Runway, curfew
New York
When 12-year-old model Gerren Taylor made her debut at L.A. Fashion Week last season, the runways were short and the small crowds were friendly, even when she tripped on a wedding gown at the Richard Tyler show. But this week in New York, at the age of 13, she took her first steps down the long and winding runways of a world fashion capital.
At the spring shows that ended here Friday, Taylor modeled for such pros as Tommy Hilfiger, Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs. She also became the first African American model to appear in a Marc by Marc Jacobs print advertising campaign, shot by famed fashion photographer Juergen Teller.
“I knew I was getting a great girl; I didn’t know I was getting a supermodel,” said Cory Bautista, director of New York Model Management, who has been handling Taylor’s bookings. “She doesn’t walk, she floats down the runway.... And she doesn’t have that competitive attitude. She wants to learn everything; she’s like a puppy.”
A very tired puppy.
Backstage at the Hilfiger show Thursday night, Taylor’s big brown eyes were at half-mast.
“It’s been a long week,” she said as a makeup artist applied sparkling beige gloss to her lips and a tangle of TV cameras chased the Hilton sisters nearby.
Sunday, she’ll be on a plane back home to West L.A.. And Monday, she’ll be back to eighth grade.
Taylor, who took her mother’s surname as her first name when she began modeling, has been keeping up with schoolwork by talking to her teachers on the phone, and reading (Ronald Takaki’s “A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America” at the moment) while she’s having her hair and makeup done before shows.
She’s not on the typical fashion week champagne-till-dawn party circuit either. Her mom, Michele Gerren, is by her side every moment, and makes sure she’s in her hotel bed by 11 p.m.
Still, it’s not easy to be a kid in an adult world. Sunday, Taylor was scheduled to model in a group show of bridal designers.
“A bride at 13,” said Gerren, rolling her eyes.
“Hopefully it will go better than last time,” her daughter quipped, referring to the Tyler show, where a dresser had slipped her gown on backward, with the train in the front.
She has also had to navigate the sexualization of models -- still called “girls” -- that occurs in so many runway shows.
On Monday, Taylor walked in Betsey Johnson’s show, which featured girls in glitter pasties, sweaters and dresses with “S&M;” emblazoned on the chests, and other porn-star wear, plus a striptease finale. Lending a strip-club vibe, some guests sat at runway-side tables, where champagne was served.
“I didn’t know the theme until I saw it,” Gerren said. “I was just happy to see her clothed. And I was hoping she didn’t come out with one of those guys.”
Mom keeps watch
Indeed, Taylor -- who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a woman’s body -- was dressed more generously than the other models, in yellow jeans and a striped tube top on her first trip down the runway, and a tutu-like dress on another. And unlike several of the girls, she was not trailed by a male model wagging his tongue at her backside.
“It was fun,” Taylor said.
“I don’t think she could even see what was going on,” Gerren added. “They didn’t have video monitors backstage. She just went out and did her thing.”
Tracy Reese’s show, featuring sweet, girly jackets with three-quarter sleeves and bow belts, and tweed skirts with flared hems, was less raunchy.
“She’s adorable,” Reese said of Taylor. “And what personality! She’s doing it all ... her homework, modeling, and then I look in the corner and she’s doing an interview with BET.”
Although she’s worked virtually nonstop since arriving in New York last week, Taylor has found time to enjoy herself, shopping at the flagship of H&M;, the Swedish retailer known for trendy clothes at inexpensive prices. “I got a cool bag with a face on it for $9 and some tank tops for $6,” she said.
She met Southern Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek backstage at the tents in Bryant Park, where many of the fashion shows are held. “I gave her a big hug and a kiss and told her she was one of my role models,” Taylor said. She also met Naomi Campbell.
“Everyone keeps telling me that you have to separate yourself from the industry and not take things personally,” Taylor said. “Once Fashion Week is over and you go home, that’s it. You’re your own person.”
Or maybe not. When Hilfiger met Taylor at the casting for his show, he immediately dialed the number of a New York dentist so she could have her teeth fixed. “He said she’s going to be a top model,” Gerren said.
As for the differences between the runway shows in L.A. and New York, Taylor doesn’t see any. “Everyone says New York is the real business. But it seems just the same,” she said, adding her oft-repeated refrain, “It’s fun.”
