Hulls Next Top Model? Well, Perhaps Not ... (1/2) By Jo Allison

(1/2), (2/2).

As an aspiring fashion journalist I was wiggling around with excitement when my friend Lucy asked me to do some modelling for a fashion designer friend of hers...I just wasn't entirely prepared for the whole model experience. Two o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon and I'm nervously waiting at Beverley bus station for my friend to arrive. Sunglasses on, little wheelie suitcase in hand.

I feel I'm already playing the model part well, a small dog and slightly longer, blonder hair and I would be giving Paris Hilton a run for her money.

A bus and train journey later, and some slight confusion over directions, my friend Lucy and I are stood in Quid Pro Quo, a bar in Leeds surrounded by people, and lighting and clothes and makeup, a stage and even more people. This was not quite what I had expected, being assured it was a low-key event, and just for someone's university project. I feel the wool may have been pulled over my eyes, ever so slightly.

As soon as we stepped through the door we were whisked off to makeup, which was applied by the expert hand of Elizabeth Shaw for Yves Saint Laurent, very professional indeed. Masses of concealer, powder, foundation, blusher, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick later I was transformed (?) into a rather more made up version of myself. I was assured that the reason I was slightly orange, with slight white bits was that this is what the camera would pick up on, and who was I to argue.

The next port of call was hair. Back combing, hair spray and scraping up my hair produced a rather large quiff with a rather long ponytail. Not my usual style, but it all helped towards the transformation from a member of the lowly general public, to being part of the modelling elite... So now I was made up and my tresses tamed I was ushered through to the fitting room to try on the four outfits which had been picked out for me.

The first outfit was a roomy grey top, just worn with my jeans, no problems there, fitted fine, and didn't look too bad.

The next is a little summer dress, very flimsy and floaty, and doesn't cover my knees, which is a slight shame as my knees like to be covered. Also getting out of this little number was a slight struggle, and required numerous pairs of hands to remove it from my evidently rather broad shoulders. The third outfit was even more disastrous, the shorts would just not do up, so I caused havoc, as a last minute outfit change was required.

A larger, alternative outfit of a black pencil skirt and long top, to cover any popped-open buttons was shoved onto me, not doing anything for my delicately hairsparyed quiff.

Continued ... Next Page (2/2)

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