Economic Hardships Extend To Modeling World

The seven young models never used to have this much time for the beach. They'd hop from cellphones to cabs to casting calls, posing and pouting for the catalogs during the height of Miami's modeling season. Times being what they are, they now soak the sorrow of an industry while lounging on beach towels in bikinis and board shorts, or playing volleyball. This game is informal, for not one but two of the annual local beach volleyball tournaments have been spiked. "Oh, the economy!" lamented 19-year-old Dani Dwyer, a wispy blond with a flat stomach in a black bikini.
Models, from left, Andrea Milner, Dani Dwyer and Eloisa Carvalho take a break in the South Beach, Florida sand as they ponder reduced demand for their services in mid-February 2009. (CHARLES TRAINOR JR./ MCT / February 19, 2009)

News that the Irene Marie Models agency was shutting its doors in South Beach only served to reaffirm that the nation's economic ugliness had tainted the world of glamour. Slumps in advertising have slashed revenue for newspapers and magazines, resulting in less work for agencies that book the models. Now, Irene Marie Models, which just two years ago had 850 full-time models, is considering filing for bankruptcy. For the working models, just like auto workers or bankers, the puncture of the boom times calls for these stunning bodies to lead more grounded lives. Truth be told, the models will admit, life is still pretty sweet.

The new economy means more walking and fewer cabs. Less time with waiters asking whether they prefer spring or tap, more times with a cashier asking whether they want paper or plastic. "Instead of having a $40 dinner, I'll get $100 worth of groceries to last me the week," Dwyer said. "And I'm not buying as much." "I am going shopping less, too!" said 22-year-old Andrea Milner. "I love shopping. This year, I've only gotten three pairs of shoes."

Behind them was the office of Irene Marie Models. From the street, it's easy to miss, particularly because tourists are devouring bacon cheeseburgers and strawberry shakes at the Johnny Rockets hamburger joint below. The few models still with the agency went through an alleyway to pick up their portfolios and try to find a new agent. Samuel Johnson, a Miami Beach resident who used to work for Irene Marie, headed to the beach to meet up with a group of models from New York, Brazil and Bulgaria.

This world is small and intimate. It is filled with twentysomething angst that could be fodder for TV — in fact, Dwyer has a coming MTV show, "

The economic effect can be seen at casting calls — much fewer now — where the models said they expected up to four times as many people trying out. Even more distressing, the department stores will likely take plus-size models, who charge less, to wear their clothing. "If people are still coming to Miami, they are also cutting their rates," said Eloisa Carvahlo, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 115 pounds, radiant black hair tied in a bun, in a flowery bikini. "Now, you just have to really take care of your money, and save it, because sometimes you don't know what is going to happen."

Credit By ROBERT SAMUELS McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.courant.com/features/hc-atworkmodelsapr06,0,3043608.story