“There’s no getting around it - the church is the reason I am who I am today. I thank Jesus I ended up a man with a killer stride that has the power to burn footprints into a runway.”
That’s the opening of Miss J.’s new book, Follow the Model: Miss J’s guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise and Power. The manuscript reads half-memoir and half self-help, full of boxes with titles like “Stay in School” or “Don’t Throw It Away, Re-Create It” alongside a fashion pronunciation guide, pictures, and a guide to Karl Lagerfeld.
Our favorite part, of course, is this thinly veiled blind item half way through the book.
“During one fashion week in New York, I showed up at a runway presentation by a designer. I had brought a director, Leola Westbrook, as my date… When we arrived at the door, a very tall guy in black with long hair took one look at me and said, “I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’ve been told they really don’t want you here.” I was stunned and totally caught off guard. Now, normally I would have given that person a sweet smile but the words that came out would have been so damn razor sharp. Where I spit, no grass grows. But I was so embarrassed since I had brought the director with me that I just gave the gatekeeper my seat assignment and walked away.
