Fresh Faces Of 2000
Eight talented teens strutted their stuff at the Chanel Boutique in New York City Tuesday after being named finalists in the 3rd Annual Chanel New Model of the Year Contest.
They were selected from more than 16,000 entrants, and will appear in a special section of the September 2000 issue of Seventeen. “I feel so honored to have been chosen out of 16,000 girls,” said 15 year-old finalist Klementine Mellin.
The Chanel New Model of the Year will appear on the section’s cover, but she will not be notified before the magazine goes on sale July 28. The winner will also receive a five-day trip to Paris, including two tickets to a Chanel fashion show as well as a $1,000 shopping spree. “It is a lot of pressure, but it feels good at the same time,” Mellin added.
Applicants first submitted simple snapshot photos along with a description of their interests and activities to Seventeen magazine. Linda Platzner, publisher of Seventeen, said the decision to pick the finalists was a very long and difficult process. “We all went into a conference room to battle it out … everyone had aggressive opinions,” she said. After narrowing the applicant pool down to 50 finalists, the teens were then interviewed by phone. “We were interested in the girls’ personality as well as their involvement in school activities and athletics,” Platzner explained.
Eileen and Jerry Ford, founders of the world famous Ford modeling agency, were among the many agency representatives attending. “The new look is healthy and alive,” Eileen Ford said.“These girls are not starving themselves, so they must have listened to the lessons on anorexia,” she added.
The eight teens represent cities from coast-to-coast. They come from diverse backgrounds and their ages range from 14 to 19. Many had no previous modeling experience before being selected as a finalist.
Carly Barber, a 16-year-old ballet dancer from Jefferson, Md., said, “I have done a few modeling jobs, but I am definitely hoping to do more.”
Besides their shared interest in modeling, many finalists share common interests. Kimberly Burke, 14, from Denver, Colo., and Kimberly Shelpman, 15, from Rockledge, Fla., are both avid swimmers on their schools' varsity teams. Georgie Sartor, 16, from Monroe, La., Klementine Mellin, 15, from Ventura, Calif., and Sheena Ann Schumann, 15, from Bronx, N.Y., all share a passion for dance. While 19 year-old Elizabeth Underwood from Wichita, Kansas, attends college and Kayla Gill, 14, from Santa Ana, Calif., is learning to play the guitar.
All eight received an all expense-paid trip to New York City where they experienced four days as working models as they prepared for photo shoot that will appear in Seventeen.
Written and produced by Zoy Avgerinos