Glitzy catwalk

"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today… I want to be a part of it, New York, New York…" these lines from “New York, New York,” by the famous Frank Sinatra, probably say it best when it comes to bringing out the true essence of “New York, the style, the glitz, the glamour, the edgy elegance.

Therefore, heading off to the “city, that doesn’t sleep," was the aim of the game, so to speak, of the girls, who participated in the final round of the Ford Model's Supermodel of Sri Lanka, which was held on November 4, 2007 at the Cinnamon Grand Ballroom.

Flying to New York and being part of the world of the supermodel, is what it was all about and these six finalists were hoping they could be a part of it. But at the end of the day, only one lucky girl would be heading off to New York, to be a part of the Ford Models' Super Model of the World contest.

The atmosphere was chick and stylish. The theme was black and white. The result, bringing out the flavours and essence of New York!

Guests were greeted to an array of beverages, finger foods and mingling, and then it was time to see what the six finalists from the emerald isle had in store for us.

The finalists, Rebecca Wickramasinghe, Achini Perera, Olivia De Saram Majore, Michelle Perera, Aarthi Jayawardene and Ishanka Madurasingha strutted down the catwalk in their first round, where they were draped in elegant batik sarees.

Next the models wore, tight-fitting blue jeans and white tops. And the final round was a sultry, teasy one. Where the contestants wore elegant, short, sequined dresses and walked to a slow sexy pace down the catwalk…

The judges certainly had a tough decision ahead of them, and even asked the girls to present themselves one more time, and then finally, with a bit of hesitation, the names were announced. The second runner up was Aarthi, the first runner up Ishanka, and the winner of Ford Model's Supermodel of Sri Lanka was, Olivia! All three of them seemed quite elated with getting this far in the competition.

Speaking to Therese Majore, Olivia's mother, after the competition, she said that it was all, "absolutely wonderful," adding that, this whole experience is new to the family and they did all they could do, in terms of clothes and advice and anything else Olivia needed.

Olivia has an adorable six-year-old sister, and when asked what she thought, she didn't say anything, but the huge smile across her face, expressed all she was feeling at that moment!

The Ford Models' Inc., is an internationally known body, with their headquarters based in New York, while having offices around the world, which include, Paris, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

They manage a large number of premier international models for the catwalk, print ads/commercials and also for brand ambassadorship. These names should seem familiar to you… Naomi Campbell, Christine Brinkley and Christie Turlington… well, all their careers were launched by Ford Models.

The contest held in Sri Lanka is one of the many held around the world, and the finals are held in New York, in January next year. This contest is considered the largest and also the most prestigious talent search, in the world, in terms of looking for fresh faces for the modelling industry.

The contest has been held in over 50 countries for nearly 30 years. In fact, this contest is 26 -years-old, this year. Young Olivia, the winner in the Sri Lankan, leg of the competition, was awarded a US$ 250,000 modelling contract, at the Ford Modelling Agency, New York.

She will also participate in the grand finals in New York, where they will be scouting for the new face in the world of modelling.
During the show on Sunday, we were able to witness the transformation of these averages but attractive girls, into stunning potential super models. So it was clear that this contest, did bring out Sri Lanka's potential in the field of modelling.

The sponsors for the event were: The Model Network, Art TV, The Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa, The Sunday Times, Hi Magazine, Mallika Hemachandra Jewellers, Mailman, Kess Salon, Lite 89.2FM, Asura FM, 101.7 TNL, We Are Designers, Jetwing Lighthouse, Amaya Hills, Sri Lanka A Land Like No Other, Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Sri Lankan Airlines.