HI, DOLLIES!
Do you day-dream of becoming a famous model overnight? Do you wish a photographer would come up to you as you walk down the street and ask you to pose for Vogue? Oh, dear, I was the same as you once. But it just didn't happen that way. This is the true story of how I started, told for Teri Lowney of San Fransisco, Calif., and all the others who have written asking the same questions:
I wanted to be a model, but I just didn't know how, so I called up a friend at a big magazine. He said to come over to the office. The office was a great building in London full of long corridors, and it didn't take little Pattie long to get lost. There I was, looking at numbers on doors, when a stranger bumped into me.
"You a model?" he asked briefly. "Come in here. I can probably use you." Not the romantic approach I'd hoped for! Still, I earned my first fee that way, and he ended by giving me some good advice: "Get a good agent and go to one of the top modeling schools."
So that's the advice I'd pass on to all of you who dream of becoming models. Train at a school that has proved itself – not just one of these places that give you a paper diploma and nothing else – and don't try to sell yourself when you have qualified. Let your agent do that.
Audrey Lubert fo Chicago Ill., wants to know my height, weight and coloring. Well, I'm five feet seven inches tall, I weigh 105 pounds, have blue eyes and am what they call a pink and white blonde!
Debbie Wadleigh of Indianapolis, Ind., asks how tall you have to be to become a model. That's a difficult question, Debbie. You could model small teenage fashions and be no more than five feet tall, but for sophisticated clothes, a girl has to be five feet six inches at least.
Theresa Van Gilson of Silver Springs, MD., raises the old question of a model's diet. Well, there's only one real answer. A successful model has just got to be strict with herself and lay off all fattening foods. That means no bread, butter, spaghetti or sweets! Theresa doesn't say so in as many words, but I guess she must be about fourteen. Watch out for "puppy-fat spread," Theresa. Eat proper meals at regular times with lots of lean meat and green vegetables.
Theresa also asks me to recomment good English fashion magazines. Personally, I like Queen, but I suspect it's a bit too old for you. Honey would appeal to you more. The best fashion magazine in the world, for my money, is the French one, Elle.
So many of you, like Amber Durham of Rhode Island, ask me what England's like. What can I say? Just come and see it for yourself! Come toEngland in the Spring when everything is marvelously green. It's the greenest country in the world, I think. The charm of England is that the scenery changes so quickly. One moment you an be in country with pines and heather and silver birches, and the next you can be in rolling parkland. It would be a shame to come without seeing Scotland and Ireland and Wales as well. They're much more mountainous, but romantic in a wild sort of way.
Donna Brunner of McKees Rocks, Pa., asks: "Will you be coming to America?" You bet I will, if I get the chance! I've been asked to go many times, but it's a question of waiting till my commitments here let me get away.
Linda Lurger of Chrisman, Ill., wants to know all about my make-up. First of all, let's start with my hair. It took me about a year to grow it long. I style it myself by washing it, letting it get almost dry and then putting rollers in the ends. It's nice of so many of you to say you like my eye make-up. All I do is to use a brownish-black eye-linter, and take it out a little bit at the corners to make my eyes look bigger. I only wear eye make-up. I use nothing on my skin, and all I ever use on my lips is a little foundation cream. No lipstick! My favorite perfume is Jicky by Guerlain. It's got a lovely musty scent without being sweet.
Just time for a few more answers to your questions. Diane Collier of Metairie, La., is curious to know whether I'm going to be in the Beatles' next film. No, I'm not. I haven't been asked, but in any case I want to be a model, not an actress. I think you know how I feel. I don't want anyone to say: "Of course, they only put her in the film because she's George's friend." I'd hate that.
Mary Beth Fugilino of Wilmington, Del., asks whether I'm nervous and suffer from stage fright. No, Mary Beth, the only time I'm inclined to take fright is when I have to talk to people outside my age group and circle of friends who won't help me to make conversation! This is the oldest problem that we all have – making chat to strangers. But it's not hard, really. The great thing about getting boys interested in you is to make them think that you're interested in them. So ask them lots of questions about their school or college or home or hobbies, and you'll find yourself getting on like a house on fire! What was your other question, Mary Beth? Oh, yes, about my kitten "Wee-Wee." He is pure black without any markings.
The most pointed letter I've had – it was a sweet letter, too – came from Gloria Ambrose of Wickliffe, Ohio. She said: "I meant to write you a nasty letter because you like George, but after I thought about it, I saw that I couldn't keep you from liking George and George from liking you – "
Well, Gloria, I like you because you like George, and I'm glad you didn't write me that nasty letter. After all, people who do these things only make themselves unhappy in the end, and you don't sound at all like an unhappy person. Rather a nice person, in fact!
Love to all of you and thanks for all your letters. I've had hundreds – far too many to answer, I'm afraid, but in future columns I'll try to pick out the most popular points and deal with them. Ta!
CHEERS!
I'm all in a tizz because I've got to rush off to Paris to do a modeling job for Elle (that's French for she, and it's my fave mag – besides 16, of course!). I want to get a few letters looked after before I take off, and then I'll get around to the others next month. Before I begin, here's my new address. Be sure to send all future letters to me in care of Helene Stewart, 126 Gloucester Terrace, London, W. 2, England.
Di Dixon of Detroit wants to know if I do any other modeling apart from fashion in magazines. I surely do. I've had some nice commercials on television. If the company likes your commercial, they keep it running and you get extra money each time it is shown. It adds up rather nicely, too!
Mary Lillian Conover of Brewton, Ala., wants to catch up on the latest styles for the kids in England. You can find out lots about that on Page 38, but here is a bit of news from me: straight, simple, smok-type dresses are the rage. I'm still wearing trouser suits, though they are supposed to be out! All the girls are cutting their hair short – that's for sure. I just don't know what to do about mine.
Karen Meeks of St. Albans, W.Va., wants to know about driving a car in England. You can go for your driving test when you are 17. While you are learning, a competent driver must be with you and your car must bear a license plate with the letter L on it – for learner. As you know, English cars have the steering wheel on the right, and we drive on the left side of the road.
Another very popular question I find in my mail is the one that asks how I make my eyes look so big. Carol Castler of Cloversville, N.Y., was one of those who asked for eye make-up tips. I put on several coats of mascara, but before I do this I draw a line in black eyebrow pencil across my eye lids at the roots of my eyelashes. I don't curl it up at the end, like most girls do. I extend it slightly out and downward, as that looks best on me.
A sweet letter from Carol Luluy of Rochester, N.Y., asks whether I'm going to do any more film work. I just don't think I'm cut out to be an actress – and that is frank! I am going to just concentrate on becoming a very good model.
Judy Zitman of Brooklyn, N.Y., wants to know if I am independent by nature. I'll say I am! I hate relying on others. You won't believe this, but I don't a bit mind making my own travel arrangements and seeing to packing and things. Most girls hate finding out what time they're due at the airport or train station, but not I.
Nancy Sambello of Philadelphia, Pa., asks if I am going to visit America. I wrote about this last issue, but it is so important that I will repeat it. I'd just love to visit your country. George Harrison has told me so many great things about it that I can't wait to come over. I hope to get to meet as many of you American teenagers as I can when (and if) I get over.
Just time for one more letter now. Charleen Fourzer of Pacoima, Calif., asks if you get individual attention at modeling school. This is one question I must answer from personal experience, though circumstances may vary at different schools. The school I attended had small classes, so the teacher spent time with each of us. She especially concentrated on the girls who were very shy or slow to learn, which was the right thing to do. Lots of girls think you just have to be pretty to be a model, but it is much more important to have a feeling for clothes and a natural gift for wearing them. Ta!
