An 18-year-old Jefferson County woman recently walked the runway wearing a special garment at Vegas Fashion Week.
Aspiring model Brooklyn Taylor of Hillsboro wore several outfits during the November event, including a pink coat designed by Natali Germanotta, the sister of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. The “Bad Romance” singer wore the same piece during her 2021 Las Vegas residency.
Taylor also walked for several other designers or fashion houses, including Anne Fontaine, Anna Bartoletti, Rene Tyler and By Briella.
Taylor said her father, Rob, let her know about the audition for the Vegas Fashion Week show.
“All of my model shows I’ve done my dad has helped me find them, and he had just seen auditions on Facebook for it because it was Las Vegas’ first-ever fashion week,” she said. “He sent me the form, and I filled it out.
“And then I got an email back after I filled out the form saying they wanted me to do an in-person audition. So, a couple of weeks before the actual show, I flew down to Vegas, did the audition and then came back home and waited for a response. As soon as I got a response, I flew right back down.”
Taylor said she was required to show up to her audition in an all-black outfit.
“When I first walked in the door I had to fill out online forms stating which days for the fashion shows I would be available to attend. Then I had to write my size, name and where I’m from on a whiteboard. Then they took my picture with it. After that, I got instructed to stand on a mark and walk to the other end of the room and pose then walk back. After that I was done,” she said.
A few days before the show, Taylor learned she would be wearing the “Bad Romance” singer’s coat.
Taylor, who has been a competitive dancer for the past 15 years, said she’s a fan of the pop star and was excited to get into the show, adding that she had performed dance routines to Lady Gaga songs in the past.
“Getting to wear her coat and being able to dance to her music too was really cool,” Taylor said.
She said she got to meet Germanotta and her husband, Alex Dolan. Taylor also said Germanotta told her she would show her sister pictures from the event.
Taylor described the coat as comfortable and lightweight.
“The fabric was extremely soft, and I loved the design and color!” she said.
Taylor said wearing the coat was the highlight of her trip to Las Vegas.
“I was standing on the stage, and I admired the atmosphere and thought about how thankful I was to be given the opportunity,” she said.
Starting out
Taylor said she knew she wanted to get into modeling ever since she was a young girl.
“When I was at day care, I would always try on the clothes they had,” she said. “Just looking on social media and watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show really piqued my interest because it’s not just them modeling clothes; (there’s) a type of art with it.”
After graduating from Hillsboro High School in May, Taylor walked in her first fashion show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis.
Taylor said she really fell in love with modeling during that show.
“Whenever I did the auditions for it, they were hyping me up. It was such a great and fun experience,” she said. “I met a lot of people who helped me network and get where I’m at now.”
Brooklyn’s parents, Rob and Lara Taylor, said they are proud of their daughter.
“We are very supportive and are doing what we can to help her chase her dreams of modeling,” Rob said.
Taylor said she appreciates her parents’ support.
“They come to everything; they help with payments because right now, since I’m still starting out, it’s more paying for stuff rather than me getting paid,” she said.
Taylor said she works at Brandys Cleaning Service and Bates Ink and Apparel.
She said her friends are also supportive.
“They’re really surprised because I keep my (trips) secret until the day of the show, and then I’ll post about it so it’s a surprise each time I do something,” she said. “They always hype me up and cheer me up, and they always tell me they can’t wait to see my journey and how far it goes.”
Looking ahead
Taylor said she hopes to continue modeling.
“I really went into modeling kind of scared because you get the wrong idea that it’s a lot on your mentality, and your brain tells you that you’re not good enough, that your body is this way and that you’re not pretty,” she said. “It has been the total opposite experience … it’s just opened up a new world, so I definitely want to keep going because it has built (up) my confidence so much already.”
Taylor is represented by the St. Louis-based Images Agency Models & Actors.
She is scheduled to appear in two more fashion shows, including the Zodiac STL Fashion Show on March 22 and Peoria, Ill., Fashion Week set for April 2-4.