A
CHANCE
IS A CHANCE
SURVIVING MILAN FASHION WEEK
by model Emily Mcgrail.
Milan Fashion Week carries with it an allure- the centre of all things fashion and glamour in Italy. Walking at MFW? Any models dream. In spite of this pull though it can be a tough, grueling experience, only for the strong willed.
English model Emily Mcgrail now finds herself in her second experience of this. During this time at the MFW castings Emily documented this experience for TYG, giving an insight into the ups and downs.
Hi I’m Emily Mcgrail and I’ve been modelling now for a total of 4 years which seems bizarre to say out loud as I’m nowhere near where I thought I would be at this point. Although I’ve been modelling for four years, the past year has been what I would call “my first proper year”. Sure I’ve had previous years of experience but it’s only been the past 12 months where I’ve started making real moves in the direction I’m hoping will be the big break in my career as a model.
In October 2023 I got an email from my mother agent requesting me to come into the agency to cast for an agency in Milan. I remember the email like it was yesterday, I was In the gym and I remember jumping for joy on the spot. I was so grateful for the email I had just received.
A week passes by and the time for my casting comes, there was roughly 20 models in total. I remember being the second person to go and meet with this super cool woman from Italy. The time I spent meeting and talking with her felt like only 5 minutes. However, I leave the room and a booker from Nemesis (my MA) comes up to me to say 'you was in there for so long how did it go?' I was in disbelief, my anxieties and stresses during the casting let all that time get away from me.
Still to this day I have no clue what actually happened in that room, honestly I was so in the moment. A few days of anticipation later, I recieved an email from my MA saying that the agency that had come in from Italy loves my look and would love to sign me. It was a life changing moment for me, one I had always dreamt of.
“It was a life changing moment for me, one I had always dreamt of.”
My first season in Milan was a total of 8 weeks from Jan-Feb 2024. Looking at it now I must have got lucky because boyyy... I was busy and BOOKED. I even booked a huge show for Onitsuka Tiger on my first season there which was so rare. I was estatic. So naturally, my second time around I made the unfortunate presumption that this time would be even better! I now know why they say 'never assume' because this time around has been the polar opposite.
My first day out was hectic, I had 6 castings and spent the whole day running around like a mad man, without even chance to stop for food and a drink. However, by day 3 things took a turn.
A week before fashion week and my castings had narrowed down to 2 a day. I was so bummed and felt deflated. I took it upon myself to go into my agency over here and have a word with them 'AKA WTF is going on?!?!'
To my surprise my booker over here said “you need to trust us, later you have a request for FENDI, tomorrow PRADA and the day after Margiela.” My jaw dropped. To be requested for these major fashion houses was a privilege in itself.
Unfortunately, I didn't book any of them this time. Rather than getting down about it i took it as a positive for things to come in the future. Rejection is something we face everyday as models and unfortunately, this just wasn't my time.
“I now know why they say 'never assume' because this time around has been the polar opposite.”
A typical day of castings for a model over in Milan can vary, we get our schedules the day before around 4pm. The day of our castings we wake up, apply a base of super natural makeup and put on our best skinny black outfit. We all hate pulling out the skinny jeans but unfortunately, it has to be done. We pack our bags, bringing our heels, bikinis, comp cards and book everywhere we go.
You can't ever be certain how your days will look as there has been many times I had a 'free' day, taken myself to the gym and then received an email telling me I have a casting in 30 minutes. It's safe to say a typical day of castings is also an uncertain one.
Usually, a casting out here consists of waiting in lines as long as streets just for the chance to hand over your comp card and walk for 4 seconds in front of a casting director. Almost doesn't seem fair, especially when you can tell you weren't successful.
Me and another model coped with this by coining our own term 'A chance is a chance'. This helped us get through the rough rejection that is modelling.
Surviving fashion week isn't for the fain of heart. You have to go in all guns blazing feeling like your best self and be prepared to not let anything knock you down. Whether it's being told 'you're not in good shape' (which I was hit with this season) or 'you're not what we want' you can only truly survive fashion week if you believe in yourself no matter what and more importantly, you're happy with who you are as a person and how you look.
It's so easy to fall into unhealthy traps out here especially falling into unhealthy diet habits, just as a means to look 'better and skinnier'. I can't stress enough how important it is to be comfortable within yourself first. Other tips such as, always stay hydrated, make new friends and maintain conversations with those you love, are hugely important to stop you falling down a dark hole.
I had been really wanting to walk for PRADA (although it wasn't this time around), Diesel (which I crashed a casting for this time), MM6 and Bottega are 100% the brands I'm gunning for over here in Milan. It's safe to say one day I hope to be walking for these huge brands. Until then all I can do is make small steps in the right direction and maintain faith in myself.
The social side to modelling is honestly as social as you make it. At the end of the day we are all here for the same reason and due to that and the long casting lines it's easy to meet new friends along the way. I can honestly say i've made memories for a lifetime with people out here. You can make it as social as you want, I know some girls that spent all their times 'off duty' sat at home doing nothing. As nice as that is sometimes I decided not to take that route and I'm so glad that i didn't because I have met some amazing people and hope to continue meeting amazing people from all stretches of life.
All in all, I love what I do and despite the downs and no certainty of success, I will continue to choose holding onto hope that big things are coming my way.