PINK SOLES MODEL RECEPTION WITH NAIMA MORA
We had the honor of attending and helping with the set up of the Pink Soles Model Reception with NAIMA MORA , popularly identified as the winner of "America's Next Top Model - cycle 4," the night before the Pink Soles 2nd Annual Ultimate Fall Fashion Event.
This exclusive reception was held at Chima Brazilian Steak House, in uptown Charlotte, which holds private reception rooms above a lavish dining hall. We reserved the best seat in the house - the balcony bar which boasts a wide street view of the city through the two story windows, as seen when standing at the railing overlooking the restaurants entry...or if your back is turned to that view, your eyes may take in the scene of the bar itself, utterly chic and elegant with its low lighting, stone touches and modern seating. The perfect spot for an intimate evening with a supermodel.
The anticipation was high when the whisper of Naima and miss Ivey Moore's (founder ofPink Soles) arrival was announced. Dozens of young models were in attendance, anxious to hear the words of wisdom from someone who started with the same dream - and made it.
As "ticket girls" we had the pleasure of being the first to greet Naima as she ascended the stairs, looking rocker chic (which comes as no surprise given her musical endeavors with her band GALAXY OF TAR) in black leather shorts, a black jacket, and with her hair pinned up to just one side. For fear of being a total fan girl, I avoided jumping her with the millions of questions floating through my head and went with a simple "How was your flight?" To which she smiled politely and responded in a down-to-earth sort of way how it was okay, if not a little tiring, and also how she was excited to be there.
Christie stuck with me a little longer, but couldn't resist hearing Naima speak, so while I guarded the money box, Christie left for a while to hear her story. When she came back she told me how Naima told the girls that the most important thing that a model could do was to stay healthy and have good nutrition. One of Naima's constant worries was the needs of her many jobs for her to look thin - but that when you are eating right and exercising often, you have more energy on set - and that energy reflects in your work, and shows in your photos, so more people want to work for you.
The other main takeaway was to stay humble, and stay true to yourself. Offer to help clean up. Hang up your garments after you wear them. These small acts of kindness leave a lasting impression and word will spread that you are fun and easy to work with. Don't ever compromise what you are comfortable with. You need to feel at ease on set to capture a good image - this means that if you are asked to take your top off for a photo and you don't want to - don't do it!
I also had the chance to speak with a few models after the event to see what they thought. One aspiring model, miss Andrea Jackson had this to say..."Naima really inspired me - I remember watching her on America's Next Top Model, but beyond that I didn't know much about her... but seeing her in person was an amazing experience...just getting to know her spirit, and seeing how real she was... Another interesting thing to learn was that she is now 28 years old. Being 29 myself has been a struggle, constantly hearing that I'm 'old in the modeling world,' yet always knowing that I can do anything through Christ, whom I have the strongest faith in. Being able to hear her story, and relating to her in that way has only inspired me more."
Naima ended her speech and graciously offered to pose for multiple photo's for the rest of the night with all of the attendee's, who by this point were full of direction and determination to share similar success stories of their own in the future. All in all, it was an evening of fun, fashion, and amazing new friends in uptown Charlotte, building to the main event - the 2nd Annual Ultimate Fall Fashion Event that is ...stay tuned for that review!
~ashley-jane
A journey of self discovery by a girl who loves shoes, giggles, chocolate, cuddles, and wine.
