ANNA BAYLE
IT WAS a sacred trinity of supreme beings inside the highly curated paradise of French fashion designer Thierry Mugler—Anna Bayle, a Binibining Pilipinas reject, in the middle of the arch- rivalry with Dalma Callado and Iman. Once upon a time in America, the 19-year-old Anna was the pope of supermodels, the first hailed from Asia. Her height was the crowning glory.
“If you were to marry the man of your choice in Britain, who would that be?” Anna leans closer to us and recalls an unforgettable experience of the pageant on a humid Saturday afternoon at the The Chocolate Chamber in Robinson’s Galleria last May. With son Callum, she arrives in a floral shift dress with cut-out appliqués traced from the prints on the fabrics. She arrives apologetic; the driver sent her to a wrong venue, stuck in traffic for a few minutes.
“Why am I famous?” she cuts the conversation and echoes our question to visual artist Ramoncito Bandibas, a self-confessed diehard Anna Bayle fan who responds with mimes that mimic her signature hand maneuvers during her glory days.
Few minutes later, a few of our personal favorites—Philip Rodriguez, Arcy Gayatin, Protacio—joined in for a hello in her honor.
“If I were to marry the man of my choice in Britain, it would be Prince Henry,” she laughs. “I really heard the judges breaking their pencils. Mali pala, it should have been Prince Charles. Prince Henry is the grandfather of Prince Charles … kaya I lost.”
Paris seemed like the only idea where she could morph, turn up in distinctive, transgressive combinations of layers and cemented
a long-standing friendship with Azzedine Alaïa , no less.
The message of bold—the art that we all appreciate the most takes us a long time to get our head around.
Now in her 50s, she models a life in New York, off track the frenzied runways of the world, as a real estate agent who will soon be a frequent flyer between two motherlands, America and the Philippines, to finally chronicle the wild things.
In her flight of fancy, has she gone a little too overloaded?
Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Chanel’s prized successor himself, popped a question to her that has changed our views of the world—how high should your skirt be, darling?
Anna has now found a new sense of beauty and immortality.
The 19-year-old version has already been buried … and neither the shenanigans of fame nor the pressure of tabloids could dictate her brand new landscape. In whatever manner of dressing, she is destined for royalty in any year.
And of course, the skirt should be a quarter inch above the knee, Karl—because we’re still up for some skin.
Tell us your legend.
I was discovered by Thierry Mugler—“Okay, you will work for me. I will make you a star, but you will do everything I say.” This was my first show in Paris; it was a Thierry Mugler show. I came back to New York, and then I lost my job in New York because I was working for Maximilian, you know, the fur company. Every time I say, Oh, the agent wants me to go to Rome. The third time, wala na akong trabaho because I was always away daw. I had a 300-dollar apartment in New York, one bedroom. I had no way to pay for it. One day, as I was fitting, there was this tailor. He didn’t speak a word of English. He was Azzedine Alaïa.
the first Asian supermodel Anna Bayle
How did become Alaïa’s favorite?
I am actually a good fitting model. If you’re a fitting model, everything should fit on you. Pag ginawa mo yung dress sa isang fitting model, dapat kasya lahat—pag dating ng mga models, dapat kasya lahat. I happen to have a long bodice. Madali lang ang alterations. Designers loved me. One of them was Azzedine who used to work for Crazy Horse, a club in Paris that does really sleazy … like S and M, leather and lace. I was fitting for Crazy Horse. One time, I was fitting
a white see-through. I was so used to standing straight because it was my job. I didn’t eat the whole day. So all of a sudden,
I fainted. Azzedine was shouting—“something to eat, something to eat.”
You’re Asia’s first supermodel.
Here’s the thing. Before me, there were Asian models already. However, they called me the first Asian supermodel because the term supermodel only happened in the 80s.
When I arrived in Paris, they called me the face of the 80s. I worked for Dior; I worked for Thierry. I was getting paid a lot of money for Dior to fit on me.
It was Mark Bohan. He saw me walking on the street, and he said ‘Oh, I want that girl!’ They want me to be a kabin girl. A kabin girl stays in the house and the designers will make clothes on you. I don’t want to do it. Bohan wants to pay you double. I said no I don’t want because the girls stayed in the house the whole day. They just gossiped; it wasn’t my thing.
My agent called me, “You know, Anna, they’re going to pay you what you’re paid to do a show. That’s a lot of money—“Okay,
I’ll do it! (laughter).” I agreed, but I said that they should allow me to work with other designers. I was the only model who worked in New York, Paris, Milan, Rome, and Tokyo. You are not considered a supermodel unless you worked in those countries. We’re like fashion soldiers.
