As the Fashion Industry of the Washington, DC Metropolitan area expands, we always find more outstanding talent. In this article we introduce to you a special woman who's embarked on a wonderful journey of fashion, style, and elegance. I first met Liz at Copa Style Magazine's first photo-shoot at the Nelson Manor in Fort Washington, Maryland 2 years ago. The future looks bright for her fabulous future.
Liz Nguyen
~ Model ~
Copa: Who are your favorite 3 models?
Liz: I love Tyra Banks! Not only was she a fierce model, she was so much more than that. I used to watch her show “America’s Next Top Model” religiously and found so much inspiration through the competition photo shoots. I also loved watching her daytime TV show “Tyra” where she talked about fashion, beauty, and real life issues such as social, health, mental, and emotional issues. • I love Coco Rocha for being the queen of posing and never being afraid to take a risk in her photos. She really cares about posing and how it affects the art of photography. Whenever I watch a video of her during a photo shoot, she makes me want to step up my own posing game and to try something new every time I’m in front of a camera. • My favorite model is Derek Zoolander because though he is a male model movie character, he has a good heart and is a reminder that “there’s a lot more to life than being really really really ridiculously good looking.”
Liz: I love Tyra Banks! Not only was she a fierce model, she was so much more than that. I used to watch her show “America’s Next Top Model” religiously and found so much inspiration through the competition photo shoots. I also loved watching her daytime TV show “Tyra” where she talked about fashion, beauty, and real life issues such as social, health, mental, and emotional issues. • I love Coco Rocha for being the queen of posing and never being afraid to take a risk in her photos. She really cares about posing and how it affects the art of photography. Whenever I watch a video of her during a photo shoot, she makes me want to step up my own posing game and to try something new every time I’m in front of a camera. • My favorite model is Derek Zoolander because though he is a male model movie character, he has a good heart and is a reminder that “there’s a lot more to life than being really really really ridiculously good looking.”
Copa: Who are your favorite 3 designers?
Liz: I love Coco Chanel for being such a bold pioneer for women’s fashion. She was the first to borrow from menswear and championed suits for women. She was the reason why the little black dress concept is timeless. She was a feminist way ahead of her time. • I love Betsey Johnson for not being afraid of being over the top and whimsical! She embodies the whole notion that fashion and beauty should be fun. I love her boldness. What other designers are known for doing a cartwheel ending in a split at the end of their fashions show? I love her energy! • I have so much love for Katya Avdeev Couture. Katya Avdeev is a DC-VA-MD based designer with an amazing talent of making dresses and gowns that makes any woman feel so sexy and confident in her own skin. I was so lucky to have Katya custom design and handmade my stunning gold evening gown with a removable ball gown skirt. I wore this dress at the 2016 Elite Miss Earth United States, where I placed 3rd Runner-up nationally, and I felt on top of the world. Not only is she an incredible designer, I am very blessed to call her my personal friend as well.
Liz: I love Coco Chanel for being such a bold pioneer for women’s fashion. She was the first to borrow from menswear and championed suits for women. She was the reason why the little black dress concept is timeless. She was a feminist way ahead of her time. • I love Betsey Johnson for not being afraid of being over the top and whimsical! She embodies the whole notion that fashion and beauty should be fun. I love her boldness. What other designers are known for doing a cartwheel ending in a split at the end of their fashions show? I love her energy! • I have so much love for Katya Avdeev Couture. Katya Avdeev is a DC-VA-MD based designer with an amazing talent of making dresses and gowns that makes any woman feel so sexy and confident in her own skin. I was so lucky to have Katya custom design and handmade my stunning gold evening gown with a removable ball gown skirt. I wore this dress at the 2016 Elite Miss Earth United States, where I placed 3rd Runner-up nationally, and I felt on top of the world. Not only is she an incredible designer, I am very blessed to call her my personal friend as well.
Copa: At what time did you make the decision to become a model and what was your first experience?
Liz: Before I modeled, I entered in local Vietnamese pageants where I held a couple of pageant titles in the royal court. I shortly became the pageant director for Miss VietFest United States. I wanted to set an example and encourage the women in my community to take chances and challenge themselves so I entered in the Miss United States Pageant system and later the Miss Earth Pageant system. Pageants was a wonderful way for me to learn how to be confident in my skin and to boldly believe in myself. I went to my first model casting call late in 2013 and I have been hooked ever since. |
Copa: How did you feel at your first photo-shoot and fashion show?
Liz: I felt pride, pure excitement and freedom to express myself. It honestly felt like a dream come true and it gave me so much adrenaline. I really felt I was part of an art form and I really learned how to appreciate all the work that goes into a fashion show and photo shoot.
Liz: I felt pride, pure excitement and freedom to express myself. It honestly felt like a dream come true and it gave me so much adrenaline. I really felt I was part of an art form and I really learned how to appreciate all the work that goes into a fashion show and photo shoot.
Copa: What is your personal philosophy to fashion and style?
Liz: My personal philosophy to fashion and style is to always be open to something new and fun but constantly be true to yourself, regardless of what trends, fads, and what people say. I used to want to fit in with everyone else and I would let people convince me that my style is too ‘this’ or too ‘that’. At the end of the day, I always go back to what I like. I like to stand out and be unique in my own way. I love a classic glamorous look with touches of something daring or flashy. You’ll see me with different color lipsticks, colorful necklaces, lingerie inspired tops, rhinestone sneakers, faux fur scarves, ruffles, and many more. All these fun things is my own personal style and I’m completely unapologetic about it. |
Copa: What does the future hold for Liz Nguyen and her marvelous world of fashion?
Liz: You will definitely see more of me pushing out different works in different genres of fashion and beauty! I am constantly looking for engaging projects that will push me to be better. The one thing I am very excited for is to work on projects that combines fashion and beauty for charitable causes, such as amazon forest conservation. I have big plans for 2020 running into 2021. Stay tuned for more exciting details by following me on Instagram @ladylizwin. |