It’s a rare treat to see a smile on the runway at Toronto Fashion Week but, thanks to Target’s holiday show (cheers to ‘see now, buy now’ collections!), not only did we see a slew of models’ pearly whites, but we were also entertained by mascot Bullseye the bull terrior, a snowstorm – totally faux, of course - and a supermodel. Yes, a supe. Muse to designer Alexander Wang and the face of Maybelline New York, Erin Wasson was flown in to walk the show and I caught up with the model, whose used to strutting her stuff down Givenchy and Michael Kors’ catwalk, to get the scoop on shopping on a budget and the best way to treat a pimple.
How does Toronto
Fashion Week compare to Milan, Paris, New York and London?
I’m super impressed! I’m being turned on to Canadian
designers that live here that I totally was not aware of that are blowing my
mind. We’re all sharing the same thing - the creative process and fashion. It’s
just geographically in a different place.
What goes through
your mind when your walking down the catwalk?
I mean it’s always exciting. The music is blasting and I
know what it means to put a ton of work into a show. This is your boiling
point, you’ve spent all this time putting your ideas together, making them
real. It’s that moment right before where everybody knows when the lights are
about to go on, and it’s just a celebration. It’s really fun to be a part of
the celebration.
Speaking of
celebrating, what makeup trend will you be trying this holiday season?
I keep it the same all the time, I don’t venture off.
Eyeliner, mascara, some lip balm, a little bit of contour, and some concealer -
I’m not an experimenter with makeup. Me going crazy is wearing a red lip. [Laughs]
What’s the best
beauty trick you’ve ever picked up backstage?
Someone told me once that you can use Visine on pimples to
take the red out, that’s pretty great.
How does it feel to
know you are a muse to designers?
It feels good, I don’t think about it though, you know what
I mean? It doesn’t validate me, it’s not who I am. I’m just a girl who is very
sure of who she is and I think that conviction of self is what maybe translates
to why people find something interesting about me. It’s like my whole fashion
take, everything about who I am is kind of unwavering. I don’t titer tater and
I’m not keeping people on their toes by any means. I think that my consistency,
knowing who I am and knowing what works for me, has worked. I’m not afraid to
be the least dressed girl in the room. Like, I was the girl who used to wear
sweat pants and high heels to a fashion event!
When it comes to shopping, what pieces
should you splurge and where should you save?
Without sounding jaded,
clothing is quite disposable and at the end of the day because of all the
different outlets that we have, you’re almost crazy to spend money on a
designer piece because three weeks later it’s either going to be at Zara or
somewhere else. Sometimes the rip off version is even better than the original
- this is all Target and it’s great! For me I collect cowboy boots, I have no
problem spending money on a good pair of cowboy boots, because they’re going to
last me. Or on a really amazing bag that is a classic that you will have for
the rest of your life.