Stylist and multihyphenate Lana Rae talks taking every opportunity, working through pain and getting creative on her many projects.
Read all about our other May cover subject, “Next in Fashion” designer Deontré Hancock, here.
In the pristine, swanky lobby of The Morrow Hotel, Lana Rae strides in with a bellhop cart piled high with luggage. With her perfectly coiffed updo, high cheekbones and statuesque nature, the stylist and multihyphenate instantly commands a room.
“I have always been very shy,” Rae confesses as we sit opposite each other on couches at The Morrow’s rooftop lounge, Upstairs, between shoots for our May cover.
The Glen Burnie, Maryland native is dressed in one of her four self-curated looks for the shoot: a brilliant green skirt that falls just below the knee with side ruching, a white crop top appliquéd with two satin roses, strappy lime heels and multicolor gemstone drop earrings that brush her shoulders. Despite her striking presence, she says she had to work toward coming out of her shell.
“My father paid for modeling classes when I was 16 years old and he used to drive me there. That’s how I started in the industry — as a model.”
Standing on the ledge above a curved banquette at Le Clou (Chef Nicholas Stefanelli’s modern French brasserie situated off The Morrow’s lobby), Rae lunges toward photographer Tony Powell who snaps photos from below. With every shot, she gradually adjusts her pose until she contorts to an entirely new stance with an ease that only comes from years of practice. Rae was born to be in front of the camera, but she also has skills and interests behind the scenes.
“One day, I was working as a model at a promotional event for this brand and the guy running it was like, ‘Hey, do you have 10 friends who can work this event?’” Rae says. “That’s my first memory of turning what I do into a business. I started an agency, and I started hiring models.”
At 21, Rae began to work with…
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