Ali Michael
| Ali Michael | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Alexandra Nicole Michael May 15, 1990 Colleyville, Texas, |
|
Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Measurements | (US) 33-23-34; (EU) 85-58-86.5 |
| Dress size | (US) 4, (EU) 34 |
Alexandra Nicole Michael[2] (born May 15, 1990, in Colleyville, Texas), known professionally as Ali Michael, is an American fashion model.
Early life
Ali Michael grew up in Colleyville, Texas. Her career began after winning the Fashion!Dallas/Kim Dawson Model Search contest in 2005 at age 15. She graduated from Grapevine High School in May 2008 and moved to New York shortly thereafter to continue her modeling career.
Career
In 2006, Michael signed with DNA Models and appeared in an Italian Elle editorial. In February 2007, she made her runway debut on the fall New York runway, where she opened for 3.1 Phillip Lim and Alice Roi. She walked the fall Marc by Marc Jacobs show in London, as well as the fall Lanvin show in Paris in March. Throughout the rest of 2007, she made appearances in magazines such as W, French Revue de Modes, Harper's Bazaar, and Teen Vogue. In October, she walked the runway in Paris for Chanel, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, and Lanvin (clothing).
In February 2008, she was sent home from Paris fashion week after being told that "her legs were too plump". Michael had gained five pounds after struggling with an eating disorder that caused her to weigh 106 lbs at 5'9". She was then the center of the article "Wasn't Skinny Supposed to Be Out of Fashion?"[3] in The Wall Street Journal on February 28, 2008.
In May 2008, she appeared on the Today Show, accompanied by Amy Astler, Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue magazine, and talked about the pressure to be thin as a model, and the alarming increase over the years to be skinnier. She stated that she "hadn't had [her] period in over a year" and had a wake-up call when, on a plane, she "ran [her] fingers through [her] hair, and when [she] took [her] hand away there was a dry brittle clump of hair in [her] hand".[4] Michael began to see a nutritionist to deal with her weight and eating issues, including Bulimia nervosa. "I've had a lot of girls come up to me to say 'Thank you,' and that makes me feel good," Michael said in the February 2009 issue of Teen Vogue in regards to her interview on the Today Show about her weight loss.[5] She also said that she was not alone in her weight struggles, and that many other young (and old) models starve themselves. With this Ali returned home to Texas to complete her schooling
After her early departure from Paris after just one show, she returned strong in September 2008 for spring Fashion Weeks in London, Milan and Paris. She graced the catwalks of Lacoste, ADAM, Matthew Williamson, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Doo.Ri, Paul Smith, Luella, Louise Goldin, Aquascutum, House of Holland, Burberry Prorsum, Iceberg, Fendi, Bruno Pieters, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Sonia Rykiel, Karl Lagerfeld, Akris, Celine and John Galliano. In addition to her strong comeback, Ali continued her contract with SportMax and began a new fragrance contract with Lanvin's Jeanne Lanvin. She also became the face of the new Anna Sui's campaign, Lord and Taylor, Gianfranco Ferre, and Coach, Inc..
In February 2009, she skipped Fashion Week in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, but returned in September for spring Fashion Weeks in New York, London, and Paris, walking for 3.1 Phillip Lim, Burberry, Sonia Rykiel, Emanuel Ungaro, and Yohji Yamamoto.
References
- ↑ "Ali Michael".
- ↑ "Texas Births, 1926-1995".
- ↑ Binkley, Christina (February 28, 2008). "Wasn't Skinny Supposed to Be Out of Fashion?". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Coen, Jessica (May 14, 2008). "Model Ali Michael was on Today". New York Magazine.
- ↑ Keltner, Jane (February 2009). "Models Inc.". Teen Vogue. pp. 38–41.