Hilary Rhoda
1/11Nineteen-year-old Maryland native Hilary Rhoda proved to be more than just another American in Paris, after Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiére hand-picked the fledgling model to walk in his spring 2006 show. Since then she's cruised the catwalks of Marc Jacobs and Chanel. I love being a chameleon, says the natural-born athlete, who used to rough it up on her high school field hockey team. These days, between gigs, she makes a racket on the tennis court. Anyway you look at it, this girl's got game. —ALISON GRIFFIN
2/11The Lacoste show was really fun, but my boots were about two sizes too small for me. It was pretty painful.
3/11The Ralph Lauren show was on the last day of New York Fashion Week and I was so tired that I overslept! Can you tell that I just woke up?
4/11The leather jacket that I wore for Proenza Schouler was my favorite piece in the whole collection. It was so sleek and cool. I loved wearing it.
5/11It's almost easier to keep in touch with family and friends because of the downtime before the actual show begins. While I'm getting my hair done I can send a quick text or email.
6/11I love getting my hair done (like here at the Rochas show) because the stylists are so good at making you look fabulous. But the downside is trying to recapture the look yourself—it never works out.
7/11The only time I got really nervous was opening Balenciaga. The whole time I was praying that I wouldn't fall in those platforms.
8/11It's pretty chaotic backstage, but that's what I love about modeling. Here at Giambattista Valli, someone's trying to squeeze my foot in a shoe while another person is putting lotion on my arm.
9/11For this look at Chloé, they wanted me to walk young and fresh. It was easy with the cute little jumpsuit and really cool platforms.
10/11At Chanel they had a sign telling us to perk up, have fun, and smile for the cameras. Most of the time designers want you to look serious, but I prefer smiling.
11/11Right before we stepped onto the runway at Louis Vuitton they shoved these huge hats down on our eyes. It was a good thing that it covered half of my face because I got really sick the day of the show.
