I've always been the type that, every few months, I'm like, 'Let's change the haircut one more time.'
Coco Rocha
Whenever I really get serious about something, I pull my hair back into a tight ponytail. If you see me with that, you know I mean business.
Weirdly enough, in my 14 years of modeling, I've only worn a blonde wig three times. I have no idea why I've never been given the option to really try blonde as a model. But here I am doing it on my own.
If you're posting pictures to platforms like Instagram or Twitter, be selective about the one you post. If I'm capturing a sunset, I'll take at least 10 pictures. I'll then filter them using other apps, enhance them. Then, I really pick the best image of perhaps 30.
Oh, the dilemma of the summer music festival. On one hand, we ladies try very hard to look cute walking around those muddy fields in our cowboy boots and cut-offs. On the other hand, we want to look like we really didn't try at all and just rolled out of bed looking this way.
It's especially important to make sure all clients are happy. You don't want to get stuck into a corner and for people to think you now only have one look.
You always wonder when you get pregnant what projects and opportunities will come in or come knocking.
The funny thing is that, for some reason, people think when you're pregnant, you have to start wearing maternity wear and wear flats and look Mom-ish. I don't know exactly what people expect of people who are pregnant, but there's definitely a lot of moms out there that look super fabulous all the time, and I guess that's my inspiration.
So many girls second-think their pose or what they're doing. And, in turn, the photos will come out really unnatural. I say to really give the camera a performance - that, and make sure you're comfortable with how you look, and give it a good smile and a filter.
I think it's important to wear clothing that means something to you, and so I always try to make sure I'm wearing at least one item that has a personal meaning to me.
If you think of any past artist, there was something that they looked at that inspired them to make their most famous pieces, whether it be the 'Mona Lisa' or 'Venus Rising.'
I've always thought of modeling as a performance, so I don't mind kind of pretending. I kind of pretend in a lot of my poses that I am a ballerina or a hip-hop dancer or a grunge performer.
In the beginning, the clients would say, 'This is too much,' but over time, the ones I liked kept working with me. They'd say, 'It's not too much. Coco can still be Coco. She still gives 100 percent when she's on a photo shoot.'
I think there can no longer be such a thing as hitting a wall on a photo shoot. If I ever hear a photographer say to me, 'OK, what else?' I should retire, because that should never happen now having experienced just how much the body is capable of doing.
A lot of people might think the job of a model isn't necessary anymore, but just like an actor, singer - how they make you feel a certain way - how watching a dancer gives you emotion, models can do the exact same thing to many different people.
Personally, even though I have a great PR team, no one except my husband and I touch any of my 10 social media accounts. It's a lot of work, but I know that my brand, my image, and my voice are authentic to me.
I was once dressed as a mermaid for a Jean Paul Gaultier show. My legs were bound into a fish tail, so I had to come down the runway on crutches. Halfway down, I was supposed to unzip the fish tail to reveal my legs, but the zipper broke, so I ended up stabbing my fake nail through the fabric of the zipper and ripping my way out.
Models are supposed to be a muse to you. Why is a muse always the same body type, the same look? It's boring.
Be current. Know and comment on current trends and news. Don't be the last one entering a conversation.
Connecting with fans is very important to me and useful, too! It's almost as if I have my own focus group. If I put up one picture that gets 1,000 likes and one that gets 15,000 likes, it gives me a big clue as to what people like to see.
I'm obsessed with historical English royalty.
As a high-fashion model, I have long had a policy of no nudity or partial nudity in my photo shoots.
Jean Paul Gaultier is not only immensely talented but also a genuinely sweet and kind person.
You can teach a girl how to model, how to take a pretty picture, and how to walk, but you can't teach personality.
If you are a new, upcoming designer, you've got to think of new, cool ways to make the industry look at you. Don't just get stuck in a rut, show your clothes, and be like, 'You should like this.'
I remember working with Agyness Deyn. At the time, she was the only one who had short hair as a model. I remember being so envious of her because we would all be getting our hair pulled for two hours backstage, and she was getting a new haircut almost every other show.
Having good style really just means having a decisive eye and being able to put things together in an aesthetically pleasing manner. It's not a matter of spending a lot of money and throwing it all together.
I think, in general, models tend to do their favorite faces or their comfortable face, but your facial expression is just so important. You don't want to have an editorial of 20 photos where it's just you giving a 'Zoolander' face.
If it weren't for my Irish dancing, I wouldn't be modeling.
When I started modeling, I didn't feel like I had a big sister to tell me how this industry works.
For a small population, Canada has always had a very strong and vibrant style.
To me, true style icons have been few and far between. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind. I never got to meet her while she was alive, but she is one of those people I have always admired in terms of her sense of style.
One of my favorite poses was when working with Steven Meisel. It was one of my first photo shoots with him, and we were trying to get the cover of Italian 'Vogue.' Then, I literally took my Balenciaga hat, pulled it down, and gave a rolling-eye, 'ugh' face, crossed legs on the floor. And lo and behold, that was the cover of Italian 'Vogue.'
We get all excited about collaborations. You get excited to hear that Rihanna has something, because Rihanna is a singer, and she has amazing fashion. You want to see what she would create. I don't get upset and think, 'Someone else is going to do better than me.' You're like, 'Oh, good for her.'
To be honest, the thing is I don't really like clothes. I mean, it is cool, but I like tech. I am a tech girl. A secret nerd - there, I said it.
I think being true to yourself is ultimately the best way of living.
Everybody knows that, in general, a basketball player needs to be tall and a fashion model needs to be skinny, but how skinny is too skinny?
I've always been the kind of girl that takes every day as it comes.
Don't get me wrong: 'America's Next Top Model' is fantastic. They've done 20 seasons, so they've obviously done something right. But I think what ensures that the winner of 'The Face' will become a working model is the prize - a year-long contract with a cosmetics company is huge.
If I want a hamburger, I'm going to have one. No 21-year-old should be worrying about whether she fits a sample size.
I was the first model to get a blog and talk about anything in modeling.
When I started my first blog years ago, I just wanted to share my perspective. For a long time, models had been these mute pretty faces - and I wanted to have a voice.
I'm not fussy.
Having worked with many of the world's top modeling agencies for the last decade, I've seen what works and doesn't work in managing a model's career.
Previously, someone would interview me, and if they liked me, it'd be a great story. If they hated me, it'd be a horrible story. I had no way to say anything. Social media changed things for people who didn't have a voice.
When I was asked to be a part of 'The Face,' I was like, 'This is exactly what I do without cameras.' I didn't find it any different than what I usually do for young girls - giving runway tips or just explaining how the whole industry works - but now you have, like, 19 cameras on you, documenting you while you scratch your nose.
Braveness, for me, is running into my basement with no socks on. There are huge spiders down there!
I didn't know anything about fashion. You would see me in the biggest sweater with jeans or the tightest elastic pants. Not nice clothes. My mom took me a lot to consignment stores when I was younger, and I never really got to go to fancy high-class stores, so... vintage was like a step up.
At the beginning of my career, I was nervous to talk. I was just a very young girl. You don't want to upset anyone or frustrate anyone - you just want to work.
I'll probably always have some black in my accessories, but it's also important to have a pop of color.
