- I think that what's happening right now,
and what excites me to see is
I feel like modeling is becoming
less about looking one certain way
and more about celebrating like all of the different ways
that a person can possibly exist.
It's not that I didn't think that I could model,
but it's just never something
that I thought was gonna be like my story.
[electronic pop music]
Hi Vogue!
My name is Tess McMillan,
and we're here in London Fashion Week
and I'm getting ready to do the Simone Rocha show,
which I'm so excited for.
But before that, I'm gonna take you around for my day.
Right now, I was just getting ready
to write in my journal a little bit,
which is what I do every day.
So, come on.
I feel like such a teenager.
I'm like, "No, don't look!" [laughing]
I think everyone needs at least one secret.
This is my third time walking.
And this time I feel a little bit better,
but I remember like before I did my first shows
like I'm not doing shows.
I said that to my agent.
I was like I'm not doing shows, ever,
because it just like, it scared me so terribly.
But now I'm kind of getting more comfortable in it,
and I'm finding more of the excitement and the joy in it.
So, I think that it's about time to start getting ready.
The bathroom is shared.
So the biggest problem that I have with my skin, personally,
is that it gets really dry.
My biggest thing is that I wear sunscreen every single day.
Without fail.
But I forgot my sunscreen in Paris,
which I'm just gonna have to like let it go.
I'm like particularly freckly right now,
because it's the end of summer.
So I have like [air whooshing]
I love my freckles.
My call time is at 2 p.m., and I am starving!
So I think I'm gonna grab a bite to eat before the show.
I'm gonna get dressed.
I got this dress actually really recently
on a vacation in Canada.
I have this theory that the best places to vintage shop
aren't actually the places that are super known for style.
It's actually the places that aren't on the map whatsoever.
Like the best vintage shopping I've ever found in the world,
it's a secret, but Scotland.
Scotland has the best vintage shopping.
I actually have to take the Eurostar back to Paris
right after the show,
so this is my entire life right now packed into one bag.
Hi, I'm checking out of room 208.
It's Tess McMillan.
- [Front Desk Worker] Okay.
[soft pop music]
- Oh, little feet!
[shoes stomping on pavement]
I'm trying to decide between
avocado toast and a cheese toastie.
I'm gonna get a classic cheese toastie,
and iced coco latte, please.
- [Worker] Cool.
- [Tess] Thank you.
Thank you.
I feel like I'm eating like a little toddler.
Like I have my grilled cheese and my chocolate milk,
and I'm like, "This is what it's like." [laughs]
In the life of an adult.
[sandwich crunching]
So, I originally am from \
in East Texas called Beaumont.
And then when I was around eight, I moved to Austin.
Up until really just like a couple years ago
the modeling industry really existed within
okay, so we have straight-sized models,
and we have plus-sized models.
But there was really like no one to represent in between.
To me plus-sized is just the term that's used
for models that aren't you know, a...
You know, size zero.
I'm not a size zero.
I'm about a U.S. size eight,
and so because people are like
"Oh whoa, we don't have a label for that!"
People are like okay that's plus-sized, I guess?
I remember the first time that I ever got a hate comment.
It really, really affected me, you know?
Like I had a really hard time dealing with it.
But you know through help from my family,
especially my mom and my best friends,
I kind of like started to shift my focus
from okay, there's something wrong with me
and there's not something wrong with the people who said it.
But like I don't think that anybody
who feels good about themselves
would try to take somebody else down.
And so once I realized that,
I realized like okay, I can move forward knowing
that like if I think I'm beautiful then, you know.
What's to stop me from doing anything?
Okay so I have to get to the Simone show now.
I'm kind of late, so here we go!
[car door slamming]
I think because last time I had
such a pleasant experience walking for this show,
I feel really calm.
I know that I'm gonna get there
and like everyone's gonna take care of me.
I'm gonna be working with people
that I really admire and enjoy working with,
so I just feel really calm and excited.
The show today is gonna be at Alexandra Palace,
and yesterday when I was doing my fitting
I was talking to someone who said that
the British people call it Ally Pally [in British accent],
so we're gonna go with that.
That seems official.
Wow!
It's insane.
[soft classical music]
This way!
How are you?
- [Simone Rocha] So happy you're in the show!
- We're going to shoot you for the campaigns.
- Okay. - So we'll get you dressed
before you go into hair and make-up.
- Okay, perfect, thank you.
[soft classical music]
So I have to whisper right now,
because Simone is being interviewed over there.
I'm not walking right now.
I'm doing a photo shoot over there, so...
- Ally Pally!
You know you've made it when you're walking at Ally Pally.
[both laughing]
[camera shuttering]
- Okay, so I just finished shooting the campaign.
And so now I'm gonna change out of these,
and then go to hair and make-up.
[soft pop music]
- So the collection was originally inspired
by the Irish Wren Boys.
Traditionally, they would hunt the Wren bird--
- Oh. - On Saint Stephen's Day.
They were almost like trick-or-treaters.
- Oh.
- So they're a little bit spooky,
and a little bit rebellious, and a little bit punk.
I just thought, even though you're not Irish,
you have such a beautiful, natural Irish coloring
that you have be part of the collection.
I just think you're such an inspirational beauty,
so I'm thrilled. - Thank you.
- Okay you've gotta go to hair and make-up,
so I'll see you in a bit.
- Bye! - Thank you so much!
- [Tess] Thank you.
[upbeat drum music]
I feel like [hissing].
- Hi! - Hi! [laughing]
- Really famous!
Oh, I'm on Vogue, hi Vogue!
[Tess laughing]
- He said that I have a feather.
- Yeah, so we've got all of these feathers from Irish birds.
We're body-painting down the middle of the forehead.
- [Tess] Oh, it's gonna be so pretty.
[upbeat electronic pop music]
Now I have to hurry and go to rehearsal.
Which is basically where I put the shoes on,
and then I do like a practice loop of the runway.
- [Line Worker] Still too fast?
- [Woman] Too fast, and too many girls.
- [Line Worker] Right, okay.
Should we stop and start again?
- [Woman] Yeah.
- [Line Worker] Okay.
[slow classical music]
♪ Around, around, around, around ♪
- Okay, so we're really getting into the last
you know, 20 minutes before the show.
So everyone has to do their last touches.
[upbeat pop music]
- Beautiful, perfect!
- Okay, we have to really rush,
because it's 10 minutes until the show
so we have to...
- You look beautiful!
I love this! [laughing]
[upbeat pop music]
[chaotic crowd noise]
- Thank you so much, Tess.
- Thank you.
- Tess are you checked?
Let's see you in here, as we prefer it in here.
- Let's go to first looks!
[camera shuttering]
[soft electronic pop music]
[cameras shuttering]
[soft electronic pop music]
This is it!
We're getting ready to go on the runway,
and I am so excited!
[soft electronic pop music]
[upbeat electronic music]
[audience applauding]
Thank you guys for following me around all day,
it's been so fun!
But now I have to catch my Eurostar back to Paris!
[blowing kiss]
[soft electronic pop music]