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Watch Model Paloma Elsesser Get Ready For Vogue World

The model also talks about the unique pressures of being a curve model in the industry.

Director: Talia Collis
Director of Photography: Rachel Batashvili
Editor: Matthew Colby
Audio: Sean Paulsen
Senior Producer, Vogue: Jordin Rocchi
Associate Director, Creative Development, Vogue: Billie JD Porter
Publicist: Huxley
Vogue Runway: Nicole Phelps, Laia Garcia-Furtado, Laird Borelli-Persson, Irene Kim
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Production Manager: Kit Fogarty
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James
Supervising Editor: Kameron Key
Post Production Supervisor: Marco Glinbizzi
Talent Booker: Phoebe Feinberg
Director of Content, Production, Vogue: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Programming, Vogue: Linda Gittleson
Executive Producer: Ruhiya Nuruddin
VP, Digital Video English, Vogue: Thespena Guatieri, Joe Pickard

Released on 09/14/2022

Transcript

The legend section, the legend section!

[models shouting]

We're doing Vogue 'Diary of a Model'.

Dear Diary... - Dear Diary,

What is in our diary?

Today I will be walking to Lil Nas X - Oh!

[models laugh]

[upbeat intro music]

[door unlocks]

Hey, Vogue, it's Paloma,

and today you're gonna follow me to Vogue world.

I would like to insert some honesty to the life of a model

'cause I think some people think it's glitz

and glamor all the time.

[jazz music]

I'm just gonna put some moisturizer on.

'cause I'm feeling a little crunchy.

[moisturizer pump clicks]

My hair's a little wet

'cause I had a show this morning

I had a bunch of product,

so I had a couple minutes to wash it.

I did three shows yesterday.

Oh no, I did five fittings and a show yesterday

and I fell, You wanna see?

Look some, a little bit of a knee scrape.

It's my first big fall.

I've had a heel break, that was my fall,

I've definitely had some ankle fumbles,

but yeah, tumbling down in the rain.

It's always important to eat.

We're running around like crazy,

a fitting, to this, to this, and- to castings.

It's hard, it's hard on the body, it's hard on the mind.

[jazz music continues]

So I did know going into shows

that my position was important and was necessary.

However, I understood the archetype of a curve model,

even at that time, separately

of even being treated like a leper.

As a curve model, I did not meet that archetype anyway.

I kind of walked up with like a dirty pair

of Dickies and like, I don't know, greasy hair

and not to say that that's like that crazy now,

but I knew that there was tons

of other people who identified

with how I saw the world, how I saw my body,

how I saw clothes, and the brands

that I wanted to work with.

Some of my most frightening career tokens have

been the most powerful and the most fulfilling.

You know, thinking about that Glossier

thing, like plastered on the side.

That's me! Naked. Billboard. Side of a building.

If I say no, they don't feel

like there's millions of people following behind me,

then there's none.

I don't know if anybody's ever noticed

but I never have two looks in a show.

I won't accept two looks in a show.

What's the point of having two looks in the show, for me,

when you can put a second look on a girl,

who's also curve?

My kink is proving people wrong.

Okay, they didn't have my acai bowl,

we have to go, I'm already late.

[whispers] I'm always late for my call time.

[door latch clicks]

[upbeat music]

I missed your party, - I wish you could've made it.

I'm so sorry! My fucking feet, are just,

I just... hello, how are you?

This is Martin.

It's Matthew Williamson of Givenchy.

[Paloma laughs]

[Matthew] I think I'll see you in Paris, - [Matthew] Yeah

or something... bye!

[mellow music]

Okay, come on! Let's go!

[Van door closes]

Um, how I got scouted was like,

not getting scouted.

A friend of mine, name was Stevie Dance,

was one of the first people to,

actually from the fashion industry,

say 'you should do this'.

Got denied from all these agencies

that she had sent me to, and then, I got an email.

This makeup artist, Pat McGrath, wants to work with you.

She's launching a makeup line,

and I had no idea that it was

going to be what it was.

I showed up, Gold 001, I will say,

I was one of Pat's very first muses.

Pat's stamp of approval launched

and changed the entire course of my entire career,

and I am still so grateful for it.

Love you, Mother!

Working with Victoria's Secret

is such a big deal.

That, you know, I understand that

people are like this is so jarring,

this is so different, but going from

where it was, it had to be so different,

and that like, I'm not like a martyr or anything,

but again, I am in pursuit of

collective change and shift,

and it has to happen on smaller levels.

It has to be explosive.

[car engines]

Okay, we're literally in the middle of the

meatpacking district, I think

I was like here when I was 18, drunk!

