Be A Star!

Do people always comment that you have a ‘star’ quality?

Then why not try dipping your toe into the pond of success.
Well, maybe you need to start smaller, but everyone who is famous has had to start somewhere so who knows where you dreams may take you.  Whatever talent you have, whether you love singing, long to be a dancer or aspire to be an actor then take the plunge and follow your dreams with www.elirving.com by your side.
Our experience and expertise can help with matching performers to clients through the many number of industry contacts we have built up over nearly 20 years in the business. Whilst there is no magic formula on how to be a star, believing in yourself is a must and a helping hand goes a long way.  www.elirving.com can give advice and guidance every step of the way.

Being a star doesn’t only take a talent but demands hard work, long hours and a commitment second to none. If you want to find out more about how to be a star then register your talent at www.eliriving.com today as we are a unique talent agent across the UK.
You be taking a big step closer to your dreams.

www.elirving.com
Most people have the ability to become a star but it takes someone special to actually be a real star and make a living at what they love doing.

How To Be A Successful Model

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  • Confidence. Clients are looking for someone who is confident and can sell a product convincingly. If you’re not naturally confident, consider using one of the many self-help books or CDs available that can help you to build up self-confidence. To renew your confidence in your looks, remind yourself of compliments you’ve received from others.


  • A ‘thick skin’. You must be able to handle the rejection that every model faces, while still putting yourself forward whenever there’s a chance of getting the job. You can’t expect to meet the expectations of every client. Try to think, ‘It’s good if I get the job, but if they don’t want my look I won’t feel bad about it’.

 

  • Stamina. A model needs to be fit and healthy so they can work all day and still look good at the end of it. Maintain a healthy diet and work out at least three times a week. If you can’t afford a gym, walking and running are great exercises that anyone can do. If you’re too busy to exercise, build exercise into your daily routine by walking to work or to the shops.

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  • Independence. Professional models may have to travel often, so you need an independent spirit and a self-starting attitude. You’ll need to get yourself up in the morning and make sure you arrive at the job on time and ready to perform. You also need to be comfortable if you need to be by yourself for long periods.

 

  • Organisation. You need to be well organised in order to keep track of the dates, times and locations of your castings and appointments. Keep a paper diary with you or use one of the many online tools available to enter and edit your appointments. Keep all your papers in a single safe and secure location.

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  • Willpower. Working models can’t afford to indulge in drink, drugs or partying. You must have the will power to say NO. An agency will drop a model very quickly if it becomes clear that his or her lifestyle could affect her work – or the agency’s reputation.

 

  • Availability and responsiveness. Make sure it’s easy for agencies to get in touch with you if they need to. When you have a confirmed job, communicate with the photographer/agency as much as you can, and answer their queries as quickly as possible.

 

  • Fashion. Keep up with the latest styles and clothing trends, particularly those that suit your looks and style. Keep your portfolio updated with shots that use recent looks.

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  • Persistence. This is perhaps the most important attribute of all. It takes a lot of work to be a professional model! It’s no good waiting for work to come to you – you need the get-up-and-go attitude of someone who sets goals and goes after them. As George Bernard Shaw said, ‘The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.’

 

www.elirving.com

 

How Does Your Fashion Sense Rank?

What to you is good or bad fashion sense?

This question I have been asked many times before by people, regarding my fashion sense and in general on fashion.
In this article I am going to give some examples of fashion and you can make your mind up what is good or bad.

Do not let others dictate what is good or bad fashion sense to you, it is a preference in your mind’s eye no one else’s.
Today the internet and magazines are over saturated with what celebrities and other trend-setters believe is top fashion and what not good fashion sense is.

As we all know everyone’s choice is different and that’s what makes us who we are.

Mens Fashion Sense
Above you will see a young man dressed in casual but smart clothing. To me I like this for everyday wear but not for office work in the big cities. This is to be for, in my opinion for meeting friends or maybe going out for a drink or meal with close friends. The first shot is a good mix of casual, for example the jeans and trainers mixed successfully with a shirt and a V-neck jumper so it looks smart but casual as well.

This would be good for lunch time meet with friends or a drink or two in town. The second photo is a good example of a day off look with the low neck T-shirt with jeans and a green casual jacket and meeting friends with not a lot going on in the day. The third is really smart and the Jacket pulls of the total casual look but pulling off a smart look. This to me is a going out look but something like going to the gym before work or meeting friends. All three to me would come in the casual day off look without anything important going on. But you may pull off meetings with the first photo depending on how it looks on you.

