we decided to pop in to Aldo since they were having a 70% Off Sale, or so they claimed. Nothing was really on sale and clearance was only 30% off. We both ended up buying a pair of heels anyway. Brenna scored some cute black suede wedges (she was just happy she could walk in them) and I got some stunning leopard print pumps that were in the style I'd been on a hunt for since summer. Oh and I totally scored them for 20% off even though they weren't on sale ;) a true fashionista always gets a deal!

All-in-all it was a great day! We both spent very little money for what we got and had a delightfully tasty lunch at good 'ol, affordable, Wahoos! Amazing fish tacos! If you've never been, GO! So if you're looking for an AMAZING place to window shop in Orange County, check out South Coast Plaza. It's huge and filled with the best-of-the-best designer stores but also has a few places where girls like me can still enjoy shopping without seriously breaking the bank!

-Yours Truely!

Win a Balenciaga Bag!

2012-01-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Check out Erika's blog for details on how to win this amazing Balenciaga bag giveaway here!

I've already entered ;) have you?

I'm A Foodie- Scotch Collops & Potato Galette

2012-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that two of my favorite things in this world are my friends and food. Luckily my best friends John and Brenna like to feed me good food, often, at least once a week. The meals they make are always unique and usually 100% from scratch. Ordinarily John makes the dinner and cocktails, yes booze is always a part of the experience, and Brenna makes dessert (what kind of a meal doesn't have a dessert at the end? I will make a separate post for the dessert tomorrow).

Tonight for dinner we made Scotch Collops aka "Pan-Seared Steak with Onions and Mushrooms) from the Harry Potter Cookbook partnered with Potato Galette with sweet onions and garlic, a recipe form Bon Appetit Magazine.

I dont have pictures for the making of the potato galette (it's delicious) but here is how you make it.
1.Thinly slice white or gold potatoes with a mandolin.
2.Thinly slice one onion and one large shallot.
3. In 3 layers, apply potatoes, onions and garlic butter.
4. Place in 450 degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Watch the slideshow on how to prepare the Scotch Collops! Enjoy!

(If you move your mouse off the slideshow you can see the instructions, even when paused)

Behind The Scenes- Jana Cruder

2012-01-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

The New Year always seems to bring a certain excitement, as if we all get to press the "restart" button and put all the stuff that was dragging us down in 2011, in the past. By the end of the year I was super bummed about how slow modeling was going and was looking forward to the spring season and all the job opportunities it would bring. But before I could start throwing myself into dozens of castings my agents thought it would be best to shoot some new material for my book.

So, today I met up with photographer Jana Cruder to shoot a spring concept editorial that exemplified all the trends of the new season. Stylist, Nicole Chandler, incorporated a lot of reds, fuchsias and tangerines, combined with color blocking, high waisted pants, over-sized hats and grandma blouses. These styles were complimented perfectly by hair stylist/ makeup artist, Jenna Baltes, who used the most incredible lip colors for each shot. It was a huge success and we got every look done rather quickly. We managed to shoot a full eight-look-story along with an extra look for submissions. The goal is for the editorial to make it in to Zink Magazine, so fingers crossed that it happens!

My friend and fellow blogger Laura Hayden inspired me to make a "behind-the-scenes" video to amp up my blog and show all of you what it's like on set. I hope you enjoy it and I will post the pictures from the editorial as soon as I have them! Thanks!

Hired: The Hornet's New Local Editor

2012-01-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my first post that I love to write and that this semester (starting January 23rd) I will be The Hornet's new Local Editor. I applied for this position like any other job, with an application and proof of my competence. I had an amazing Local Editor last semester that made me fall in love with journalism which led to me receiving the "Best Local Writer" award, as well as the "Most Reliable Writer" award. Check out my articles here. I had a blast as a reporter but I wanted to step it up a notch for next semester so I applied for her job and got it! No I didn't steal it, the position was open.

There are three more weeks before school starts and I'm already working as Local Editor. My responsibilities include finding feature worthy events to be covered by Hornet reporters, who will then turn them into amazing stories for our campus to read. I also have to find interesting students and staff to do "profile pieces" on. Basically a story about their life, and whatever current event that makes them "news worthy." Local also reports on current trends. We currently have no "fashion" section of the paper, so for each issue I want to do a "style profile" on fashionable students on campus. My campus does not seem to hold much appreciation for fashion, but every once in awhile you see someone who is put together in an odd, interesting or inspiring way and those are the people I want to feature.

So for the past few days I've been scouring the Internet trying to find Orange County events for 2012. So far I have found about 10 for the first issue which comes out February 8th, so I'm good with that. But the following months are more scarce. I'm sure more events will pop up as the year progresses.

Thats why I need YOUR help. If you know of any cool events going on in North Orange County (Fullerton, Brea, Yorba Linda, La Habra, Anaheim, Irvine, Orange or Santa Ana) please leave a comment with the event name, place and time. I will also consider covering events in South Orange County if they are really amazing (Newport, Laguna, Dana Point, any of the beachy areas). The events can be charity events, festivals, marathons/5ks, or shows. I'm extremely excited for the semester to start and to meet all the new writers. I know together, we are going to make the paper the best its ever been.

