Page 10 - Real Style July 2018

Amazing Gracie
also recently had a chance to work with Brit- ish celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath, and to model her new liquid lipstick line in person.
“That was really cool for me, because she has worked with so many different brands, design- ersandpeopleIlookupto.TobeabletosayI have worked with her is amazing,” Phillips says.
Truth to be told, there are countless more famous brands on Phillips’s list of dream mod- elling jobs. In the future, she shares, she would like to model for her favourite labels, including Chanel, Versace, Balmain and Dolce & Gabba- na. Closer to home, she hopes to walk for New York City-based Tommy
Hilfiger.
However, her ambitions don’t stop at the runway. Phillips also has some in- terest in acting and credits her father as an inspira- tion. “I don’t think I could find a better coach than my dad. Hopefully I can combine modelling and acting,” she tells us.
As a child, Phillips ac-
tually had an opportunity to work alongside her father, in his 2009 Hallmark film Love Takes Wing. She also once starred in an episode of 24 with actor Kiefer Sutherland, who is a friend of the family. Although these were early experi- ences, Phillips seems ready to be on the screen again, this time as a young woman. Is there any- thing else that she would like to do?
“Down the road, I would love to design my own label,” Phillips declares with excitement. With a personal style that is equal parts sophis- tication and L.A. cool, the model describes her look as “classy, but also fun.”
In the meantime, she plans to spend plenty of time at the beach this summer, and informs us of
her favourite casual prints for the season ahead- namely, polka dots and stripes.
“I don’t mind wearing a pair of sweats with heels and calling it fashion. I like to be comfort- able, I like to dress up, whether it’s a dress and heels or ripped jeans, a boyfriend tee and sneak- ers. There are some trends that I fall into and I find super cute, but I kind of like to go thrift shopping and think outside the box,” she says.
Like many women in their early 20s, Phil- lips has developed her self-esteem and personal brand over the years. It hasn’t all been high heels and glamorous photos, of course. Her debut into
10 Real Style July 2018
“I don’t mind wearing a pair of sweats with heels and calling it fashion.”
the modelling world was marked by some anxiety and stress. “In the begin- ning, even though it was hard to hear no, I heard a lot more yes than I did no. But when I did hear no, I always reflected on the fact that maybe I could have done something bet- ter.”
Today, her attitude has changed, and she prefers to be less hard on herself, and give opportu- nities a shot while leaving some things up to chance. Even with her busy modelling career and school, Phillips still likes to travel. Her cur- rent dream destinations are both close to her heart: Two years ago, Phillips visited Positano, Italy, for a family friend’s wedding, and fell in love with the area. Meanwhile, the Tahiti island of Mo’orea is also on her travel bucket list, for a personal reason. “That’s my middle name [Gra- cie Moorea Phillips]. I should probably visit
somewhere that’s in my name!”
From exploring exotic locales to conquering
fashion and earning her degree, Phillips is one smart and versatile rising star.
PHOTOS, RIGHT: CHRIS CRUZ