Mens Smart Casual Fashio Sense

In this photo I found you will see a man dressed in a suit with no tie. This is a smart look but it also says ‘casual’ as well just because he has taken the tie from the picture. This seems to be a look for a day in the office in the big city but also a look to be going out for an important meeting as well as going out for a meal out in town with a loved one or with friends or colleagues. I like this look myself and the colour is what makes this suit.

The sunglasses with the suit makes it look like this person is a well to do person and sends a message look at me but in a good way. If you look around you can find a decent suit for a reasonable price as well. Please don’t think you have to spend a fortune on a three or two piece suit. I bought a two piece suit for about £70 and it was not a top brand. It was bought from a local high street shop in my town. To be fare you can go to places like Primark, Burtons, Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s for a decent looking suit. But to be honest you will have to look around first but don’t just take the first choice you find unless it calls out.

This is just a few men’s wear that ore out there and don’t have to cost a lot for the buyer.
What else we will look at is smart and casual wear for women
Womens Smart Casual Fashion Sense
This suit for a woman is smart and to me says posh too. It appears to be fore an office job in the city or for an interview. With the necklace it pulls off the look of office or maybe Layer maybe but that’s just my thoughts. It is the sort of suit you would wear for your day job in the office.

With the black heeled shoes and the black necklace it smart to the hilt. I like this look as at can give you another look to who you actually are. I would think that you would have to actually dress this suit down to be able to wear it for meals and drinks with friends or loved ones maybe at weekends or at nights. If you was going out at night you would not wear this but actually wear a dress to go to dinner or theatre.

What else we will look at is a casual look but smart dress sense for females but don’t take it literal as this is just a guide and my opinion.

Womens Casual Fashion Sense
Here we have a casual look but smart at the same time and the colouring just calls out WOW in my eyes. It is the sort of dress wear you would put on for a dinner out with friends or family even a loved one but also it could be something you wear in the office and drinks afterwards. So in my eyes this has three functions in a daily life of a woman.

The colours of this is a mix of plain then colour that gives it a kick to say smart am I, look at me but not in a way of attention seeking. It is smart look for going out drinking and meals with friends but also it has a look as if ‘I have just finished work and not had time to change’. If you can’t afford this look I bet you could go around high street shops and find something just as good or even better and half the price as well.

What do you think is good fashion sense?

Runway or Print? Modelling Advice from EL Irving

I often hear people labelling themselves as a model or saying they hope to break into the modelling industry. But that can mean a hundred different things to a hundred different people. There are so many types of modelling and they are all very different from one and other. Keeping that in mind we know that the two of the main areas of modelling are fashion and commercial.

Do you have dreams of making it in modelling? If so, you need to determine whether you want to be a fashion model or a commercial model as soon as possible. Both types of models will feature in national campaigns and such, but they will do so in very different ways. Your decision to either go down the fashion route or the commercial route will determine a lot of other aspects of your career – ranging from how you brand yourself to the modelling agency you elect to sign for. The market body requirements can vary for each industry as well, and thus it is important to know what type of modelling you would be best suited for so you can give yourself the greatest chance of making it. If you need advice, get in touch via the EL Irving website or look at the contact me section of this site.

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EL Irving, 2015

Models are featured in local print advertisements, national print advertisements, television work, catalogues and trade shows. As a commercial model, it is unlikely you will receive the same level of exposure and recognition as you would if you were a fashion model. Yet work can be more frequent, as this type of modelling often presents greater opportunities, and a lot of fashion models begin their career in the commercial industry whilst hoping to get their big break. They aspire to walk down the runway at major fashion shows. Saying this, print work can be very lucrative and you can generate a steady income from featuring in catalogues as well. So, what path should you go down? Embrace both if you can. No one said you can’t be a fashion model and a commercial model. As mentioned, a lot of fashion models begin their career in the commercial world. Nonetheless, if you do not meet the strict criterion in place for fashion modelling, you may be restricted to commercial modelling. It is pivotal to recognise this, as you could be wasting your time chasing runway jobs when there are plenty of other print and ad work opportunities available to you that you would have a much greater chance of getting. It is all about grabbing the opportunities and generating greater exposure, no matter what type of modelling you want to get into.

