………………………”JAC”……………….This was the name Jac went by as a model. It was the name her Mom called her….it was short…..it was memorable…it stood out….and it was UNIQUE…..This was her first “Head Shot” at the tender age of seventeen……This was the young girl I first met. Of course when I met her….her makeup and hair was more natural………She didn’t need much makeup…..she was a natural beauty…..She would tell me stories of her first days as a model, and I loved hearing them. When she joined her first agency they immediately sent her to Paris. She hadn’t even worked in NYC yet. The French shows would be starting soon and it was time to go and be seen…..The agent thought the European designers would adore her, and her agent was right. She recognized that Jac was sophisticated and elegant beyond her years……..It wasn’t just that she was a beauty, which was true, and always would be, but it is was the way she moved and carried herself. She didn’t need to be taught how to walk or turn or how to hold an audience’s attention like so many of the other models did. She was naturally graceful. She had no affectations. When she came out on a runway all eyes were on her. It was her natural grace that was so unique to her…She was simply captivating and had this aura that made her one of the “special” ones……The European designers fell in love with her, because she was so “intoxicating, inspiring….so fresh”. She was tall and willowy. She was the new breed of models that were coming in…..She was one of the new “Amazons” as they called the tall models. At one of her very first shows, she was back stage sitting in a chair waiting for her turn to have her makeup and hair done. Her face wash washed clean and ready. She told me one of the other American models looked at her and screamed….”you’re a baby!!!”. Even though the model was actually paying her a compliment, Jac was still embarrassed…She was very young and shy, and just wanted to blend in…..well, Jac was not going to ever just blend in……The designers loved the way these new young super tall girls looked in their clothes…Her mother always came with her to Europe when she first started, but after a few seasons Jac wanted to go on her own, after all none of the other models had their mothers with them….I know she missed not having her Mommy with her, but it was time to go it on her own……Her mother would always slip a letter or card into Jac’s shoulder bag, and Jac would read it on the plane…..She kept every single card and letter. I have boxes filled with them…… She was becoming well know very early on. Once you got chosen to work for the “Top” designers word traveled quickly, everyone wants to see you, and the agencies have you go on “go sees” for everyone……She became successful very quickly….At first she thought she wanted to do more photography then runway. There wasn’t the running from show to show……Even though she was doing well for a newbee. She soon learned about the seedy side of photographers and their studios…….the drugs, and sexual abuse, and the way models were treated shocked her. She was young and new and could not yet make demands. A reputation for being difficult could kill a career quickly….Of course not all of the photographers were like this, and not all the studios were seedy. She worked with some of the best who were wonderful, but she felt this wasn’t for her….It wasn’t the glamorous side of fashion she was dreaming about….This was going to be her next story on Facebook, but she never was able to write it…….. She decided that runway was for her. Even though the work was hard, she found the designers were so wonderful to her, and it was more glamorous. The clothes, the jewels, the best make up artists and hair designers were all so wonderful to her and to work with…..she loved everything about it….. After a while she could pick and choose the designers she wanted to work for. They adored her, and they were protective of her……Her first job in Paris was for Givenchy. He was already part of the “old guard”. He loved her youth and thought she made his clothes look new, fresh and “young”. She thought he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Of course this was before she met me!……. She worked for them all, but her favorites were Givenchy, because this was her first job and she was so honored to be chosen by such a famous respected designer. He was so kind and gentle to this very young impressionable girl, and he was Audrey Hepburn’s favorite. How could she not fall in love with him!. She would always treasure her first experience in Paris with Givenchy……She loved working with Valentino and Armani the best. They took care of her and sheltered her. She would go and work with Armani for three weeks before the show, and he would do all of the “looks” on her. She learned a great deal from him. He would always have her stay in a beautiful hotel, all expenses paid by him……She loved the stories Valentino would tell…..Lots of gossip, none of which could ever be repeated, but I heard them all. She did YSL, Chanel, Montana, Sonia Rykiel, Karl Lagerfeld, Gautier, Thierry Mugler and so many more, but they were all jobs. You run in….you had your hair and make up done….. you did the show and you ran out to the next show. It would start at 6am and sometimes ended at 11pm. Then the next morning you would start again. Jac not only did the “Ready to Wear” shows, but she also did the “Couture” shows, where a simple dress started at $20,000.00 and went up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. These were all special order hand made clothes which only the super super rich could afford. The ready to wear shows used up to 30 models and more, but only a handful of models were booked for the Couture. Usually no more then 15 models. You had to have a certain look….you had to give off an aura of “don’t touch me”……you had to be aloof. Jac was a good actress and played the part well. It was totally different from the ready to wear shows……. Jac made some life long friends who she kept in touch with long after her days of running to Europe were over. Whenever she would see Mr. Armani or Mr. Valentino in NY they would always hug and kiss. At one of the Met Galas, many years later, Mr. Givenchy came to our table and gave Jac a rose…..She was so unbelievably happy and honored. Again, all eyes were on her. I met most of the European designers through Jac………Jac was also a huge success in NY as well, and worked for designers as diverse as Steven Burrows and Bill Blass, who considered Jac his Carol Lombard. One year after working in Paris, the Paris shows then were before the NY shows, she came back to NY with a very very short hair cut. A hair person had burned it crimping it for a show with a very hot crimping iron! One of the best hair people in the business took her to his salon in Paris and gave her a “new” short cut. Everyone loved it……everyone except Bill Blass……Where was his Carol Lombard? He came around and realized he too had to “get with the new look”. Even designers can get stuck in the past……..being relevant, and recognizing that a new thing was happening sometimes took a kick in the a__Eventually, I convinced Jac to work exclusively for me. We spent many days and nights in the Anne Klein studio where I would drape and design the clothes right on Jac……She was my MUSE…..my INSPIRATION……….The rest of our story is history……………………………….
When ever Jac and I went out, whether it was to a local restaurant or a black tie gala……she always stood out when she entered a room. It’s not that she was trying to, but she was just so beautiful…. she glowed. Eyes always went to her. When we would sit at a table I would find myself staring at her…….She was just so lovely…. Jac was so graceful and so elegant. I would love to see the way she tilted her head when she spoke or was listening to who ever it was she was sitting next to. Many times we were split up which didn’t make us happy. It however, gave me the opportunity to watch her and admire the beautiful way she moved her hands and her gestures….her smile……I was so proud!……………She was taken from me much too soon. There were still so many things we still wanted to do together…..so many journeys and adventures ahead………….I will miss her every second of my life, and I pray every day that we will be together again to continue on our journey…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
