I hate when people say, 'Well, this is unfair for the underdog.' Well, the underdog should try harder.
— Coco Rocha
I'm kind of getting over the whole Manhattan life. I'm from Vancouver, and that means mountains and a lot of space.
In the beginning, the clients would say, 'This is too much,' but over time, the ones I liked kept working with me. They'd say, 'It's not too much. Coco can still be Coco. She still gives 100 percent when she's on a photo shoot.'
I was the first model to get a blog and talk about anything in modeling.
People who rooted for me and were impactful in my career knew everything about me. They knew my goals, my likes, my dislikes, what I wanted out of my career.
French designers are classic, chic, and traditional.
I'm that type of person that loves change.
I've always been the kind of girl that takes every day as it comes.
I think it's fun to dress up, although sometimes you do get a little tired of it, but I definitely try to have a different look every day.
I think there can no longer be such a thing as hitting a wall on a photo shoot. If I ever hear a photographer say to me, 'OK, what else?' I should retire, because that should never happen now having experienced just how much the body is capable of doing.
I think it's important to wear clothing that means something to you, and so I always try to make sure I'm wearing at least one item that has a personal meaning to me.
Models are supposed to be a muse to you. Why is a muse always the same body type, the same look? It's boring.
Girls are told they're not skinny enough, or they hear, 'She's old. She's boring. We've had her. She's not tiny anymore.' A lot of people don't take into account the vulnerability of these young girls.
As a high-fashion model, I have long had a policy of no nudity or partial nudity in my photo shoots.
In ten years of modeling, I've trained myself to relax and be able to use my upper body.
When I started my first blog years ago, I just wanted to share my perspective. For a long time, models had been these mute pretty faces - and I wanted to have a voice.
Something I always look for in an outfit is to have a standout piece.
If you are a new, upcoming designer, you've got to think of new, cool ways to make the industry look at you. Don't just get stuck in a rut, show your clothes, and be like, 'You should like this.'
A little personal trick: apply brown eyeliner throughout the day and then just add a little black over the top for a night look.
My besties do Victoria's Secret. I just don't do it.
I love modeling, and I want other girls to enjoy the experience.
Having worked with many of the world's top modeling agencies for the last decade, I've seen what works and doesn't work in managing a model's career.
I'll probably always have some black in my accessories, but it's also important to have a pop of color.
I've always been the type that, every few months, I'm like, 'Let's change the haircut one more time.'
I don't get to keep the dresses I wear. It is not fair.
I always think that some of those moms who are rocking cool fashion looks while walking their little babies in a stroller is just the bomb. You don't have to, all of a sudden, have to transition into 'mom' outfits from the '90s just because you became a mom.
For a small population, Canada has always had a very strong and vibrant style.
Having good style really just means having a decisive eye and being able to put things together in an aesthetically pleasing manner. It's not a matter of spending a lot of money and throwing it all together.
I won't work with Terry Richardson again.
Everybody knows that, in general, a basketball player needs to be tall and a fashion model needs to be skinny, but how skinny is too skinny?
Previously, someone would interview me, and if they liked me, it'd be a great story. If they hated me, it'd be a horrible story. I had no way to say anything. Social media changed things for people who didn't have a voice.
I think, in general, models tend to do their favorite faces or their comfortable face, but your facial expression is just so important. You don't want to have an editorial of 20 photos where it's just you giving a 'Zoolander' face.
Connecting with fans is very important to me and useful, too! It's almost as if I have my own focus group. If I put up one picture that gets 1,000 likes and one that gets 15,000 likes, it gives me a big clue as to what people like to see.
I'm not fussy.
Oh, the dilemma of the summer music festival. On one hand, we ladies try very hard to look cute walking around those muddy fields in our cowboy boots and cut-offs. On the other hand, we want to look like we really didn't try at all and just rolled out of bed looking this way.
Usually, a model gets two to three seasons, or a year and a half, and that's it - you're done. For me, it will be 10 years.
Nowadays, we have to break the molds to what it means to be a model in 2016.
Designers from Milan think that 'more is more,' like Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana.
I usually don't usually go for fluffy, bohemian-chic pieces.
Weirdly enough, in my 14 years of modeling, I've only worn a blonde wig three times. I have no idea why I've never been given the option to really try blonde as a model. But here I am doing it on my own.
To be honest, the thing is I don't really like clothes. I mean, it is cool, but I like tech. I am a tech girl. A secret nerd - there, I said it.
If you think of any past artist, there was something that they looked at that inspired them to make their most famous pieces, whether it be the 'Mona Lisa' or 'Venus Rising.'
To me, true style icons have been few and far between. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind. I never got to meet her while she was alive, but she is one of those people I have always admired in terms of her sense of style.
At the beginning of my career, I was nervous to talk. I was just a very young girl. You don't want to upset anyone or frustrate anyone - you just want to work.
If I want a hamburger, I'm going to have one. No 21-year-old should be worrying about whether she fits a sample size.
I don't do nudes. I don't do semi-nudes. I don't do cigarette shots. It took me a long time in the business to realize I didn't have to do everything people told me I should if I wanted a career.
We have to come into this industry so young, and you have to learn to take it as it is. I was scouted at 14, started modelling at 15, and lived in New York at 16.
I've always thought of modeling as a performance, so I don't mind kind of pretending. I kind of pretend in a lot of my poses that I am a ballerina or a hip-hop dancer or a grunge performer.
Fashion can be a very fickle lady, especially when it comes to models - fashion likes to turn on its own.
