Looks like Lauren Santo Domingo has fallen in love with the adorable couple of Coco Rocha and James Conran, much like the rest of the world.

The Vogue contributing editor just Tweeted about her latest project, saying, “I just finished shooting @Oh_So_Coco and her charming husband for @voguemagazine #cutestcouple, ever.”

Coco and James aren’t the first couple to work together for fashion spreads. Natalia Vodianova and her husband posed together, while Heidi Klum and Seal regularly show off their love and affection for glossies. But the real question is, just what was the Vogue shoot for? Fashion editorial? At home spread? News story?

Either way, here’s to hoping that there are many future editorials in future for James and Coco, because one thing’s for sure: they’re beyond adorable together.

Source: Modelinia.

MODEL Coco Rocha will be the next guest to share her enviable wardrobe on our Today I’m Wearing, following in the footsteps of Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Julia Roitfeld by sending in an image of herself every day.

The 21-year-old Canadian-born model has fronted campaigns for the likes of Balenciaga, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent since she started her career in 2004.

Coco, who married interior designer James Conran last month, also writes her own blog, Oh So Coco, on which she famously spoken out about the pressures on models to be thin.

“I’m a 21-year-old model, 6 inches taller and 10 sizes smaller than the average American woman. Yet in another parallel universe I’m considered “fat”,” says Coco. “When designers, stylists or agents push children to take measures that lead to anorexia or other health problems in order to remain in the business, they are asking the public to ignore their moral conscience in favor of the art.”

Source: Vogue.co.uk.

Coco Rocha has reasons to be late for our cover shoot. First off, it’s the morning after her big charity bash—the second annual Strut for a Cure—in Toronto, presented by FASHION. Rocha worked room and runway, made an endearing speech, met new fans. Long night.

Secondly, duh, she’s a supermodel. Richmond, B.C.’s finest is ranked eighth in the world by Models.com, reps for Rimmel London and air-kisses Anna at the Met Ball. At 21, Rocha has moved beyond “just” modelling, becoming the face of her own personal brand. Not only did she guest-report on this year’s Grammys for ET Canada, but she did so in a (curiously medieval, but never mind) dress of her own design. Yes, yes, she’s launching her own line this season. The name, Rococo, was chosen by one of her 12,000-plus Facebook fans. And 12 days from this shoot, her number one fan—29-year-old interior decorator James Conran—will become her husband.

No one expects such a fashion darling to be on time, and she isn’t. She’s early. Moreover, she’s alone. No booker, no mom-ager, no careful handlers. Not even a tiny dog.

“I thought about bringing the tiny dog!” she says in her lilting, not-quite-serious way. “But no, I don’t want to be that person today.”

Rocha’s enchanted beginnings are super-typical. She was the un-pretty tomboy (“boys would pick on me, you know”) discovered at random (Irish dancing competition) when still very young (14), and was shot to cover status by model-making photog Steven Meisel (“I didn’t know enough about him to be nervous!”).

It is her endings, which she holds firmly in hand like the strings of helium balloons, that make her different. They are happy ones. By all accounts, the tiny Irish dancer has survived six years in the biz without acquiring a drug problem, a string of bad-boy exes or an eating disorder. If there’s one thing troubling her, it’s that her Twitter pleas to Glee producers (“If you ever need a backup dancer, call me!”) have yet to be answered.

What the limpid-eyed, kittenish beaut loves more than being a model is being a role model. In her words: “The girl that doesn’t smoke, drink, party, take off her clothes in every picture.” She has said “no” to more things than most of her peers have said “yes” to, from Dancing With the Stars (“not a good career move, probably”) to shooting with Terry Richardson (“I’ve shot with him, but I didn’t feel comfortable and I won’t do it again”). When her bookings dropped, due, she felt, to her size (a whopping four), she began to speak out—consistently and insistently—about unhealthy model weights. Now she wants to tour schools across Canada, talking self-esteem.

“It hurt at the time,” she says of being sidelined for not being a size zero. “But now I say, ‘You can’t dance with everybody. Someone else will come along.’ I think once James was really part of my life, I was like: ‘Whatever. If you take me, take me. If you don’t, don’t. I’m happy in my skin.’”

She talks about Conran often and swoonily, and by the time this reaches you, readers, she will have married him. The location? A beautiful French château—Conran proposed there in February. The dress? Made by Zac Posen, and looks “like a Barbie ’50s dress.” So she wants the whole fairy tale? “I do,” she says, all rapt.

By now it won’t surprise you that Rocha never wanted to be Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell. She wanted to be Princess Diana. And she must be succeeding, because maybe you think she’s crazy to be marrying so young, so soon, but you also want to believe with her. Or, at least, go to the wedding and jig with her. Don’t you? She is, truly and happily, the people’s model.

