Runway Best Quotes

Don't you think...doesn't it seem sometimes like life is like a plane?...And we're all piloos, you know, of our own planes. When things are going smoothly then we're, like, on autopilot, but sometimes things get a little, well, turbulent and then we have to land the plane on our own..."What about the air traffic control?"...Well, sure. Sometimes the guy is helpful, but maybe he's drunk?...Or maybe there's this big fog so you just put your hands on the controls and look for the runway lights and do your best. On your own.

I was a kid in Florida, in Sarasota, and the New York Giants trained in Sarasota. When teams would come, we’d stand outside the ballpark, and we would get the balls they hit over the fence during batting practice. We’d sell them to the tourists. And we made a stepladder so we could climb a pine tree out there. That way we could look into the ballpark. The Yanks were in town. I’m out there behind the fence, and I hear this sound. I’d never heard THAT sound off the bat before. Instead of me running to get the ball, I ran up the ladder to see who was hitting it. Well, it was a barrel-chested sucker, with skinny legs, with the best swing I’d ever seen. That was Babe Ruth hitting that ball. Yeah. I don’t hear that sound again until 1938, I’m with the Monarchs, we’re at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C. We’re upstairs, changing clothes, and the Grays are taking batting practice. I’ve got nothing on but my jock. And I hear that sound. I ran down the runway, ran out on the field, and there’s a pretty black sucker with a big chest and about 34 in the waist, prettiest man I’d ever seen. That was Josh Gibson hitting that ball. And I don’t hear the sound again until I’m a scout with the Cubs. I’m scouting the Royals. When I opened the door to go downstairs, I heard that sound again. I rushed down on the field, and here’s another pretty black sucker hitting that ball. That was Bo Jackson. That’s three times I heard the sound. Three times. But I want to hear it a fourth. I go to the ballpark every day. I want to hear that sound again.

In 1972, Sara Kapp had been living for some time at Karmê Chöling without daring to ask to speak to Chögyam Trungpa. But when a New York modeling agency wanted to sign her as a model, she decided to ask his advice. Posing in front of the camera all day did not seem appropriate for someone who was trying to cut through her ego. Chögyam Trungpa asked her why she wanted to become a model. She explained how she had experienced some difficulty in sticking to any one thing after finishing college. So she thought that maybe picking out something for a few years might be beneficial. If that is the reason, he replied, then there’s no problem. He encouraged her to follow her career, and as she continued to hesitate, he told her: “The only obstacle I can see is if you do this work hoping to earn lots of money or to be on the cover of Vogue. That would be sad, because you’d be losing youself in the future. It’s a real shame when people regret not having enough money, or having missed a career opportunity, because they are then fixing themselves in the past. It’s very, very sad.” Then staring into her eyes, he repeated: “It’s very, very, very sad because that way we miss out on the present, and the present is marvelous.” She went on to become one of the best-known runway models of her day. For a period of time, one could find mannequins of Sara Kapp in Saks and other epxensive department stores throughout the United States. Her last major modeling contract was as the first Princes Borghese for Revlon. She now works behind the scenes in the fashion industry in Milan.

It occurs to me that Cyrus is having the best time of all. Jules and Gaby are worrying about things like runway, and I’m building the platform brick by brick, but Cyrus is just being Cyrus—feted by Rupert, making decisions about the color of the banner on our website, interviewing people who will then go on to beg us to hire them. I’m trying to enjoy the fact that Cyrus is having a grand time, that I’ve been able to give him something he might have been looking for without knowing it, but a part of me is also a tiny bit envious, wondering how I’ve managed to set up a situation where I’m doing all the work and he’s having all the fun. Never mind, I tell myself, I’m having fun too. I must have been a Spartan in my previous life, because nothing pleases me more than work.

Before stepping into the modeling agency arena, take a moment to understand your goals. Are you looking for runway fame, commercial success, or both? Knowing your aspirations helps in aligning yourself with an agency that shares your vision.

It’s impossible to describe the atmosphere backstage: frantic, fraught and totally electrifying. Words can’t do it justice; it’s a visual circus! Here, all your research, all your sleepless nights, all your ideas fuse with the best hair, make-up and models in the world. Dreams become reality. Here, months of work is condensed into seconds and every second blurs—unless caught in the shutter of a camera—as final tweaks are made before she steps onto the stage … As our swans glide out onto the runway, no one out front is aware of all the pushing, pulling and preening that you don’t see.

When Boeing prepared to launch the design of the 727 passenger plane in the 1960s, its managers set a goal that was deliberately concrete: The 727 must seat 131 passengers,8 fly nonstop from Miami to New York City, and land on Runway 4-22 at La Guardia. (The 4-22 runway was chosen for its length—less than a mile, which was much too short for any of the existing passenger jets.) With a goal this concrete, Boeing effectively coordinated the actions of thousands of experts in various aspects of engineering or manufacturing. Imagine how much harder it would have been to build a 727 whose goal was to be “the best passenger plane in the world.

Sometimes the people you had early on—maybe even the people who have been with you since the beginning—simply don’t have the runway to help you scale in zeros. It’s because they’re not just employees at this point; these are your friends. You’ve been through the trenches together. You have to be brutally honest with yourself and ask these two questions: “Is everyone up for the challenge to scale?” and “Are they capable of scaling in zeros?” If not, there has to be a willingness to make painful changes and say, “We have to bring someone else in.” They may change their role in the company or exit early, so in these cases, I do my best to ensure that these employees continue to be advisors and maintain some stock ownership in the company.

The battered old DC 3 lay at the end of the runway like a tiny silver cross.

I knew it was you! Only you could turn Main Street into your own fashion runway.” Alana Castillo, one of my high school classmates, waves. Of all the people from my past I could have run into, Alana is the best option. Not only is she nice, but we actually got along pretty well in high school despite being part of different friend groups. Her dark hair shines under the sun, bringing out the different brown tones. A tall, handsome, blond man beside her whispers something in her ear before taking off toward the Pink Tutu with her daughter, who is dressed in a leotard, neon green ballet skirt, and combat boots.

Every time the fashion runway makes a place for a plus size woman, an eccentric tomboy, an awkward aristocrat, or four dozen sorority girls, it is a nod to Versailles. That was a moment when the individual trumped the group, when five Americans triumphed not because of the cut of the clothes or any extraordinary embellishments, but because of the spirit in which they were worn. American individualism showed its best face.