[upbeat funk music]

This is crazy!

[music continues]

I love your shirt!

[Paloma] Hi Anna, how are you?

[Anna] How are you doing?

Thank you so much for doing this.

I know, I'm so excited! I'm doing my diary of a model.

[Anna] Oh good!

It's very fun [sings] I'm excited!

[Anna] Yeah!

[Paloma] Bye!

[whispers] She touched me!

[Paloma] How are you? Paloma.

Wait, Lila, you know that I feel last night?

You did?

[Paloma] I fell! - [Girl] you told me...

Oh, because I was like it's

so good that no one fell!

I fell... it was really bad.

['Industry Baby' by Lil Nas X plays]

My goodness, it's a very different show

than I've ever done before.

As soon as I got here, I got carted into a fitting,

a refit, I don't know what happened.

My mic was ripped off, so much stuff was going on.

We're about to do a rehearsal, I'm excited!

Hi, Daniel, come here!

Will you take a picture of my camera?

Yeah let's go... Paloma!

[Paloma laughs]

[upbeat electronic music]

Sorry, just reading about Serena's legendary retirement.

[Paloma and Adut chat and laugh]

[Liya] Cutie!

Kenny, we've got Anok, we've got Emily Ratajkowski,

me, Caroline, Joanie, Lara, Liya Kebede [gasps],

Mariacarla Boscono!

[Paloma] Hi Boo!

[Emily] Hi, how are you?

How are we feeling?

Um, okay, I came straight from set,

so I'm, like, literally like covered in body makeup

Whoa, like, guys, this is like,

maybe the craziest show ever!

I'm just showing my girls that

my feet are concealed because,

[Model] inside, it's giving... I knew it!

[Paloma laughs]

[Paloma] These are the ones.

There's always a shortage of these ones!

This is like the most valuable thing

you could have during fashion month.

People, if people know you have them

they'll literally come for you.

[Paloma] No, literally!

Literally, Johnson and Johnson band-aid,

can you sponsor us?

[Gigi] No, no, the best ones are the Compeed.

[all mumble in agreement]

[upbeat electronic dance music]

So... we're going to be smiling, feeling ourselves.

I like to do a criss-cross,

as inspired by the many supers in my section.

I think it does some things for the body.

We're walking straight down,

engaging the crowd, there's no one here,

but if I was, I'd keep my shoulders back,

you know? We've gotta represent!

[electronic dance music]

Today, apparently, it's kinda natural,

but I'm just gonna, like,

take out some of the volume.

I would say I'm quite... collaborative,

[Paloma and makeup artists laugh]

but I think it's important!

When you are the person representing

the makeup artist, the brand,

you know how you look best.

Obviously, I trust people to do what they do,

but when we're doing a natural beat,

and a natural hair, I know what's best natural.

You're not just representing you,

you're representing everyone's work,

that's the way that I think about it.

So, if I look nuts, everybody kinda looks nuts too.

[upbeat music]

We need all the girls into dressing ASAP,

we need to be done with hair and makeup

as soon as possible, thank you.

Okay, so this is the final hair and makeup look,

it's giving metallic, fierce, glamor, timeless,

hints of wave, um, I feel really beautiful.

So, it's time to get dressed,

it, Vogue World is starting soon.

Um, I guess I'm not getting nervous,

I'm getting excited, this is going to be really fun.

[Hip-hop music]

We're in a rush, I'm about to go walk.

This is my look, and it's been done to perfection,

waist is sittin', titties sittin'.

Um, I'm so excited, everyone looks so beautiful.

[upbeat music and models chat]

This is about to be insane.

[upbeat music continues]

[funk music begins]

[models cheer]

[funk music continues]

[audiences cheer and chat]

[Lil Nas X performs 'Industry Baby']

Baby back, ayy, couple racks, ayy.

Couple Grammys on him, couple plaques, ayy.

That's a fact, ayy, throw it back, ayy.

Throw it back, [bleep].

I told you long ago, on the road,

I got what they waitin' for.

I don't run from nothin', dog,

get your soldiers, tell 'em I ain't layin' low.

You was never really rootin' for me anyway

[models sing along]

He don't run from nothin', dog,

get your soldiers, tell 'em that the break is over.

[models cheer]

[Lil Nas X] I got what they waitin' for.

I don't run from nothin', dog,

get your soldiers.

Okay, that's it guys, that was so fun!

Thank you for following me all day at Vogue World,

I'm off, thank you, thank you, thank you!

['Industry Baby' by Lil Nas X outro plays]

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