How were you different from the other models?
I have a story for you. There was designer in Rome called Renato Balestra. He was a favorite of Madam (Imelda). What I noticed about doing a Balestra show is that everyone would have four garments; I would have 12, sometimes 14. I figured out why. Madam
never comes to the show.
They sent videos, and the more clothes on me, the more clothes she bought. I looked Filipina, and she thought she would look good in those clothes, too.
What’s the best part?
The designers love me, and they gave me the most beautiful dresses—the heaviest. What I mean is, they design the dresses, but there were star dresses. The star dresses went to me, or Dalma. Iman wasn’t even a couture girl. There were three on the top: Dalma, Iman, and me. I think I was even paid more
than them because I was doing all shows. Most of them only had one show in a day—I had nine shows. Takbo lang ako nang takbo.
The catfight?
I remember Pat Cleveland and Dalma. We’re doing a show, and apparently, they came across. Maldita kasi si Dalma, eh. Instead of giving in to the runway, hindi tumabi si Dalma, tinulak ni Pat. Galit na galit si Pat. These are friends, umiyak si Pat. Immediately, I went out to get her husband who was a photographer. Akala naman ni Dalma that I was siding with Pat. I was just worried. They were I think six years older than me.
Are there any differences between your generation and today’s modeling landscape?
Oh, there’s a big difference because they don’t have big productions. In the 80s, they spent a lot of money. Well, you know it was a spectacle. We did a lot of drama on stage; we could do whatever we want. For me, there was only one way to be noticed—make drama. Wala akong pakialam —nagsisingkil ako doon.
Nobody can do it. Dati, it was a big stage, and they put 10 people out and then you walked one by one. We wore the same outfits with different variations. They don’t pay the models as much, I was told.
How was it to be working with these famous models?
Linda (Evangelista), Naomi (Campbell), Claudia Schiffer were after me. You can ask. Naku, si Naomi takot sa akin yan. Naghahanda kami for the show, we were doing the
hair. And she’s going to be so mean with the hairdresser. She’s like making trouble. I was just sitting there, quiet. I told Naomi—takot na takot sa akin kasi mas bata sila—’You don’t have to be mean.’ At saka sila Linda, kami nagturo nyan. Di naman yan marunong mag rampa. They were photographic models, and they were not paid much compared to fashion show models.
What was your mark?
My agent always told the press that I am a miracle. Nag retire na sila Iman at Dalma, kasama ko pa rin sila Kate Moss, pa jump jump pa rin ako. Here’s the thing with Asians— you never know their age. That’s a gift. I dance salsa with 17-year-olds… wala akong pakialam. Right?
What’s the dark side of it?
There are always predators, especially since the models are beautiful and young. They follow us to our hotels, in our shows. Rich men—you know, predators. You’re a trophy for them.
Is it more competitive now?
I would say it was harder for us. When you say competitive, they don’t last a long time now—one year, two years —because there are a lot of girls coming now. The lifespan of a model is probably five years. I probably spent more than 10 years.
What’s your secret to staying longer in the industry—ganda lang?
No, no. Alam mo, the secret is—I am a creative. I like the clothes. IThey’re an outlet for my creativity. You know when you’re around fashion designers, they have creative techniques, which is fun for me. You know to stand and see where they are going to drape. When they sketch for me, I really enjoyed that. I studied the
The former model, now supermom
to son Callum
dress. What’s the secret?
I treated it a job. It was a profession, and it was artistic.
I arrived on time. I was always quiet. I didn’t make trouble backstage.
Are you pursuing fashion design anytime soon?
I have to tell you. The designers asked me why I wouldn’t design. They would ask my opinion, especially Montana. He had a lot of “yes” men. But I would tell him, I don’t like it so much. I told him, if a man touches me, the dress is so hard. It has to be soft. Lagerfeld would ask me when I arrived: Where do you want your skirt length? He’s a smart man. By the time we passed by Milan and Paris, nakuha na niya yung trend by asking me. I didn’t pursue designing because it’s a hard life. You could go through a nervous breakdown.
Has your definition of beauty changed?
Yes, yes, definitely. I have a story to tell you, in fact. We were supposed to go to the showroom of Kenneth Cobonpue, but our driver brought us to the cemetery. I am here for a book deal. You know what God is telling me. It’s finished. I come here in front of you not as a fashion model. I am already a mother. I am a real estate broker. I was a successful model, but it’s not my life now. ’Yun siguro ang message ni God. Naku, ilibing mo na‘yan si Anna Bayle. I’m so stressed that I have to look
thin (laughs). When you are a mother, nothing matters.