Happy Halloween: Tyra Banks Shares a Modeling Horror Story
From walking the runways for Chanel to Victoria’s Secret, Tyra Banks has certainly mastered the catwalk. But it hasn’t come without challenges — or as some would describe as every model’s nightmare.
“I did a fashion show when I was really young. I was 18 or 19,” she told FN at Nine West’s New York pop-up store party recently. Banks is the brand’s newest global ambassador. “My dresser was dressing me really fast and I’m running to get to the stage, I get on the runway and my shoe laces are tied together.”
She continued, laughing, “I don’t know if my dresser was paid by someone to do that, but I ended up taking tiny little steps down the runway the whole time and I just made it a thing. [Afterwards], the designer was like, ‘Oh that was amazing,’ and I’m like, ‘My shoes were tied together!'”
But if anyone knows how to walk in high heels, it’s Banks. The model has been doing it professionally since she’s a teenager. Her No. 1 tip? “Try not to bend your knees,” Banks said. She added, “When women or even guys are not comfortable walking in heels they bend their knees too much. Try to keep them as straight as possible.”
Parent company Authentic Brands Group announced Bank’s appointment as the face and voice of the fashion label’s global campaigns in September. As part of her new role, she will participate in brand activations starting this fall and throughout next year — and she stars in Nine West’s “Groundbreakers” fall campaign.
Want more?
Barneys’ Sale to ABG Approved by Court; Deal Expected to Close Friday