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Why did we go Vintage?

Why are you going to collect vintage clothing? Is it out of a general fashion interest or do you want to create a collection as an investment? Choosing an icon from the past whose look you like will help you to choose the right pieces for your own collection. If you are buying to wear you can be less picky, whereas investment items should be carefully chosen for their brand or quality. If you’re going to collect for value and not wear what you buy, then size makes difference. When reselling the pieces keep in mind that sizing on labels has changed a lot. It’s especially significant if you sell vintage clothing on the internet because it avoids disappointment when the shoes or dress turn out to be too small for the customer and you have to refund them.

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EL Irving, 2015

Finding a fashion icon, especially from the past, will help you choose an outfit that draws attention and has the feeling of another era. Unfortunately, many of us think that only women in their forties or fifties are allowed to take these kinds of fashion risks. But if you are 20 years old it’s great and there’s nothing to be ashamed of; you’ll even find yourself attracting different attention and standing out among your peer group. Just find a fashion role model who can give you inspiration for ways to dress and get started creating a genuine vintage look. Collecting vintage clothing has become very popular. Some women like the quality and look of it and some collect it because of its potential value. There are numerous relatively recent items that are labelled as vintage and it’s hard to know what to purchase; the word itself has become synonymous with a look, rather than its definition.

Before buying vintage clothing learn about manufacturing and particularly when certain features were introduced. For instance, you are looking at what is labelled as a 60’s dress. Does it have features that weren’t common at that time? If yes, this indicates that it’s been incorrectly labelled and may be more likely from the 70’s. You can ask most modelling agencies for advice when it comes to fashion purchases. EL Irving Studios have loads of resources and don’t charge for advice. When shopping, you will inevitably encounter unworn or slightly worn items that have been well cared for. It might have been that the piece was only worn a handful of times, or stored for decades. Saying this it’s widely expected that vintage clothing will show the signs of wear due to its age. Remember, the longer ago the clothing is from, the more likely that it’ll display signs of its age. Aging can actually be used to validate its authenticity, so it’s not always a bad thing at all. Read the other EL Irving Blogs for fashion reviews and modelling advice!

Fashion and Trends

Fashion trends have to start from somewhere and many people don’t consider where they start. We happily walk into a high street retailer or find designs on the web and either instantly love them or hate them with little to no regard for the amount of time or effort that has gone into the creation of that particular item of clothing or the look itself. Designers are more than ever under pressure to create garments that the public at large will love and that will look great on models. They try to make it from their sketchbooks and onto the catwalks just as models try to make it from their mirror to the studio and some are always going to be more successful than others.


If you’re keen to get into modelling then it’s important to remember physical requirements when it comes to fitting yourself into a niche – most types of modelling are niches unto themselves. The physical requirements of commercial models are less extreme than those of catwalk models for example. While catwalk models tend to have very thin and slender body shapes, commercial models need represent society’s norms. EL Irving Studios regularly see men and women having body parts modelling portfolios made. Body parts models are widely used for catalogue jobs. These can include footwear, jewellery, beauty products and piercings. Making a living solely from these kinds of jobs is very difficult, but it’s not too difficult to supplement a salary with a few extra days a month in front of the camera.

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EL Irving, 2014

One incredible thing about women is that they are known to have a sixth sense, especially when it concerns relationships. Women always notice and analyse small details in others. This goes as far as to include the body language of their partners. So they usually are aware of any feelings towards others that their partners have. It may be concerning a colleague of his that they have never met. Once women notice something suspicious, it starts eating away at them. Though they may not be even aware of what exactly is doing it. A great way to clear the air is to spice things up. Maybe some great photos in a professional studio would help or a spending spree in your favourite shops. If you’re interested in becoming a model or are simply looking for new or additional representation, feel free to get in touch with me and the EL Irving team and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

 

Dolce and Gabbana 2015/2016 Review

EL Irving, Model Scout, on the New D&G Collection

Last month, D&G revealed their collection for this coming winter. I can’t believe we’re already talking about next winter when this ones finally coming to an end, but apparently we are… This new collection was a bit of an eye brow raiser. It covers what I can only describe as several centuries of fashion, minus the frilly neck pieces and wigs, and attempts to bring certain, traditional Italian styles into the new era. For the most part this seems to work. There are some bizarre pieces thrown in, as in all shows, but oddly enough they seem to fit with the nostalgic aura of the collection as a whole.

