Chanel Iman Offers Advice To The Next Ford Supermodel

The search for next Ford's "Supermodel of the World" is coming to New York and Los Angeles this Saturday and supermodel Chanel Iman has words to say!


As a former contestant who represented the United States at the 2006 Ford's "Supermodel of the World" finals, Chanel Iman's exclusive tips on how to prepare for the modeling contest will surely help:

1. Outfit:
"You should wear something simple, like jeans or a miniskirt and your favorite top. Skinny jeans and a tank is the best look - you can see your figure."

2. Makeup
"With makeup, it's better that you wear almost none. You can use a little bit of concealer and maybe some balm, but that's about it. Definitely clean skin with great moisturizer is ALWAYS best."

3. Hair
"I would pull my hair back, so they can see my face."

4. No-nos
"There are no real no-nos. Just be yourself, have fun and enjoy the experience."

Asked about the difference of Ford's "Supermodel of the World" competition from reality TV shows, Chanel Iman says:

"This is real fashion - it's not scripted for the cameras. And you don't need to be crazy to get noticed! My life changed immediately (after winning the competition)!!! I totally haven't stopped since entering with Ford. It's been amazing and I'm loving it."


This year, winner of the global modeling competition will take home a $250,000 modeling contract with Ford Models, not to mention joining the prestigious rank of the agency's supermodels like Chanel Iman, Adriana Lima, Gemma Ward, Elsa Benitez, and Alexina Graham.

Think you could be the next Supermodel? Check out the details of Ford's "Supermodel of the World" casting in NYC & LA, now!

Carmen Dell'Orefice: Timeless Runway Model

Carmen Dell'Orefice, 78, returns to the runway for designer Guo Pei during China Fashion Week.


Timeless and elegant, the aesthetic qualities of this American woman makes her an icon of Ford Models. She has been modeling with the agency since 1953.

Not much has been written about Carmen Dell'Orefice, except that she has lived a life of poverty in her youth, started modeling at the age of 13, married a string of men during her prime years, and has recently lost her life savings to Bernard Madoff, operator of a financial scheme dubbed as "the largest investment fraud in Wall Street history."

From the highly-publicized issue just last year, the old model has been quoted as saying, "For the second time in my life, I've lost all of my life savings."

Good thing Carmen Dell'Orefice remains attractive. She can still hit the catwalk for money, even in her old age.

Cindy Crawford Quits Catwalk Over Body And Age Issues

She used to be the hottest supermodel around, walking down the ramp in her long legs. And then 1990s ended. And Cindy Crawford was supermodel no more...


Now 43 years old, Cindy Crawford is still fit and slim. People would say "she's still got it." But the mother of two knows better. She quit catwalk because she does not want to be compared to all the young beauties with whom she would be walking.

"I don't want to stand next to a 20-year-old on the runway, even if people say you can still do it. It is like, 'Why would I do that to myself?' It would just make me depressed," says the former wife of Richard Geere to UK's Hello magazine.

"I'm more comfortable with myself in the sense that hey, this is who I am now. I guess I appreciate my body for other things - like I was able to give birth to two kids... But at the same time, I am aware my body doesn't look the same way it did when I was 23. I actually don't want to feel that pressure."

Just like former supermodel Claudia Schiffer who recently vows that she would never hit the catwalk again, Cindy Crawford is still busy outside the runway with magazine photo shoots and ad campaigns for TV and print. Though uncertain about how long her modeling gigs will last, she is certainly enjoying her work as a model.

"At a certain point, they're going to stop asking me to take my clothes off. Lying in a baby pool filled with shaving cream is much funnier at 43. Like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe I'm still doing this!' You have to have a sense of humor about it at this point."

Daphne Selfe Is World’s Oldest Supermodel At 80

At the age of 80, Daphne Selfe is no doubt the oldest supermodel in the world, strutting down the catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana, Tata-Naka and Michiko Koshino.


Nearly 60 years ago, Daphne Selfe started her modeling career with a 36-24-37 vital statistics. She stood 5’7” tall and had dark bob hair.

Now at 80, she still stands proud in a graceful posture of 36-26-36 and 8st 4lb , matched with striking cheekbones and long, lustrous bold grey hair. She’s currently booked by a top modeling agency, a covergirl for Vogue and Marie Claire, and do photo shoots with Mario Testino, Nick Knight, and David Bailey. She earns up to £1,000 a day in campaigns for top companies like Dolce and Gabbana, Gap, Nivea, and Olay.

Unlike other women who suffer insecurity in their 50th year onwards when their skins start sagging and their hairs start greying, Daphne Selfe confesses that she owe her continuous modeling career to the changes that she had to go through while aging. So it follows that she does not go to any cosmetic surgery procedures to fake her age.

"I was very lucky. I think it helps that I am half-Irish and I have a strong bone structure and I'm supple. My comeback was extraordinary and quite ironic. I got big when I embraced my age and went grey. My hair is my fortune, it made me more striking. Other younger models admire me but they're not jealous as I'm not a threat. I have a niche all of my own,” she proudly says.

She adds, “In those days you did your own hair and make-up for a shoot. Now I go as I am to a job and someone else takes complete care of me. It's wonderful.”

Daphne Selfe started modeling in 1950, after she was discovered while working in the fashion department of John Lewis in Reading. She won a local modeling competition, posed for photographer Gilbert Adams, and got to fill for a London agency’s fashion show as a last-minute model. She then signed for the agency and was sent to a three-week training course in London. Eventually, she received her first modeling job at 5 guineas (£15.75). Later, she got married and but still pursued modeling. In 1998, she joined a show for Red or Dead where she was spotted by an agent for Models 1. It was the start of her appearance for major brand campaigns.

While it’s the “predatory men” in the fashion industry that Daphne Selfe considers as greatest pitfall in modeling during her youth, today she believes that its the cocaine and alcohol. Aside from this, she also sees how contemporary models suffer from the pressure of being thin. She says, “My vital statistics were 36-24-37, and although I weighed 10st, no one asked me to lose weight. Some girls are naturally slim, like Lily Cole, but others take it too far and just look ill and gaunt. There should be a far wider spread of body shapes but at the end of day, the clothes must look good too. It's tricky.”

Being the world’s oldest supermodel at 80, Daphne Selfe maintains her figure by doing yoga and diets consisting of large amounts of fruit, vegetables and fish and drinking plenty of water.

"I don't feel a day over 60. It's fantastic. I'll continue modeling until they stop asking. I love it. It's fun and keeps me young,” she declares.