LINCOLN CENTER — Aspiring models crowded into the Teen Vogue section of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Monday, wondering how to get a leg up in the cutthroat business.
Fortunately, runway instructor Mac Folkes was there to show them — at least on the catwalk.
Several dozen would-be models gathered at the impromptu catwalk set up in the Lincoln Center New York Public Library Monday to work with Folkes, who is known for teaching models in all the top agencies how to strut their stuff.
Equipped with 4-to-5-inch heels, a bright pink carpet and plenty of sass, Folkes took the teens one at a time and instructed them on how to move their feet, hips, shoulders and even their faces.
"I always had to say I never had any experience on the runway," Britney Hellmeister, 21, said after the show. "Now I can at least say I've been taught a little bit on how to walk."
Hellmeister was one of many who had a few hiccups, including shoes that were too big, problems strutting and uncertainty of where to place their arms at the end of the runway.
In the end, many models said that they were still a little shy on the catwalk, but came away with some valuable lessons.
"You put one foot in front, you don't pose when you're walking towards the crowd," Amanda Marotta, 19, recalled.
Like many of the other girls, her favorite part was Folkes' animated instruction.
"My favorite thing was definitely Mac talking to us and teaching us about it," Marotta added. "He's really funny."
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