Coco Rocha
For me, anytime I see a mother truly loving her child, famous or not, it brings a smile to my face. I think most people would agree.Collection: Smile
So many girls second-think their pose or what they're doing. And, in turn, the photos will come out really unnatural. I say to really give the camera a performance - that, and make sure you're comfortable with how you look, and give it a good smile and a filter.Collection: Smile
My wedding dress is a piece of art that I'll treasure forever. It was designed and created by Zac Posen. I gave him only the tiniest bit of direction when he started, and the end product was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.Collection: Wedding
Jean Paul Gaultier is not only immensely talented but also a genuinely sweet and kind person.
I love Africa, especially Botswana. I could see myself retiring to a little tree house there one day.
Everyone always remembers my dancing.
Don't get me wrong: 'America's Next Top Model' is fantastic. They've done 20 seasons, so they've obviously done something right. But I think what ensures that the winner of 'The Face' will become a working model is the prize - a year-long contract with a cosmetics company is huge.
I find it funny to look at people who are people-watching, and, don't get me wrong, I like to people-watch, too. But it's an interesting thing when people on the street just stop and ask you, 'Are you Coco? Can I take a photo of you?'
It's especially important to make sure all clients are happy. You don't want to get stuck into a corner and for people to think you now only have one look.
I remember working with Agyness Deyn. At the time, she was the only one who had short hair as a model. I remember being so envious of her because we would all be getting our hair pulled for two hours backstage, and she was getting a new haircut almost every other show.
I would have loved to meet David Bowie.
If it weren't for my Irish dancing, I wouldn't be modeling.
My mom's half-Irish, and my dad's half-Irish. We don't know much about my mom's side, but my dad's mom came from Belfast and married my grandfather, who was from Wales.
I didn't know anything about fashion. You would see me in the biggest sweater with jeans or the tightest elastic pants. Not nice clothes. My mom took me a lot to consignment stores when I was younger, and I never really got to go to fancy high-class stores, so... vintage was like a step up.
Models can be people, too. But the only way to do that is to kind of step up and keep doing new things that no one has thought of, from new websites to new blogs, a newscast, doing speeches, talking to kids. It kind of opens a new headline every time: 'Oh, a model hasn't done this before; a model hasn't done that before.'
When I started modeling, I didn't feel like I had a big sister to tell me how this industry works.
I was always excited by the idea of having my own company, but models are rarely serious when they venture off into something else, be it acting, singing, or starting their own business.
When you wear something different, you have to be confident that not everyone may get it at first.
When I started, I knew nothing about fashion. I remember, my first day going to my agency, I was wearing these huge bell-bottoms - they were patchwork corduroy and denim, which, at the time, I thought were amazing. My agent told me, 'You have a casting with Prada - you have to burn those jeans.'
When I first started modeling, I had the chance to walk the runway with Naomi passing by me, but I didn't know anything about supermodels. But when I saw her backstage, she complimented me on my walk, and I thought she was so nice - everyone was freaking out that I didn't know who she was.
You can teach a girl how to model, how to take a pretty picture, and how to walk, but you can't teach personality.
Whatever you do, never do the duck face - that's the worst look for any girl out there. Some girls think that pushing out their lips looks fabulous, but it doesn't.
I think, as long as you're secure with yourself and happy with yourself, it really doesn't matter what the world around you thinks.
Moms or soon-to-be-moms put a lot of pressure on themselves.
As a woman, sometimes we stress on always being of the moment, and that is a lot of pressure, especially for young girls.
A lot of people might think the job of a model isn't necessary anymore, but just like an actor, singer - how they make you feel a certain way - how watching a dancer gives you emotion, models can do the exact same thing to many different people.
You can definitely notice a girl who has confidence versus one who's thinking, 'How are they judging me?'
As a model, we come in the room, and we are casted just on our looks. I think I'm funny; I think I'm clever. But in the end, they're picking me for my cheekbones or if I'm tall enough.
One of my favorite poses was when working with Steven Meisel. It was one of my first photo shoots with him, and we were trying to get the cover of Italian 'Vogue.' Then, I literally took my Balenciaga hat, pulled it down, and gave a rolling-eye, 'ugh' face, crossed legs on the floor. And lo and behold, that was the cover of Italian 'Vogue.'
It's hard sometimes because people don't take a model seriously in any sense. Unless she's taking a photo, that's as good as she is.
I hate when people say models don't have personalities; what does that even mean? Everyone has a personality.
I don't think it's fair for people to put fellow beings down just because they're only known for their looks.
The funny thing is that, for some reason, people think when you're pregnant, you have to start wearing maternity wear and wear flats and look Mom-ish. I don't know exactly what people expect of people who are pregnant, but there's definitely a lot of moms out there that look super fabulous all the time, and I guess that's my inspiration.
Don't have just anyone run your social media. I think it's insane when brands or celebrities relegate their social media to an intern or someone who does not know them well.
If you're posting pictures to platforms like Instagram or Twitter, be selective about the one you post. If I'm capturing a sunset, I'll take at least 10 pictures. I'll then filter them using other apps, enhance them. Then, I really pick the best image of perhaps 30.
Be current. Know and comment on current trends and news. Don't be the last one entering a conversation.
Personally, even though I have a great PR team, no one except my husband and I touch any of my 10 social media accounts. It's a lot of work, but I know that my brand, my image, and my voice are authentic to me.
Braveness, for me, is running into my basement with no socks on. There are huge spiders down there!
Whenever I really get serious about something, I pull my hair back into a tight ponytail. If you see me with that, you know I mean business.
I was once dressed as a mermaid for a Jean Paul Gaultier show. My legs were bound into a fish tail, so I had to come down the runway on crutches. Halfway down, I was supposed to unzip the fish tail to reveal my legs, but the zipper broke, so I ended up stabbing my fake nail through the fabric of the zipper and ripping my way out.
If you think of any past artist, there was something that they looked at that inspired them to make their most famous pieces, whether it be the 'Mona Lisa' or 'Venus Rising.'
I've always been the type that, every few months, I'm like, 'Let's change the haircut one more time.'
Models are supposed to be a muse to you. Why is a muse always the same body type, the same look? It's boring.
I'm obsessed with historical English royalty.
I think balancing work and family takes constant adjustment. Its not something you can say you've accomplished and move on.
Nowadays, we have to break the molds to what it means to be a model in 2016.
Something I always look for in an outfit is to have a standout piece.
Fashion can be a very fickle lady, especially when it comes to models - fashion likes to turn on its own.
Connecting with fans is very important to me and useful, too! It's almost as if I have my own focus group. If I put up one picture that gets 1,000 likes and one that gets 15,000 likes, it gives me a big clue as to what people like to see.
When I started my first blog years ago, I just wanted to share my perspective. For a long time, models had been these mute pretty faces - and I wanted to have a voice.