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Fashion Week Models Share Their Valentine's Day Horror Stories

By Della Hasselle | February 14, 2012 7:18am | Updated on February 14, 2012 7:20am
A stand at Atlantic Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard in Queens sells artificial flowers among other Valentine's Day gifts. Local florists charge such stands steal their business.
A stand at Atlantic Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard in Queens sells artificial flowers among other Valentine's Day gifts. Local florists charge such stands steal their business.
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DNAinfo/Nick Hirshon

UPPER WEST SIDE — Even the world's most beautiful people have bad Valentine's Days.

DNAinfo caught up with the slender catwalk strutters at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2012 to get the skinny on their most disappointing Cupid's Day.

Even for these lovelies, the nightmares on the supposed day of love ranged from being dumped just ahead of Valentine's Day, to getting unromantic kitchenware as a present from clueless boyfriends.

"For me, it was a blender my boyfriend gave me at the time. I think he wanted me to make him margaritas," said Deborah F., a 29-year-old model from Chelsea who didn't give her last name.

She added that the best gifts are usually the simplest.

"By far the best present is just flowers," she said.

"I don't even care if they're ugly, unless they're synthetic. Like when they're dyed blue. It's so gross — that's even worse than getting nothing."

Model Mariza Veer, 23, says that she's had it worse than a blender or fake blue flowers — nothing at all.

"The worst year was when I got nothing, no date or Valentine's Day present or anything," Veer, a model from South Africa, lamented about her boyfriend from a year ago.

"Well," she added, "I'm not dating him anymore."

Veer believes her experience shows how unromantic men have become.

"I think that people just aren't that into love anymore," Veer said. "They forget what love is all about, and that it's the most important thing."

Veer, who's been a model for four years, says that though all people deserve to get nice things on Valentine's Day, she was especially surprised at her boyfriend's V-Day gaffe, given her occupation.

"I won't say that beauty has nothing to do with love, and that definitely factors into how people are treated," she added.

This year, Veer says she is hoping for "something interesting, something that shows that he loves me," she said. "It doesn't even have to be expensive."

Veer isn't the only model craving a gift with a little originality this Valentine's Day.

"I'm so sick of chocolates," Elsa Andrude, 16, said.

"I hate them. They're the worst! I'm like, enough already with the chocolates."

Andrude, a native of Mexico, added that she's also tired of her boyfriends always thinking she wants to go to a movie, even on Valentine's Day.

"Ugh! Enough with movies," Andrude said. "I just want to go out and party with my boyfriend."

Model Ella Kandyba, 20, says that she won't even get chocolates or a movie, since her boyfriend dumped her recently.

"I have no boyfriend this Valentine's Day. It's very sad," Kandyba said.

"He broke up with me because I'm crazy."

Model Lisa Jackson says that she's never really had a bad gift on Valentine's Day, but it could be because she's made it clear that she's "a sentimental person."

"It's kind of one of those things," Jackson, 24, said. "If guys screw that up they don't get any. And they know that."

Most models agreed that guys can't go wrong with flowers. One model went as far to say that if the gift of flowers isn't enough, men should beware.

"If a girl doesn't love flowers, run," Deborah F. advised men looking to make a splash with an extravagant gift.

"Otherwise, it's because she's a materialistic money-grubbing...well, you fill in the blank."