French kiss for Crystal
A Cannons Creek-bred model is world famous in France after appearing on the cover of a French fashion magazine.
Former Creek resident Crystal Hart, 26, was the cover girl for Wassakh magazine’s April issue. Miss Hart was as surprised as anyone to learn about the cover – her picture had been taken for a spread on lipsticks in Remix magazine but had not been used.
The photographer submitted the spread to Wassakh, who jumped on it.
‘‘It was unexpected. I didn’t know it was going to come out until I saw it,’’ Miss Hart says, who has been modelling since she was 18.
She has appeared in dozens of campaigns, editorial fashion shoots and designer lookbooks, but Wassakh is her first cover shot.
‘‘ It’s pretty awesome. It’s taken eight years of hard work to get there,’’ she says.
By day Miss Hart works as an executive assistant at Parliament. She fits in modelling jobs when she can, and is happy doing it for fun on the side.
Her favourite jobs involve transforming into crazy or glamorous characters, as in the Wassakh cover where she wears an afro wig and a leather Catwoman-style mask. Most fun of all was a promotional video she made for her own business, as a blood-sucking vampire.
Alongside the modelling and a full-time job, Miss Hart runs the popular Illuminate Paint Party business with her partner. The job involves staging giant rave parties attended by up to 3000 people, where ravers are sprayed with fluorescent paint. Things get pretty wild, she says.
There are certainly fun jobs out there but modelling has its downsides, like long hours, lots of waiting around, and pressure to get a good photo, Miss Hart says.
‘‘It’s a lot harder than people think. There’s a lot of pressure on you because you’ve got a hairstylist and a makeup artist and a stylist and a designer there. If it comes out looking like crap you’re going to have four or five people who are going to be disappointed.’’