We've been avidly following artist/model Casey Legler's career ever since we read about how she was signed by Ford to exclusively model in their men's division
after her friend, PAPER contributor and photographer Cass Bird, asked
her to model menswear for a shoot and later showed the modeling agency
her photos. Legler recently booked a campaign for AllSaints
and, full steam ahead, is embarking on her first fashion week. She'll
be sharing her experiences with PAPER over the coming days and, as
you'll soon notice, modeling is only one of her many interests. Equally
influenced by art, music and her creative friends, Legler tells us that
her experiences as a model cannot be separated from her experiences in
those other creative fields. Take a look at her week of fittings and
shows and find out how she unwinds after it's all over.
7 a.m.: Woke up this morning. Had a grapefruit and coffee. As I ate breakfast, I watched this piece I did that seems to have been one of the places all of this [art] started to come together visually. It's called "Genesis." It was shot a few years ago when I first moved to NY, on 16mm B x W reversal film. The story mythologizes a small portion of the beginning of the Bible where both pronouns were used interchangeably for the first being. It's one of the first pieces of mine I showed to Cass Bird.
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10 a.m.: Went by the agency after breakfast to talk to the team and my agent, Emily Novak. I leave for London at the end of this week for AllSaints. Sorting out planes, trains and automobiles. I come back two days later to shoot here in NY. Loads of back-and-forth last month and looking like it's not going to be much different this month. Last trip I took, I knew the airplane crew from a previous flight a few days before. It reminded me of when I was a young pro athlete when I travelled similarly: I'd get on a plane and know the stewards from a flight I'd taken earlier that month. It's a bit of a weird experience when that starts happening.
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12:30 p.m.: 12:30 appointment with Martial Vivot for Michael Bastian. Keeping in the vein of pure elegance and style, Michael has me up for a visit to fellow Frenchman, Martial, for a proper men's cut in a truly excellent and extraordinarily handsome men's barber shop on the Upper West Side. Let's talk about a lovely experience! Gentlemen, dandy gents and everyone in between: please, go see this guy. Not only is he a real craftsmen when it comes to hair, but he's also a most gracious and excellent host; the first words out of his mouth after I sat in his chair were (after introductions of course), "Here, you don't move. We move for you." And off I went for an hour of bliss. I look forward to seeing him again Tuesday.
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6 p.m.: After a few more work meetings, I get to end the night by meeting up with two of my all-time favorite friends and writers: Eric Dean Wilson and Eileen Myles. [I meet up with] Eric at my pal JD Samson's Sunday night tea party at the Rusty Knot, and Eileen at Katrina Del Mar's exhibit at Participant, Inc. where she read from "Chelsea Girls." I did a piece for Eileen last winter called "Many problems meet here. Eileen Myles." It was named after a quote that came from one of the many conversations she and I have had over tea, about all things and what not. Its a 13 x 15 foot print of breasts I put up in an empty lot. The piece I did with Eric last summer involved me getting dolled up, us walking around together in public for an hour and then him writing a response piece to the experience. We called it "Escort."
10 a.m.: Went by the agency after breakfast to talk to the team and my agent, Emily Novak. I leave for London at the end of this week for AllSaints. Sorting out planes, trains and automobiles. I come back two days later to shoot here in NY. Loads of back-and-forth last month and looking like it's not going to be much different this month. Last trip I took, I knew the airplane crew from a previous flight a few days before. It reminded me of when I was a young pro athlete when I travelled similarly: I'd get on a plane and know the stewards from a flight I'd taken earlier that month. It's a bit of a weird experience when that starts happening. 
12:30 p.m.: 12:30 appointment with Martial Vivot for Michael Bastian. Keeping in the vein of pure elegance and style, Michael has me up for a visit to fellow Frenchman, Martial, for a proper men's cut in a truly excellent and extraordinarily handsome men's barber shop on the Upper West Side. Let's talk about a lovely experience! Gentlemen, dandy gents and everyone in between: please, go see this guy. Not only is he a real craftsmen when it comes to hair, but he's also a most gracious and excellent host; the first words out of his mouth after I sat in his chair were (after introductions of course), "Here, you don't move. We move for you." And off I went for an hour of bliss. I look forward to seeing him again Tuesday. 
6 p.m.: After a few more work meetings, I get to end the night by meeting up with two of my all-time favorite friends and writers: Eric Dean Wilson and Eileen Myles. [I meet up with] Eric at my pal JD Samson's Sunday night tea party at the Rusty Knot, and Eileen at Katrina Del Mar's exhibit at Participant, Inc. where she read from "Chelsea Girls." I did a piece for Eileen last winter called "Many problems meet here. Eileen Myles." It was named after a quote that came from one of the many conversations she and I have had over tea, about all things and what not. Its a 13 x 15 foot print of breasts I put up in an empty lot. The piece I did with Eric last summer involved me getting dolled up, us walking around together in public for an hour and then him writing a response piece to the experience. We called it "Escort."