Heres a list of events I already have scheduled.

Relay For Life - Kickoff Event
La La La Human Steps
Tinkerbell Half Marathon
Battle of the Dance Dinner Show
Chamber Music Palisades in Concert
Crossroads of the West Gun Show
Fullerton Artwalk
32nd Annual Orange County Black History Parade and Cultural Faire
Cal State Fullerton Homecoming
Fight Club OC
Anaheim Spring Primavera
MUSINK Tattoo Convention & Music Festival
Festival of Whales
Tough Mudder
Leprechaun Leap 5K
Luck of the Irish St. Patty's Day Pub Crawl Orange County
Sugar Plum Festival
Irvine Lake Mud Run
OC Marathon

Princess- Mi Amor

2012-01-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Since you're still getting to know me I thought I'd introduce you to the love of my life. No it's not my boyfriend Dan (sorry babe), at least not yet anyway! ;) No, it's my dog Princess. She's a west highland white terrier or "westie." I got her when I was 10-years-old and she still manages to look like a puppy every single day.

I mentioned before that I have a love of photography and this becomes evident with the copious amounts of pictures I have of Princess. I'm guessing I'm pretty close to a million at this point. If you follow me on Instagram (@gomargaux) you will see lots of photos of her!

Today I decided to take some new shots while she was watching me get ready this morning. She is without a doubt the cutest thing I've ever seen (yes even cuter than your dog) and I tell her that about a thousand times a day. Not that she needs any help with her ego, her name isn't Princess for no reason. Anyways you'll see random pics and posts of her if you follow any of my social media networks, including this blog. So I hope you think she's as adorable as I do!

xoxo
Margaux

Nordstrom- Best Customer Service On The Planet

2012-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

In order to enjoy any job you must share a common interest with your work. Being a model I am constantly surrounded by fashion and beauty, every single day. So naturally our common interest is shopping. My job requires me to model designers' clothing so the every-day-woman will go out and buy it. Coincidentally, every day I'm not working, I am an every-day-woman and I love to shop!

Surprisingly, though I work in Los Angeles, I don't actually live there. I drive anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half to get to my castings and jobs each week. Whenever a client asks me where I live and I respond with "Brea," they automatically assume "La Brea" which is a well known street in L.A. But those few Angelino's that have ventured out to Orange County know Brea only because of it's mall, "The Brea Mall" that is.

The Brea Mall is nothing fancy, I assure you, but it does have all the major department stores, including Nordstrom. Nordstrom is one of my very favorite places to shop, not only for their amazing clothing and shoes but for their customer service. I have never had an issue with returning an item, even if it's months later and badly used.

This whole post is tied to something I received in the mail today. A letter from Nordstrom, specifically from Jeromy O. Reid from the M.A.C makeup counter. I had gone on a hunt for a new version of this blush that I owned and had used, quite literally "to death." This blush was DEMOLISHED. The back sticker with the name was completely worn away. The blush remaining amounted to about as much as the graphite at the end of a pencil and the plastic cover was completely gone.

I was embarrassed, to say the least, when I walked up to the M.A.C counter asking for this corpse of a blush container to be identified. But with the expert help of Nordstrom beauty stylist and M.A.C Pro Jeromy O. Reid, we were able to identify it. It ended up being "Prism" blush, one of M.A.C's most popular colors. The new blush container was beautiful in comparison to my old one and I was forever grateful to Jeromy, who, sent me home a happy customer.

So a month or so later I received a thank you card from Jeromy about how glad he was that we found the color. He was "thanking" ME?! Oh Nordstrom, how you never cease to amaze me with your incredible customer service. I will forever be loyal to you, and to Jeromy- NO, THANK YOU!!!

xoxo
Margaux

A New Year- A New Start

2012-01-01T21:21:00.001-08:00

What a better way to start the new year than with a new blog! I've had more than a few blogs but I've consistently abandoned them from being overwhelmed by all the other stuff going on in my life. This year (2012) I have decided to revamp my blog entirely, starting from scratch. Can you guess what my resolution is? To stick with it this time! No more excuses. I'm going to update this blog at least once a week, if not more. What will the content consist of? Well I'm passionate about many things, particularly- modeling, rock climbing, writing, and photography.

I am a full time model at Elite Model Management in sunny Los Angeles, California. I've been modeling for over 12 years and I absolutely love it. I look forward to the spring season and hope to book many, many jobs!

I'm also an avid rock climber. I climb at a laid back gym in Anaheim called Rock City where my friends and I have way too much fun getting in shape and improving our climbing skills. My climbing resolution- climb v5 consistently by the end of the year.

To throw more on to my never-ending pile of interests, I love to write. I'm a journalism student at Fullerton College and will be the Local Editor for the school paper (The Hornet) spring semester. I am looking forward to making my section of the paper the best it can be and inspiring incoming writers.

Lastly, I love photography and often take pictures from "behind-the-scenes" at my shoots, on outdoor climbing trips and while covering stories for the paper. I will post pictures from all three of these things often! I'm currently shooting with a Nikon D50 but am saving up for a Nikon D300. Hopefully I'll have that before the end of the year!

I look forward to filling this blog with lots of interesting content to please everyones interests! Hope you enjoy!

-Margaux