La campagne. As the French call it, the French countryside is a breathtaking sight to behold.
From old Roman castles, plush plains, streaming rivers and small quaint villages to the Swiss Alps, towns such as Lyon, Bayeux, Rousillon, Chamonix and Colmar offer a wide range of scenic canals, mountain views and small villages that will quickly make you forget the constant hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Paris and the glamour and glitz of Monaco and Cannes.
Burgundy, a east-central region of France known for its trademark red and white wines is the proverbial heart of wine country, where a majority of the grapes grown in the area are used in world-famous brands such as Pinot blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Gamay.
While known more for producing luxurious and expensive wines, perhaps the region’s hottest new product is commercial, fashion and lingerie model, Alice Detollenaere.
Detollenaere, a stunning brown-haired siren of French beauty, was crowned Miss Bourgogne 2011—Burgundy in English—and was a former contestant for Miss France 2012. Thanks to her striking slim and lithe 5’9 figure, Detollenaere has modeled for the likes of Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder, A1A Activewear, Margaret Pattillo, LaPerla Lingerie and shot in exotic locales such as Hong Kong, Miami and in her native France in the central commune of Marigny-sur-Yonne.
Now, she has her sights set on America, specifically New York.
Freshly settling in Manhattan, the 29-year-old brunnette is ready to make Gotham her personal Wonderland as its hottest new modeling import. From wine country to the Big Apple, Detollenaere is set to be France’s best gift to America since The Statue of Liberty and Laetitia Costa.
Below is my Q and A with Alice as we talk settling into NYC, her life in France, shooting in Hong Kong and looking hot this summer.
Name: Alice Detollenaere
Age: 29
Height: 5’9
Birthplace: Dijon, France
Residence: New York City, New York
Measurements: 34C-24-34
Social Media Links: Instagram: @alicedeto
Notable Media: 2010 Miss Bourgogne (Miss Burgundy) beauty pageant champion, 2011 Miss France contestant
What kind of model do you consider yourself? (Instagram, fitness, bikini, fashion)? To answer your question, I am a commercial model.
What brands have you modeled for? Which one do you enjoy modeling for the most? I have worked for many brands across Europe, Asia and America. Of course it has been an honor to work for prestigious brands as Estee Lauder, Tory Burch or Vacheron-Constantin but my favorite are not relative to the name but to the team. I have worked for 3 years for Patty-Boutik which is a e-shop, and I feel like I am in my family with them.
Where has been your favorite place to shoot? I could say that I love to shoot at the Maldives beach but that would be a little bit easy, so to make it more interesting I found amazing to shoot on the old industrial roof top buildings of Hong-Kong. But to shoot outside is always complicated, especially in tropical places, because of the heat, humidity, wind, light, or simply the people around. There is nothing better than a studio!
What is the most exciting aspect of modeling? It is definitely the adventure. I have a good and professional reputation so when a shoot is not going to be not easy my client trust me. Few weeks ago I was shooting in a natural park. We had to hike for an hour in the juggle to reach the location. Then we were surrounded by monkeys and mosquitos and we had only the sunset time to shoot a video.
The situation was stressful but we made it. Sometimes it can be a human adventure, for example when I shoot in a fishing village in China and I was the first European face that people ever saw there. I have so many other stories I could write a book!
With summer now here, what fashion and style tips and trends do you have for looking good when the temperature drops? The perfect summer outfit, sexy and relax is a one-piece swimwear, a pair of shorts and you adapt the shoes to the situation: snickers, flip-flap or high heels!
About the make up when it starts to be very hot it is better not to wear too much make up. It melts and it is a disaster. Only some concealer if you have bags and maybe a little bit some Terracota of Guerlain.
Athleisure? Fashion or fitness fad? It depends of where you are in the world. I have definitely not the same outfit to go in a casting in Miami, Paris or Beijing. But I would definitely say fitness during the day and fashion at night.
What swimwear trends do you see being big this summer? The swimwear collections are all amazing this year. The brands, cheap or expensive, made big efforts to propose competitive fashion while the giant Victoria Secret stopped swimwear production. I see an ethnic fad for this summer, with a lot of sharp and nude colors, some feathers and metals.
What is your go-to swimwear style that you MUST have. A bandeau bra without stripes to not have sun marks on the skin and a very checky bottom to make it sexy!
Within the industry, who is your modeling inspiration? I love Miranda Kerr because she smiles a lot and she has a lovely personality. I think Emily Ratajkowski is a genius and I look forward to see the rest of her career. I admire Ashley Graham for her values and her courage to make change the society eye about large models.
What is your workout and fitness secret to staying in shape? There is no secret and no miracle. I just run a lot, which I love to do. I am naturally muscled so I just need to control the excess fat. I really take care of my skin, because the face is the most important thing, no matter your weight.
As someone who is curvy, what do you think best exudes sexiness and confidence? Elegance is the key. It doesn’t matter how skinny or curvy you are. It is all about attitude. And Elegance is in the behavior, the outfit, the voice… It is a mindset.
What would you say is your best feature? I can really tell I am empathic. It can be a quality and sometimes an handicap. I can read in people and understand their intention. I have a good intuition.
Any beaches you plan on hitting up this summer? I will definitely go the Hamptons as I never been there yet!
Any future projects coming down the pipeline? Yes a lot! They are all artistic projects, but I am sorry I can’t talk about it for the moment. About modeling, I am starting my new career here in NYC so I am available for contracts!
Outside of modeling, what are your hobbies? I run a lot, I paint, I sing. I was born in a farm in Burgundy, I love the nature and the animals. It is even not hobbies, it is my passion, my reason to live.
Sports question: Who are your favorite teams and clubs In France, we watch a lot of soccer. As a Burgundy girl, I support the DFCO (Dijon Football Côte d’Or) team! And my favorite team in the US is the New York Knicks.
What are your favorite cities to travel to? I’ve traveled in almost 30 countries so far for different reasons, work, travel, transit… I am fascinated by Asia. I crossed Cambodia by motorbike and I was astonished by the people’s kindness. I had the same feeling in South America in Ecuador for example. Our countries should take them as an example.
What advice would you give to women aspiring to get into modeling? I would tell them that model is a real work first. It is not easy everyday. The shootings are exhausting. A whole day shooting for a catalogue kills you! After this you absolutely cannot party, you just go home and rest because you need your legs, your feet to be ready for the next coming day. The castings are very hard too and can destroy your self confidence. For maybe 10 castings you go you get only one contract! And sometimes even zero.
It is hard to not take it as personal even if the clients say they are just looking for a different profile. And of course to stay always in shape is important. The reality now is the following one. So many girls think that because they are beautiful they can be models. It is as ridiculous as to think that because someone is good in mathematics he will be a good banker.
Yes he has to, but it is just the minimum. Of course to be a model you need to be beautiful. And to be at the maximum of your beauty. But once you are there it is only the first step. There is absolutely nothing more important than to understand the business of your clients, what exactly they need, to be smart! And on the top of that to be a hard worker.
Special thanks to Alice for her time an assistance during her time during the Q and A interview process. All images used with permission and are the rightful property of their respective owners.