Model interview: Arlenis Sosa

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Arlenis Sosa

I went backstage at the Donna Karan show to meet model Arlenis Sosa, who I was told is an important new face. I had to see what an important new face looked like.

The guy who discovered her, designer Luis Menieur, told me he saw her when she was 17 walking down the street in the Dominican Republic and ran after her. He presented this information proudly, as if it wasn't something one should be arrested for.

"I was with my cousins. And I was like, 'Who's that guy yelling 'Miss! Miss!'," she said. "He said, 'You have wonderful bone structure and a great body.' I said, 'Thank you, but I don't know you.'"

Thank you, but I don't know you? That's the worst I could expect if I started running after women and telling them they have good bone structure and great bodies? If that's at all true, I'm going to start trying it.

Arlenis was signed by Marilyn Model Management and within one and a half weeks of living in New York, was shot for a fashion spread in Italian Vogue, which she told me is one of the best Vogues.

The main problem with the interview was that – while she was warned not to do this by her stylist – she would gesture a lot while she talked. So the curler burned her right cheek and then her left ear. Hopefully the clothes were nice and no one noticed.

The craziest part of being backstage at a fashion show was that there was a whole table of food. And people were eating it. I asked Arlenis if she ate anything that day and she said she already had a breakfast of yogurt, granola and fruit. And a lunch of a salad and a kiwi. She assured me this was totally true.

Then I asked if she had dressing on that salad. "I don't like dressing," she said. I gave her a look. "Because I can't be fat. I do like it. But I don't want any." You don't walk off the DR with an 11 BMI.

I hope your happy fashion mavens. I hope you're happy.