Source: Fashion Magazine.

I LOVE Coco Rocha. Partially because flattery gets you everywhere—and the last time I interviewed her (for ELLE Canada), she said she “totally remembered me” from the first time we met, in Paris, the year before. (GAWD. Doesn’t that sound ultra-glamorous? Trust me, I’m not.)

But that’s not the only reason I think she’s the coolest. She’s also way more giving with her time than I would be if I was an in-demand international supermodel. Last week, she was in Toronto for Strut for a Cure (a very fashionable fundraiser for pediatric cancer that was held on Thursday night), and her schedule included appearances on FTV, Canada AM, CP24 and CTV, as well as a whole bunch of pre-event interviews… including one with lucky little me! (Thanks, Coty!) Coco is a spokesperson for Rimmel London so that’s the beauty connection, in case you’re wondering—make sure to check out my post on their summer collection, it’s FAB.

Coco actually didn’t remember me this time around, but that’s okay—I’m telling myself that it’s because I used to change my hair colour a lot. Plus, she was probably distracted by the presence of her fiancé, James Conran (they get married in less than a month!). He looked on adoringly as Coco conducted media interviews like a seasoned pro. (And I couldn’t help but notice her ring—it’s AMAZING.)

Q. Your job involves wearing A LOT of makeup. What do you wear when you’re not working?
A. You always hear about some models who say how they never wear makeup when they’re not working. I’m not one of them! I will always leave my house with a face full of makeup. I’m obsessed with it!

Q. So what’s your go-to makeup look?
A. I always go for a dark eye and a pale lip. That’s my staple. My fiancé always teases me about it—it can get a bit like I’m walking around like one of the characters off True Blood! So then I start to think, well, maybe I should try more coloured lips, like a red lip, to help me look more alive and not so pale.

Q. Okay, so if you were going to shake things up, what kind of lipstick would you go for?
A. I love a warm red, an orange red. [The Rimmel London lipstick] shade #220 is really nice. It would look great if you were wearing a spring dress, or even on the red carpet.

Q. So back to your dark-eyes-pale-lips combo. How can we get the same look?
A. It’s kind of become my signature. I actually use concealer around my eyes so there’s more of a white contrast. Sometimes I use it on my lips too! Then I like to do “cat liner.” I draw a line around the eyes with a black pencil. Then sometimes I go over it again with a black liquid liner. It makes your eyes really stand out.

Q. What about your nails—I caught a pic on Twitter of you showing off some dark nail polish today (Rimmel London, #615).
A. I don’t do my nails AT ALL! I really hate waiting for them to dry. They always tell me I have to sit still for half an hour but I can’t do that. So that’s why I really like the Rimmel polishes—they dry in 60 seconds.

Q. You’re exposed to so many different designers, people and trends as a model. What’s inspiring you at the moment?
A. I’ve never actually looked up to any one person. But I do get inspired by different eras. Right now I’m really liking the 1920s and the 1950s. I love the glamour. I hope it comes back!

Source: BeautyEditor.ca.

Gallery Links
Appearances & Events > 2010 > Strut For A Cure

International supermodel Coco Rocha alighted in her native Canada last week to own the runway at Strut for a Cure, a fundraiser for the Coast-to-Coast Against Cancer Foundation. Coco stomped, designer Todd Lynn showed his clothes, Jeanne Beker hosted, and Dragonette performed–a style all-star line-up if there ever was one.

Despite the sweltering heat in the elegant Berkeley Church, the models looked futuristic fierce in Todd Lynn’s Fall/Winter 2010 creations, which rocked his trademark rock-and-roll warrior aesthetic with plenty of dramatic leather and fur, big shoulders, and battle-ready angular cuts.

Lynn has made his name overseas, so it was a real treat to actually see his stuff in-person on the runway–he’s big-time enough to show at London Fashion Week, where this very collection got rave reviews from the venerable style.com.

Coco, who shimmied into one of the awesome Greta Constantine black-and-white catsuits post-show, wasn’t wrassled into the event by some faceless PR flak: it was, in fact, her wee preteen cousin who wanted to raise funds to battle cancer after being touched by the plight of her friend Adam, who is a cancer survivor himself.

Fashion was, she thought, a perfect fit for a fundraiser. “Fashion is in itself a community, and it’s always changing, and wanting to know what the next best thing is, so if they have the same drive to do something about this…” She smiled that famous Cheshire cat grin.

Charity is, after all, always in style.

Source: Toronto Blog.

