GlobalGrind spoke to Arizona Muse, the in demand model of S/S 2012 NY Fashion Week.
If Arizona looks familiar it’s because we reported on the number of shows she walked in at Lincoln Center this week: almost one dozen and counting!
PHOTOS: Arizona Muse: Fashion’s New “It” Girl!
The New Mexico born model, who is also mother of a son, spoke to GlobalGrind by phone between shows and discussed some of her favorite presentations of the S/S 2012 season so far.
Arizona also discussed her routine for shows, her life when she was an adolescent (she wanted to be an architect), her English background, music and so much more! Here’s some of what was said!
GlobalGrind: What were some of your favorite shows this year?
Arizona: Oh, I loved Michael Kors. That was this morning and it was a safari theme, kind of a little rugged and everyone was really brown. It was cool, it felt very real and I liked that a lot.
What do you do in preparation for a show — mental preparation, physical preparation?
There is a lot of mental preparation before the season starts. Once the season starts I don’t think there is any mental prep before each show, there’s more of a collective prep before the season starts. So just calm down, rest, really take it in stride and just remind myself that there are bigger things in the world than fashion and it’s not the end of the world if I can’t make a fitting or if I’m late, or if somebody pulls my hair too hard or everything like that. It just all happens and it’s all OK. I like running and swimming, so that helps with the mental prep and the physical prep.
[pagebreak]
When you walk out onto that runway, what sort of things go through your head?
I think it’s been different for each season. The first season I was really nervous and scared, and the second season I was a little less nervous but still quite nervous and a little shell shocked probably. Now my third season, I feel a lot more confident and I feel I know what I’m doing and it’s a better feeling, I’m enjoying it actually. I walk out and feel it’s OK that everyone’s looking me, other than thinking “Oh God everyone is looking at me!”
What shows do you like to see?
To be honest, I’ve never been to a fashion show to sit in the audience. It is something I would love to do one day.
There’s a lot of attention that’s being brought to you at the moment, a lot of folks are talking about you. Taking a step back, what do you want all of this to become for you?
That’s a really interesting question. It’s a really big question and so I don’t know the entire answer yet, but I feel I’m working towards something big, and I really hope that it can do good in the world. I think that that’s really important, if every single human being aspires to do good through whatever their occupation is or whatever they are interested in or their passions are, I think the world would be an incredible place. But I’m almost 23 and I feel pretty young still, so we’ll see where it leads. I’m not sure yet.
If there’s one designer that we don’t know that we should know that is up and coming, who is it?
I have a friend who has a line that’s really beautiful handmade, just the quality is incredible, called Jackson, Johnson and Roe. They make amazing, amazing clothes here in New York.
[pagebreak]
When you were ten years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An architect. I really love buildings, structures and dwellings and when I was ten, I really thought that I was going to go to a University for architecture and be an architect.
What is your top favorite city in the world to go to?
I love London because my mom is English and I have my grandmother there, and also aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends. I think it’s a beautiful city, the parks are really incredible, and their gardens, just lush gardens.
What’s your favorite restaurant in the world?
I love the food in Australia. I can’t think of the specific restaurant, but I just really remember thinking the restaurants were great.
You’re on a deserted island, by yourself. What three albums are you taking with you?
I’ve been listening to The National’s album Boxer a lot. I play it over and over again. I like Jack White a lot, but I can’t think of a specific album. I just heard some Adele recently, she has a really beautiful voice.
Celebrity crush?
I can’t say I have one actually. Not that I don’t find celebrities crushable, but I just don’t think I have one.
[pagebreak]
You have a beautiful two year old child. Tell us about some of the challenges or advantages of being a working mom.
There are so many of each. There are many struggles and challenges and there are many benefits and absolutely wonderful things that you wouldn’t trade for the world. It’s really very special, any parent knows how special it is, to be a parent. It’s a lot when I travel a lot and I bring him with me, he’s two and a half now. I’m a lucky mom, he’s a very mellow child, he’s so sweet and cuddly and affectionate. I feel so lucky when I’m with him. I don’t get enough time around him, but he has an amazing nanny who lives with me and she’s with him all the time. She’s helping me raise him and he’s a very happy, we do spend very good time, good chunks of quality time together.
August was an amazing month where I was with him all the time and it felt so different from working. I really sympathize with working parents who feel torn between leaving their children and then pursuing their careers, which both are incomparably important. It’s a lot, it definitely is, but everybody does it and we can continue to do so.
