Posted on 09/16/2004 4:44:50 PM PDT by NYC GOP Chick
The best butt And since it's the promise of a butt as perky and firm as hers that's lured women to drop upward of $200 on a single, slimming pair, this fall Adams-Geller will finally launch a namesake collection, Paige Premium Denim, which will have exclusive rights to her butt. Growing up in rural Alaska, Adams-Geller never planned to become a fit model — or any kind of model at that. "I knew I was smart, a straight-A student, but I had never identified myself as pretty. … In a nutshell, I was an overweight, chubby kid — I used to be called Pudgy Paigey," she says, giggling. "I wouldn't have labeled myself fat, but other kids poked fun at me and teased me because I had very chubby cheeks and a pear-shaped figure." But as she grew, that figure slimmed down and she was soon trying out for, and winning, pageants (she was Miss California 1992), not to mention spending time in New York as a fledgling model, starting out alongside the likes of Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington. Adams-Geller ended up in L.A., pursuing a career in entertainment, booking guest spots on the likes of "Baywatch," but everything changed when a woman who owned a local fit modeling agency approached Paige on the street and suggested she try out. "I thought it could be something to fill in between auditions," Adams-Geller recalls. "At first, though, I didn't understand what fit modeling was at all." Few outside the fashion industry do: Put simply, these women and men have the bodies we all want and designers use them to help decide the most flattering final cut on clothes — a rough-tailored skirt will be tweaked on a fit model until it's at its most slimming. There's one major difference between fit models and their catwalk kin: While mannequins must live on nothing but cigarettes and Champagne to stay skinny, fit models can be any size as long as they maintain it. Her body is a template "For print and runway work, you need to be 10 to 15 pounds underweight, and I was always fighting the 15 pounds that never wanted naturally to stay off my body. It was tough for me — I had to treat my body abusively to get that weight off, restrict myself from food or exercise too much," she says. "With fit modeling you can't get a job if you're too skinny — you need to be a nice, healthy, American size. The reason a fit model gets paid really well is that she has to stay in shape and keep her measurements accurate." For the record, Adams-Geller was (and still is) 36-27-37. She worked as a fit-model-cum-actress until she was discovered by jean genius Jerome Dahan, the designer who launched Seven Jeans. He used her perfect butt as his template. "He said he wanted my butt to look like cherries," she says, laughing. "Because I didn't have the roundest [butt], he said if you could give it the appearance of cherries you'd have a sensational jean." Dahan's instincts paid off: Seven was an overnight sensation and Adams-Geller became the denim industry's go-to girl, booking back-to-back fittings five days a week. It's not surprising: There's arguably no product for which fit is as important for women as it is for a pair of premium jeans. And anyone who's bought a pair of Blue Cult, Dickies, Hard Tail, Guess, True Religion, Bluejeanious, Joe's Jeans, Seven, Citizens of Humanity, A.Gold.E., Lucky Brand, Habitual, Liquid, London London, Arden B, Bebe or Wet Seal in the last five years is making the most of Paige's perfect figure. Chris Gilbert, who runs Paper Denim & Cloth, one of the few brands that hasn't benefited from Adams-Geller's butt, underscores the importance of a good fit model. "She's a key component that's intimately tied into a brand's strategy: The choice of a fit model can help define who your customer's going to be," he explains. "Denim fit models are a little bit fuller in general than a nondenim fit model. We must have gone through 50 or 60 models before we picked the right one for Paper Denim & Cloth: We chose a slimmer, leggier body type that led us to be more exclusive, as our product won't fit on every woman's body." But it's clear that Adams-Geller's success wasn't just because of her butt. What made her stand out among fellow fit models was her personality — there's an easygoing sunniness and a goofy enthusiasm that's rare in the fashion world. In fact, the only time her California peppiness stumbles is when faced with questions about plastic surgery — after all, are women across the world aching for a butt that isn't even natural in the first place? "I don't think I want to talk about plastic surgery — that's a personal question," she says after a pause, then regains her composure. "Put it this way: I think I have good genes."
From her butt to yours Genes or jeans, starting this fall she will be wearing just one brand: her own. Now officially retired, Adams-Geller's butt is available for fittings only at Paige Premium Denim. "I had the opportunity to see what was missing in denim," she explains, "I want to take some of the things I like about couture garments and adapt them — the way a garment feels luxurious on the inside, for example." Her capsule collection of jeans and tops will be manufactured in L.A. and should be available at Neiman Marcus as well as Scoop and Henri Bendel in New York. Adams-Geller's personal favorite style is a low-rise, tight-fitting jean called Mulholland Drive. But despite the wealth that she now enjoys as both fit model and denim mogul, Adams-Geller struggles to spend the money. She has splurged on a Porsche (a teenage dream), but when she travels to Europe, the designer boutiques don't hold much allure. "All I want to buy is shoes and handbags," she says, "because I don't want to try on any more clothes."
in the business
By MARK ELLWOOD
Thursday, September 16th, 2004
Meet Paige Adams-Geller. With her toned-but-not-too-thin California-girl physique, this top fit model has been the denim industry's secret weapon for almost a decade. Adams-Geller's statistics have been vital to the success of almost every A-list denim label, from Seven and Citizens of Humanity to Habitual and True Religion.
Is it me or does her butt look sort of rectangular? I'm old-fashioned, I guess, but I prefer my butts not to have their blood flow cut off by too-tight pants.
J-Lo...Hands down!
Shakira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd be afraid of cutting myself on one of the sharp bones sticking out of that.
Doesn't do much for me either. I live in a college town and see much better rear ends every day.
Need a better picture. Do you have cellulite?
Sir Mix Alot!!
Not even in the same league!
Holy $#!+!!11
Look at the peak on that thing!
..Grout Man!
Nice Jeans!
Cheers!
LOL that's why my pics are now cut off at the waist!
So9
That's usually when I try for the three-point Atomic Floss Wedgie.
Your husband has no butt to speak of ping! ;)
WHOA! You could rest your foty on that.
Skyhook wedgie.
You and a friend stand on either side of the victim, and then lift them from the ground or their chair via their skivvies.
And then run like heck.
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