Being a model scout, one of the first things I concentrate on is the models themselves. I was happy to see a wide variety of ages and body types on this catwalk. Some of the pieces that caught my eye were the trench at 5:23 and the blazer at 6:41. A lot of the time on catwalks you don’t see items that you think you could wear in the street, which is true for a lot of the pieces in this video, but there are some nice, discreetly fashionable pieces in this collection that I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for after the summer. The suits are mostly typically tailored Italian fashion, which is what the house is ultimately known for so no surprises there. I appreciate hearing from my followers so if you like, drop a message to the EL Irving Facebook page and either I or one of the team will get back to you as soon as we can!

Watch it for yourself here and find out more about me, EL Irving, on my website.

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EL Irving: Week One of 2015 Down!

About EL Irving

My name is EL Irving. I’m an established and respected London-based model scout and Director of Model Scouting Ltd. I have worked with hundreds of models at every level of modelling and take pride in my work. My ethos is to nurture talent and to encourage results. I like to look sharp, and I thought I’d write a few tips about choosing the right suit for the right occasion. I’ll do them in bullet point form to make it easier!

Buy What Fits Today

Don’t get ahead of yourself when buying. Don’t assume that your shoulders will be broader than they are currently because you have a fitness plan in mind. Men in general need to be realistic with their goals and what they need to be focusing on.

EL Irving

Always Triple Check the Length

How many times have you chuckled to yourself watching a man’s trouser leg rise way above his sock when he sits down? Don’t let it be you next time. Tailored suit trousers should finish about an inch from the ground when wearing a shoe and hang naturally.

Never too Flashy

Everyone wants to add a bit of flair to their appearance, but as soon as it gets out of balance with your body shape, accessories, hair style, or even sunglasses, it’s too much. Tone it down and rely on your posture more, two people can wear the same suit, one will look good, one won’t. It’s about how you carry it. Don’t compensate for anything by going flashy.

Find out more about me, EL Irving, on these other sites and get in touch to find out what I’ve got in store in 2015. It’s going to be a fantastic year and I hope you will join me. Visit the official EL Irving Model Scouting Ltd. website and get in touch with me on the EL Irving Facebook!

How to get Scouted as a Model

Many people ask me this question. I always have the same answer. When it comes to modelling and you are competing against countless other, equally talented people, you have to really make yourself stand out from the rest. Modelling scouts are constantly on the look out for models who really push themselves to be different. The video below is an excerpt from an interview with a modelling scout who briefly summarizes the main things you should be considering as a model looking for reputable, regular work.

The key points I emphasize to models are as follows.

  • Firstly, find yourself. Build your character and your interests as these are equally as important as your look.
  • Secondly, practice your trade. Learn how to act with industry professionals and more importantly, how not to act. Don’t be a diva until you’ve earned it.
  • Spend as much time as possible with reputable agents, scouts and agencies and get a sense of the modelling environment to enable you to make the best decisions for your career.

EL Irving is one of London’s most reputable talent and modelling scouts. Find out more about EL Irving by following these links.

EL Irving Modelling Tips

Welcome to the EL Irving Modelling Blog

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About EL Irving

In the modelling and talent scene for over 15 years, EL Irving has spotted dozens of now well-known models and has a proven track record when it comes to finding and nurturing new talent in his main role as model scout. EL Irving is the director of Model Search Ltd and previously worked with Excite Models. He is known for getting his models the best jobs. In as competitive an industry as modelling, knowing what to look for, what the client wants, and where to find it are key skills. Putting the right models with the right clients is one of EL Irving’s strengths as many clients will attest to and realising the changing needs and environment of the business is the foundation upon which key relationships can be built.

Some tips for new talent!

Be fearless in front of the camera, suppress any feelings of self-consciousness.

Understand that you, as the model, create your own name for yourself.

Realise that those working with you can only give you the platform to make your own opportunity and that the hard part happens in front of the photographer’s lens and meeting client expectations.

Build your confidence and keep fit, don’t diet to the point of harming your body. The image of the stereotypical model has changed gradually over time and reflects society in a more honest way.

Don’t let yourself get sad by any set backs or disappointments, like any job there are ups and downs.

Find out more and connect with EL Irving on these networking sites!

EL Irving on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elirving

EL Irving on Tumblr: http://el-irving.tumblr.com/