Model for CLEO Magazine

Yay! Before I start on this topic, is the new skin nice?? I love it!!! Teehee! Took me a couple of hours to put it up. :P

Online sites may sell similar stuffs I agree, but there's just a huge difference between an e-commerce site and a shop that runs on a blogging platform. 

Now that we have a clearer picture of what is a blogshop, I shall begin my post proper.

What qualities will make a girl a good blogshop model?

Many people would say looks. If you're talking about fronting a magazine cover, or for brands like Chanel, Hermes etc, looks and being professional is definitely important. For blogshop models, in a way, looks are important too, since humans are wired by FIRST IMPRESSIONS. You don't need to be drop dead gorgeous to be one. That being said, looks are subjective. Who looks good to me may not look good to you and vice versa. And it depends on the direction of the clothes you sell. You can be selling only to plus size ladies, so obviously you won't want a slim and slender girl as your model.   

It's just like having a girlfriend/boyfriend. You can have someone who looks 100% beautiful/ handsome but if  their character sucks, you won't find her beautiful or him being handsome after some time spent together. Yes or no?

So anyway, to me, these are the qualities of a model I'm looking at in no order of preference except number one is still number one:

1) Pleasant personality

2) Punctual  

3) Pleasant looking

4) Slender

5) Accommodating
6) Minimum 1.6m height
7) Great smile

When a girl is pleasant and is really nice, you will want to use her services again. She may not be that ultra gorgeous but because she is pleasant and is sincere in wanting to be the model for your website, at the same time fits the other criteria, why not? I always believe in giving people a chance, just as I would want people to give me a chance.


*This is Yuri, another girl scouted at Orchard. She has zero experience in modeling and photoshoots. (Yuri is wearing Shift Dress with Pearl Embellishment in White Dress)

I'm a punctuality freak. Yes I am. My boyfriend is normally the one who is late and over the span of 2 years together, he is more or less a changed man when he meets me. He knows how much I hate him for being late (not in the literal sense), and worse still, not apologizing when he is late. We have had multiple arguments over this to the point that I almost gave up. I guess perseverance works, because nowadays we are at peace.  

He used to have this notion where we will meet say 5pm, and only reaching my place to pick me up at 5.20pm, or 5.10pm, or sometimes 5.30pm. His explanation can be so warped I find it unbelievable. Sometimes I will ask him why he is late, and he just says he don't know or he ignores me. Makes me more mad isn't it? 

Once, he told me I am in the comfort of my home so why am I always picking at him? He doesn't understand that 15-20 minutes I can do alot of things. I can play with my bunny, I can blog a short entry, I can photoshop some pictures. All because I keep to my stand of being punctual and I'm sitting there like an idiot to wait for him to reach. 

I blew up. And mind you this is after many, many uncountable times of being late. I told him it's not a matter of staying home is comfortable or not. So can I say oh, girls love shopping so if we're meeting at the mall, which is outside and not at home, you can be late because you assume girls love shopping and it's ok for the guy to be late?

It just doesn't work this way. It's a matter of principle and respecting other people's time. 

Magic leh. From then onwards he tried his very best to be on time, occasionally a 5-10 minutes late which I can accept. I'm not unreasonable like if he was travelling from Jurong to my place and he is late due to unexpected traffic conditions, of course I won't be angry. What makes me upset is when there isn't any valid reason to be late and moreover, many times he pick me from my home and he comes from his home which is so near to mine! So I will always ask him why he is late. He might think of me as a nuisance sometimes (I think) lol, but at least, his actions are more acceptable now.

As you can see, I am a punctuality freak.

I cannot accept girls who are late. 5-10 minutes I can close one eye. Usually I will prepare the girls before hand and let them know I only booked 2 hours for the studio (if the photoshoot is 2 hours). I will also check with them if they know how to get to the location of the studio. Imagine, if the girl is late for half an hour or 1 hour, I won't be able to shoot finish my collection! Who is the one paying for the studio? Who is the one who still expects to be paid even though she's late?

Most of the time I don't use these girls again.

Pleasant looking. It's a basic criteria to be a model. I repeat, pleasant looking, you don't need to be drop dead gorgeous.

For Montrose Desires, our clothes as of now are mainly free size, which usually fits size S girls, sometimes M. Therefore we need slender girls to front the line. We cannot accept too skinny either because the clothes then will look too big on her. We also can't get anyone who is above a UK 8 or else most of the clothes she can't fit in.

Accommodating. No whiney, fussy pots. 

You need to have a minimum height of at least 1.6m. Usually I look for 1.65m and above if possible. There is a reason why taller girls look better in photos because of the proportion.


(Rachel is wearing Ethereal Lace in White Dress)

Having a great smile is a bonus because there are times the looks we want to bring out is the cheery, happy, vibrant side and when customers see that, they will feel happy too. Sometimes of course if we want to portray edgier clothes, models don't smile.

*(Agri Velt, one of our models is wearing Pure Pretty in White Dress)

I believe one's working attitude is really important. This guarantees you repeated jobs and words do go around. Both the girls who were scouted in Orchard have SUPER GOOD working attitude. Mark & myself both wanna use them for long term basis.

Anyway, I hope this guide helps and good luck in clinching a job to front a blogshop's line!

