Sherry Williams:"To a client you're just a
pretty face; you have to work very hard if you want to
stay in the (modeling) business."
It takes a graceful
loser to make it
in modeling
Former isle resident struts her
By Tim Ryan
stuff in French Fashion gala
Star-BulletinAND the answer is: Don't take yourself too seriously; be confident; have fun; learn to deal with rejection; save your money. The question? What's a game plan for aspiring models hoping for a successful career.
Former Hawaii resident Sherry Williams was discovered on Waikiki Beach at 17 and asked to participate in a beauty contest representing a local automobile dealership. The part Asian, part Caucasian Williams placed third out of 30 women, good enough for her to consider a modeling career.
Williams, who now lives in Los Angeles, returns to Hawaii to model tomorrow at the French Festival's Gala Fashion Show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Coral Ballroom.
"The first thing I did after that contest was contact (a local) modeling agency," Williams said. "They immediately told me to lose about 2 inches of the hairstyle and tame the makeup; basically clean me up."
Williams moved to Oahu at age 14 from Frankfurt, Germany, and attended Kalaheo and Roosevelt high schools.
Through the agency, Williams started modeling for local businesses such as Villa Roma, Chocolates for Breakfast and Splash. Later work included a lengthy trip to Japan. Williams was just 18 and had never been alone and unsupervised.
"I was nervous but excited," she said. "I remember when I got off the plane all they had given us was a map and money and we had to find our own way" to the hotel.
But it was during this trip that Williams learned self confidence, how to handle rejection and make her own decisions.
"You can't take any of it personally or it'll show right away on your face like a human punching bag," she said. "To a client you're just a pretty face; you have to work very hard if you want to stay in the business."
So how does a beautiful, 18-year-old woman alone in a foreign country deal with men?
"Japan probably is one of the safest places in the world. I'm 5-feet-10, a tomboy with a pretty tough exterior so I pretty much intimidated most of the men."
After that came stopovers in Los Angeles where she did fashion shows for Givenchy, Dior, Chanel, Donna Karan and made appearances on several television shows. She also has worked in New York and Paris.
These days Williams picks and chooses her jobs very carefully.
"When I started I would take anything just to make a salary, get my name out there, and it was all fun and glamorous," she said. "Now I may require more money, and there are certain things I really don't want to do."
Her favorite shows remain the haute couture events.
"You feel like a princess; you get to wear beautiful clothes that you'll probably never get to wear again; and it's all so romantic and extravagant."
But a model should "never ever" think she's the most beautiful because "there's always a prettier girl out there."
And save your money when starting out.
"I wish I had done that," Williams said. "In your early years the money comes so quick. It does slow down, believe me."
French Festival Gala Fashion Show, a black-tie event with French cuisine Fashion show
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
