James Scully And Jessica Stam Warn Models: 'You're In For Some Tough Knocks'

Fashion Week presents many opportunities for newcomers to make headway in the industry, but model Jessica Stam (pictured above) warned first-timers at IMG's Model Prep Night of the hardships they'll likely have to endure prior to success. The event is part of a series held twice a year by IMG Models, which invited guest speakers like casting director James Scully, creative director Nian Fish, and established models like Lonneke Engel (pictured below) to convey their wisdom to young models debuting on the New York runway. "Hopefully girls take a deep breath after this and put everything in perspective. They all need to know that they'll be okay if they don't book Calvin Klein," David Cunningham, the agency's vice-president of development, told New York. "It’s good that we have Jessica [Stam] and Lonneke [Engel] speaking, because they’ve both been through some hard times. They’ve both seen the best of it, and they’ve both had times when they’ve been like, 'Oh my God, nobody wants me.'"

Fish, who was recruited last year by Anna Wintour to lead the CFDA Health Initiative, summed it up for the 27 teenage models gathered nervously at the agency's Park Avenue office: be on time, eat (healthy), and don't take anything personally. "We use your beauty and your looks to sell things," Fish said. "In the process, you may go through things that hurt your feelings." Scully agreed: "You’ll have things said to you that will seem unbelievable at the moment," he said. "Sometimes people don’t have your interests at heart when they’re trying to get a job done," Scully said, adding that the models were in for "some tough knocks."

Stam insisted on punctuality, recalling a time when she held up an entire show because of an impulsive Starbucks run across the street. "I don't know what I was thinking," said Stam, pictured above during Coach's 2nd Annual Party on the High Line in New York earlier this summer. "I had to earn a lot of people's trust back." But Stam's mistake will no doubt serve as warning for the aspiring models, who expressed relief and gratitude for the guests' counsel. "Like a stone fell out of my stomach," Lula Osterdahl, a Swedish model who walked in the fall 2012 Prada show, said with relief. But Osterdahl, who will be walking during NY Fashion Week for the first time, admits the anxiety is inevitable. "People tell me scary stories about Fashion Week, you know?"

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