When Allure photographed Coco Rocha wearing summer fashion trends for the June issue, we had to take the opportunity to ask the 21-year-old model about her beauty routine. Just how obsessed with makeup is she? “I have a makeup closet. The first thing I got done in my apartment were the closets—there are shoe closets, a clothing closet, and a makeup closet.” Fortunately, the Rimmel London spokesperson has plenty to fill it with, “If they send it, why not use it?” she said of her beloved freebies. “I just go full-on—I put on everything.”

The Cliffnotes version of her everyday look (and we do mean every day): “Cover-up, dark eyes, pale lips, contour, shimmer.” The dark eyes-pale lips combo has become something of a signature look for Rocha, and one that she gravitates to for a couple of reasons. “At first, [the dark eye look] was because it didn’t make me look as young I was; and now it seems like a lot of people go for that with me on shoots and I’m just so used to it. Plus, for me, keeping up with a red or a dark lip is complicated during the day,” she said, laughing as she mimed touching her face and drinking and eating. “It just doesn’t work out. I’m sticking with the kitty-cat eye.”

Be sure to check out more of Rocha—both her fab fashion spread and her thoughts on dangerously thin models— in the June issue, on newsstands now.

Source: Allure.

Canadian Coco Rocha, the fashion world’s reigning obsession, was famously discovered at an Irish dance competition in 2002 (a skill she later showcased to great fanfare on Jean Paul Gaultier’s runway). Since then, Rocha, 21, has served as muse to fashion titans including Karl Lagerfeld. She has appeared in campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Dior and endless others. Recently, she landed at the centre of a New York fashion-week battle over models and healthy weight (at a size 4, she was deemed too “healthy” by some). On May 27, Rocha will host Strut for the Cure in Toronto, benefiting children battling cancer. She talked to Canadian Business deputy editor Lianne George.

What has been the single most important factor in your career success?
In fashion, a lot of it is who you’ve worked with. I mean, I had done castings and castings in New York and Toronto, and nothing really bit, and then I worked with [renowned photographer] Steven Meisel, and once he puts his stamp on something and says, “This model is my muse,” well, that’s when I was put on the map.

But there are millions of pretty girls around. What makes someone a muse?
First, it’s personality. A lot of people can take a good picture, but it’s how your personality shows through. And if you’re meeting a client and you can make them feel comfortable, then people start to say, “Wow, she’s different.” Those are the girls who are working every day.

What’s an average week like in the life of a supermodel?
It really depends who you’re working with. During show season, maybe it’s going to a fitting or seeing a client, doing a show and then doing another show or an editorial shoot. Otherwise, maybe it’s flying to a destination, doing some pictures and flying back the next day. I work with [cosmetics brand] Rimmel right now, so I do a lot in London. I fly there for a day or two, fly back to New York to do a shoot, then Rimmel may phone and say, “We’re ready to do another thing,” and it’s fly back.

Speaking of which, I read your mother was a flight attendant and you spent much of your childhood in planes. Do you have any secrets for fighting jet lag?
I’m pretty good about jet lag. If I have an overnight flight, I try to sleep it. If I have a day flight, I try not to sleep it. If I get there and it’s morning, I do not sleep until it’s night. I mean, I just get into wherever I am and I don’t think about, “Oh, it’s a five-hour difference.” There’s no such thing. You are in this city, it is now the time, you know? That’s how my mom has always done it.

How do you cope with the intensity of your schedule?
You have to be disciplined. When agents are telling you this, your parents are telling you that, and photographers are telling you another thing, you have to think about, “Who can I trust?” You need to know what you want. A lot of young girls don’t realize this until the end of their career, and they go, “You know what? I didn’t have to do all of that.”

What’s “all of that”?
Well, there were always physical sort of things I did not want to do, you know, nude shoots. I didn’t want to portray myself as that sort of girl right from the start. Although there were a few pictures that I could say that I’m not so proud of, in the end I have been able to keep my status as the girl that won’t take her top off when she gets on that set. I don’t do smoking pictures. I want girls to know you can portray yourself as a classy lady, and that there’s such a thing still out there.

How do you deal with all of the competition for jobs?
In the fashion industry, it’s always about the new girl, the new clothing. We’re always a season ahead, so I think a lot of girls feel overwhelmed when there’s a new group of girls, and then when those girls are established, they get a little nervous when there’s a new bunch. It’s just the name of the game.

It is the ultimate image-based industry. Does the scrutiny ever faze you?
It’s funny how, when you’re selling a product, you talk about changing that product so people will want to buy it. With models, our product is us, and people have the same thoughts about us. They think, “We need to change it, we don’t like it, we need it this way.” But I think a lot of people forget who they’re dealing with. These are young girls, not mature adults who know their skin. These are vulnerable young women that don’t know where they are in life yet. That’s why I’m a big advocate for models and a healthy body image.

