clairejaygreen: 'America's Next Top Model' Coach Miss J Recalls Big Break On 'When I Was 17'

Sunday, December 5, 2010

'America's Next Top Model' Coach Miss J Recalls Big Break On 'When I Was 17'

'I put on this attitude,' the runway trainer says of his Jean Paul Gaultier encounter as a teen.
By Jocelyn Vena

Miss J
Photo: MTV News

These days, Miss J is as recognizable to people outside the fashion community as he is to those inside, thanks to his signature walk and sassy attitude displayed week after week as a runway coach on "America's Next Top Model." But when he was a teenager, he was just trying to figure out how to pronounce Jean-Paul Gaultier's name.

"When I was 17, I became very into the fashion world," he recalls on this week's episode of "When I Was 17," which also features "Hills" alum Audrina Patridge and Cee Lo Green. "So one day, my friend said, 'Oh my God, I just read in The New York Times that designer Jean-Paul Gaultier is coming to New York, and he's doing a fashion show. He's using models from the street. Maybe you should go see him.' And I didn't know who he was."

Besides not knowing who the French designer was, he also didn't think he had what it took to model. "And I thought, 'Model?' " he recalled, noting that he didn't think he was "perfect" enough for that career. " 'My skin's too dark, my nose is too wide, my lips are too full.' But I thought, 'Why not?'

"I went to Bergdorf Goodman for the casting," he continued. "There was hundreds of people waiting. I thought to myself, 'What's gonna make me stand out?' and I just thought, 'Be yourself, personality.' I had nothing else to sell."

His encounter with the designer was a bit rocky, but it all worked out in the end, thanks to his signature strut. "When I got to see him, he said, 'Hello.' And I said, 'Hello.' He put me in clothing, and I remember I wasn't wearing underwear that day. I wasn't wearing panties, but I hid in the corner, put on the outfit and I put on this attitude... but I got the show."

"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Cee Lo, Audrina Patridge and Miss J — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

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