Fashion model, Meloni Mitchell, gets digital ink in Running In Heels by Isabell Serafin, March 24, 2009.

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Model Moment: Meloni Mitchell

An unlikely entry into the world of modeling, on the road to a sensational career, American model Meloni Mitchell does more than just strike poses (although she does that pretty well!)

“Sometimes I have these moments of pure happiness, that usually happen when I’m near the ocean, in a forest, or doing something creative. It’s usually under these circumstances, that I have these fleeting moments in time, when I just get this feeling of being completely content, and that everything is as it should be.”

Name: Meloni Mitchell

Nationality: Irish and Native American

Hometown: Born in Lovelock, Nevada, although she started travelling the world when she was just a year old!

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Agency: Click Los Angeles, Click New York, JE Model San Francisco. Urban Management Milan.

Where you’ve seen her before: Glamour, Vogue, WWD. In stores now: Your Wedding Day magazine, on the cover and a 14-page editorial.

Where you’ll see her again: In fashion campaigns and movie theaters.

I am looking at a photograph of Meloni Mitchell. Her eyes rimmed in heavy coal liner, a cigarette hangs from her mouth à la Angelina Jolie, in the days before Mrs Pitt transformed herself into a nouvelle version of Mia Farrow. There is something feral about the pose Mitchell strikes. Suggestive and entirely libertine. Maybe its the “Polizia” stamp across the photo that contributes to the slightly dangerous vibe. Her neck is wan and seductive.The look on her face is wholly daring. Yet in the e-mails she sends me, she makes an innocent, meringue-sweet, almost angelic impression. She punctuates her sentences with smiley faces and exclamation marks. Meloni seems like a girl’s girl and nothing like the stiletto- heeled seductress of her photographs. Her charm is a winning one. Just off a plane from Paris, where she’d been hard at work in the Chloé showroom, I manage to track Meloni down for an interview.

When did you know you were going to be a model?

The day I met my friend Morniengstar. About three years ago.

Sophie Dahl was discovered on the steps of her apartment building by an enchanted Isabella Blow, weeping after a fight with her mother. Most models have a tale of discovery; an agent’s epiphany that launches a career. What’s yours?

After graduating from Otis College of Art & Design in L.A. (where I studied Fashion Design and Fine Art), I started working as an assistant fashion designer in Los Angeles. On my second day of work, the designer I was working for, needed another model for her fashion show…and there I was! While I was in the back room having my makeup done, I met another model, named Morniengstar (who is now one of my very best friends in the entire world!), and she told me that I had a really amazing and special look that she had never seen before, and that I HAD to start working as a model. So, I decided to take her advice, and went out and signed with my first agency, Click Los Angeles. From there, I started working right away and the next thing I knew I was seeing myself in magazines. People had been telling me for most of my life that I should try modelling, but for some reason it never really clicked, until I met Morniengstar. I just trusted her, and she was right.

Provenance?

The Universe.

What is your average day like? Do you have a standard routine?

My average day is usually very busy. If I’m not working or going on castings, I can usually be found in front of my sewing machine or my mannequin, working on my new collection. I’m starting to design a line of clothing under my own name, and I am very excited about it!

Is there a noteworthy model whose career you adore and follow?

I think Linda Evangelista is an amazing model. She is so versatile and has had such a long career. Also Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, and Alek Wek. I tend to admire the models from the 90’s, rather than today, because I think fashion was different then, and models were more unique and memorable.. The faces were very different from what I see in magazines today. The supermodels were more like actresses- their beauty was more interesting. I don’t think beauty is about perfection,  it’s more about a certain quirkiness.

Who are your fashion influences? What can we find you wearing when you’re sitting in a cafe, looking at your watch, waiting for a friend?

These days, I’ve been wearing mostly jeans and t-shirts or something simple I designed. When I’m not working, I don’t like to spend too much time getting ready…so my look usually consists of jeans, a t-shirt, a little mascara, and some lip balm. My fashion influences: there are so many! Some of my favorites are, Jean Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Martin Margiela…but this list could go on for days.

What is your signature feature?

I think my most unique feature that sets me apart from other models is my nose. Photographers love it, but I wouldn’t say I’m known for it. It’s more of a combination of things, that all add together to create my own individual look. I get the most compliments on my eyes.

When are you happiest?

Sometimes I have these moments of pure happiness, that usually happen when I’m near the ocean, in a forest, or doing something creative. It’s usually under these circumstances, that I have these fleeting moments in time, when I just get this feeling of being completely content, and that everything is as it should be.

Favourite restaurant?

I have so many! Thai and Japanese food are my favorites. And Italian of course.

Favorite European city?

Paris, so far. It is so beautiful and full of life.

Favorite world city?

Right now it’s New York. But I still have a lot of travelling to do…so I will have to answer this one again in a few years.

Best “model” moment?

Going to New York with my mom to shoot the “Inherited Beauty” story for Glamour.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

Me. I think I’m the only one who could really play me. I am complicated character, mysterious even to myself sometimes!

Where were you during the US presidential election?

On the night of the election, I was at the U.S. Consulate party in Milan. There were Italians and Americans, all anxiously awaiting the results.

Were you surprised at the European outpouring of support the President received? As an American, did you find Italians were curious to know your thoughts on an presidential race that inspired so much global fascination?

The Italians at the party were very curious to know my thoughts. In fact, people still ask me sometimes when I’m just out and about. I’m not surprised because I think the global fascination about this presidential race was the world’s way of saying that we need a change.

In the year 2020, I’ll be…

Happy, healthy, and wealthy.

Take a look at fashion model Meloni Mitchell’s gorgeous pictures here.