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CZECH MATE
The Cachantún Fashion Show 2004
(Oct. 26, 2004) Petra Nemcova dominated the catwalk at last Thursday’s Cachantún fashion show in Santiago. The show, the biggest ever in Chile, was organized by Piero Zoffoli.
Beforehand, I dropped in to Zoffoli’s Piú and Look Model Agency office, where he explained what this year’s event was to be about.
“Zoffoli was the first to bring supermodels such as Esther Cañanadas and Naomi Campbell to Chile. For the Cachantún shows, he has focused on a “jet-set” approach, bringing in a large group of well-known Argentine and Uruguayan models. Last year’s stars were Chilean model Kenita Larraín and her then boyfriend, footballer Iván Zamorano.
This year, for the eighth Cachantún Fashion, Piero Zoffoli decided to show just four – amazing – collections, using a small group of top models, including girls from everywhere from Somalia to Argentina to Singapore (Triumph, J-Lo and Douglas Hannant came especially to close the show). The models’ schedules would be tight and Zoffoli knew it, and juggled with the Agency’s agenda to accommodate them. Celine, a model from Singapore, arrived only a few hours before the show and left the next day. She spent more time on an airplane than in Chile, but was happy to be here nonetheless.
“The star of the show was Petra Nemcova, from the Czech Republic. Nemcova shot to worldwide fame when she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 2003 swimsuit edition. She has also been the face and body of numerous campaigns, including Clarins, Dirk Bikkenbergs, Graff and Maidenform. And she has graced the covers of cosmopolitan, GQ and Bazaar, and fronts Victoria’s Secret catalogs.
At the Cachantún show, Nemcova surprised the press with her cheerful smile, simplicity and down to earth attitude. When I approached her, she was keen to answer all my questions, but above all to emphasize how much she loved Chile.
“This is my first time visiting Chile and I love it,” she exclaimed. “I spent five days in the Atacama Desert and got to see the hot springs, the salt lakes and the amazing mountains. You are very lucky. I hope all Chileans realize how blessed they are to live in a country as beautiful as this.”
Nemcova couldn’t hide her enthusiasm, and confessed she was already planning to come back and visit the South. “I want to see Patagonia. Everyone tells me it is truly amazing”. Asked when she would be returning, Nemcova explained her schedule was quite hectic during the South American summer (January and February are busy months on the international fashion circuit). “I have to do the shows at the London and Milan fashion weeks, perhaps even do the New York one, though I’m not sure. I also have to do a shoot for Sports Illustrated.”
“I am releasing my first calendar this year, for 2005. It is my first, and shooting it were a bit hard, because I did it in England and the South of France, while the weather was still a bit chilly. Still, it has been like a baby for me. I worked through the whole process of planning it, and now that it’s finished, I am very happy with the result”.
I asked Petra where the calendar could be bought and she gave me an even more pleasant surprise: “You can buy it at www.petranemcova.org and all the proceeds will go to an AIDS research fund.” I congratulated her for her initiative and she looked relieved. “Oh, thank you so much. It really means a lot to me, and I am glad it means a lot to you too. I hope a lot of people realize that and buy it, because the earnings will be put to good use. Please, tell your readers that,” she added, with an earnest expression.
The backstage area was filled with press and, although many of the reporters did not speak English, Nemcova welcomed them all and gave as many interviews as she was asked for, while posing for the cameras, which never stopped flashing. She seemed happy, and I thought she had enough reasons to be so. She is one of the greatest models in the world, visiting a country which she loves, and has the chance to use her fame for a great cause.
After her interviews were done, she looked at me with complicity and whispered: “You know, I am actually thinking of shooting my next calendar here, in Chile”. “Really?” I replied in shock, “then, you ought to see Easter Island and the vineyards at Elqui!” “You think so?” she asked. “OK then, I might make room to do that. I can’t imagine how beautiful they must be.” She smiled, thanked me for interviewing her (which I didn’t quite understand – shouldn’t I be thanking her?) and said goodbye. Her plane was leaving the next day, though I suspect she won’t be gone for long. I certainly hope she isn’t!
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| ST Photo - Eva Medalla |
| Petra Nemcova stole the show at Cachantun Fashion |
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