Yay! Before I start on this topic, is the new skin nice?? I love it!!! Teehee! Took me a couple of hours to put it up. :P

Online sites may sell similar stuffs I agree, but there's just a huge difference between an e-commerce site and a shop that runs on a blogging platform. 

Now that we have a clearer picture of what is a blogshop, I shall begin my post proper.

What qualities will make a girl a good blogshop model?

Many people would say looks. If you're talking about fronting a magazine cover, or for brands like Chanel, Hermes etc, looks and being professional is definitely important. For blogshop models, in a way, looks are important too, since humans are wired by FIRST IMPRESSIONS. You don't need to be drop dead gorgeous to be one. That being said, looks are subjective. Who looks good to me may not look good to you and vice versa. And it depends on the direction of the clothes you sell. You can be selling only to plus size ladies, so obviously you won't want a slim and slender girl as your model.   

It's just like having a girlfriend/boyfriend. You can have someone who looks 100% beautiful/ handsome but if  their character sucks, you won't find her beautiful or him being handsome after some time spent together. Yes or no?

So anyway, to me, these are the qualities of a model I'm looking at in no order of preference except number one is still number one:

1) Pleasant personality

2) Punctual  

3) Pleasant looking

4) Slender

5) Accommodating
6) Minimum 1.6m height
7) Great smile

When a girl is pleasant and is really nice, you will want to use her services again. She may not be that ultra gorgeous but because she is pleasant and is sincere in wanting to be the model for your website, at the same time fits the other criteria, why not? I always believe in giving people a chance, just as I would want people to give me a chance.


*This is Yuri, another girl scouted at Orchard. She has zero experience in modeling and photoshoots. (Yuri is wearing Shift Dress with Pearl Embellishment in White Dress)

I'm a punctuality freak. Yes I am. My boyfriend is normally the one who is late and over the span of 2 years together, he is more or less a changed man when he meets me. He knows how much I hate him for being late (not in the literal sense), and worse still, not apologizing when he is late. We have had multiple arguments over this to the point that I almost gave up. I guess perseverance works, because nowadays we are at peace.  

He used to have this notion where we will meet say 5pm, and only reaching my place to pick me up at 5.20pm, or 5.10pm, or sometimes 5.30pm. His explanation can be so warped I find it unbelievable. Sometimes I will ask him why he is late, and he just says he don't know or he ignores me. Makes me more mad isn't it? 

Once, he told me I am in the comfort of my home so why am I always picking at him? He doesn't understand that 15-20 minutes I can do alot of things. I can play with my bunny, I can blog a short entry, I can photoshop some pictures. All because I keep to my stand of being punctual and I'm sitting there like an idiot to wait for him to reach. 

I blew up. And mind you this is after many, many uncountable times of being late. I told him it's not a matter of staying home is comfortable or not. So can I say oh, girls love shopping so if we're meeting at the mall, which is outside and not at home, you can be late because you assume girls love shopping and it's ok for the guy to be late?

It just doesn't work this way. It's a matter of principle and respecting other people's time. 

Magic leh. From then onwards he tried his very best to be on time, occasionally a 5-10 minutes late which I can accept. I'm not unreasonable like if he was travelling from Jurong to my place and he is late due to unexpected traffic conditions, of course I won't be angry. What makes me upset is when there isn't any valid reason to be late and moreover, many times he pick me from my home and he comes from his home which is so near to mine! So I will always ask him why he is late. He might think of me as a nuisance sometimes (I think) lol, but at least, his actions are more acceptable now.

As you can see, I am a punctuality freak.

I cannot accept girls who are late. 5-10 minutes I can close one eye. Usually I will prepare the girls before hand and let them know I only booked 2 hours for the studio (if the photoshoot is 2 hours). I will also check with them if they know how to get to the location of the studio. Imagine, if the girl is late for half an hour or 1 hour, I won't be able to shoot finish my collection! Who is the one paying for the studio? Who is the one who still expects to be paid even though she's late?

Most of the time I don't use these girls again.

Pleasant looking. It's a basic criteria to be a model. I repeat, pleasant looking, you don't need to be drop dead gorgeous.

For Montrose Desires, our clothes as of now are mainly free size, which usually fits size S girls, sometimes M. Therefore we need slender girls to front the line. We cannot accept too skinny either because the clothes then will look too big on her. We also can't get anyone who is above a UK 8 or else most of the clothes she can't fit in.

Accommodating. No whiney, fussy pots. 

You need to have a minimum height of at least 1.6m. Usually I look for 1.65m and above if possible. There is a reason why taller girls look better in photos because of the proportion.


(Rachel is wearing Ethereal Lace in White Dress)

Having a great smile is a bonus because there are times the looks we want to bring out is the cheery, happy, vibrant side and when customers see that, they will feel happy too. Sometimes of course if we want to portray edgier clothes, models don't smile.

*(Agri Velt, one of our models is wearing Pure Pretty in White Dress)

I believe one's working attitude is really important. This guarantees you repeated jobs and words do go around. Both the girls who were scouted in Orchard have SUPER GOOD working attitude. Mark & myself both wanna use them for long term basis.

Anyway, I hope this guide helps and good luck in clinching a job to front a blogshop's line!