Tell us about the debuts. How it all started. Not to me, I know the story... the midnight train from Strasbourg that landed at five in the morning in Paris, the cheap hotel, the Louvre etc. But the readers might want to know who was behind the strange URL "mariemaud.com". What were your immediate impressions when you saw models for the first time? And how does one go from painting at home to travelling around the world for various fashion events?
Work as blogger, backstage and runway shots from Paris
It really started this way, totally by chance. Nothing was planned at all and I decided to go to Paris just the day before departure. At that time I already had this blog under another name (Fashion Meets Art) but after my trip, I literally declared that « Fashion Does It Better ». I was tired of the local art scene and fashion gave me a true breath of fresh air. Only after this first fashion week, the blog, that was more a random collection of pictures till then, became a real online journal. My first impressions when I saw models... Incredibly elegant creatures would be the best description I could make. Their faces were already inspirations for my paintings, with their distinctive beauty types but seeing them in person, how they move etc. was a totally different sensation. For example, you understand a lot on what makes a good model when you get to watch them backstage or walking in the streets. You get to know where does the body language you see in editorials come from. You've met a lot of people, big names included (I remember when you thought Ivan Bart was the doorman of IMG's offices in Paris!). Who were the most interesting encouters you've made during all these fashion weeks? Same for the models, who impressed you most and why? [Laughs] Sure, visits at IMG belong to the most unforgettable moment. Not only that time we saw Ivan Bart popping inside the room. But meeting with Dominique Caffin-Robert and Jeni Rose, who both always have tons of interesting stories to tell, was a pleasure each time we went for sushis at lunch. Actually, you don't see a lot of boring people among the scouts or agents. So, it would be unfair just to name a few. But I have very special memories of Duncan Ord from New York Models when he was sharing some old stories, talked about his favorite models since he started as an agent, how he hates the word « booker » or his description of Kristen McMenamy. As for the models, Viktoriya Sasonkina will always have a special place in my heart. When I saw her for the first time, she wasn't famous as a model and it was at a very small show in Paris. I noticed her because of her very special way to move. Of course I couldn't have expected she'll grace the cover of Vogue Italia one day but when she started to work with Steven Meisel, I wasn't surprised at all. No way he wouldn't have fallen in love with the way she moves and poses. Plenty of others were also remarkable but if I have to name one more, it would be Alison Nix. Loads of positive energy, such a fantastic personality that totally translates into her work.
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