What is your definition of a healthy body image?
I’ve gone really “healthy girl,” where I was working out every day, eating perfectly correct, and it just didn’t feel good. So, for me personally, I’m not into the crazy workouts every day and eating right all the time. You have to ask, what do you really want to do: work super super hard to work with all the people in the industry, or be comfortable with yourself and hopefully they’ll be comfortable with you as well?

The New York Times recently reported that you had become too heavy for some designers. Is it hard to read that stuff?
Any girl would be upset to hear that, but in this industry you realize you’re going to get it constantly, and I choose to try to ignore it. And there will be days where I’m like, “Oh, that was mean,” or, “That was upsetting,” but I just have to stop and think, “What industry are you in?” and if you don’t like it, you have to just leave the industry.

Lots of models — Heidi Klum, Kate Moss — have extended their brands into other areas like TV, cosmetics and fragrances. Do you see yourself doing something like that?
Well, I think every model should think about her future, because modelling is a very short career. So yeah, a lot of girls brand out from the industry. I think once you’re at a certain peak in your career, that’s the time to really think about what you want to do because of your connections with editors and business managers. For me, I really wanted to start my own clothing line, and I thought, “Well, you have so many people rooting for you, why not use the chance?”

So now you’ve got a fashion line coming out?
Yes, hopefully by the end of this year. I’m super-excited about that, and it’s a nice feeling to create something that excites me. When you’re a model, you feel like you’re just this thing sometimes, whereas now I get to show what I can do and hopefully people will take me seriously.

Source: Canadian Business.

COCO-COLA: Karl Lagerfeld poured a lot of himself into his latest collaboration: with Coca-Cola Light in France. Not only did he design a special aluminum bottle capped in vivid pink and adorned with his unmistakable, emphatic silhouette — dark suit, high collar, jutting ponytail — he also shot the ad campaign. The fizzy images, featuring models Coco Rocha and Lagerfeld regular Baptiste Giacobini, are slated to break across France on April 28, including in magazines and on billboards. One of the billboards will be splashed across Galeries Lafayette which, along with Colette, will get a jump on selling a limited edition boxed version of the bottle, with matching bottle opener, priced from 47 euros, or $64 at current exchange. Lagerfeld has long been a fan of diet cola, and says he prefers to drink it in a delicate crystal goblet to accentuate the taste. To wit: Rocha hoists her Coca-Cola Light in his favorite Lalique glass, dressed in fingerless gloves and a high-collared look from his signature collection for spring. Next up for the indefatigable Lagerfeld? A campaign shoot for the fall Karl Lagerfeld collection, this time featuring Giacobini and Iris Strubegger.

Source: WWD.

Set within a bedroom niche that’s been treated with gold Venetian plaster for a rich and sumptuous feel, Ms. Rocha calls this her very favourite spot. “To make it extra comfy, I bought the softest, most luxurious mattress I could find,” she coos. “And the large chandelier over my bed gives the whole room a cozier look at night.”

Ms. Rocha’s residence is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom 1,000-square-foot condo with a 500-sq.-ft. terrace on an upper floor of a New York City highrise in the upscale Gramercy Park neighbourhood. It’s a corner unit with floor-to-ceiling banks of windows, facing south and east for maximum daylight. “If you are on the southern balcony, you can see historic Gramercy Theater and clear across Manhattan from the East River all the way to the Hudson,” Ms. Rocha says. She loves ambling through the quiet streets of this enclave in the Big Apple’s vibrant core.

She herself evokes the classic glam of 1940s film stars, with her long brown tresses, deep blue eyes and perfect cheekbones; this lithe woman is the latest ‘It’ girl who most acknowledge as the one who just can’t take a bad photo.

Born in 1988 in Toronto and having moved to Vancouver at a young age, Ms. Rocha was in her teens when she was spotted by a modelling scout and was connected with renowned photographer Steven Meisel. That meeting led to a cover of Vogue Italia, igniting a sizzling rise to stardom. In constant demand to walk for designers such as Marc Jacobs, Versace, Prada, Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton, Ms. Rocha recently became the face of Rimmel London alongside Georgia May Jagger.

Still, she’s not posh. “I like the simpler things,” Ms. Rocha remarks. This bent for basics is reflected in her preference for meaty fare over delicate dinners, and also in the modest collectibles and curios furnishing her apartment.

“I’m getting into nesting,” smiles Ms. Rocha, crediting the wanderlust to her mother, Juanita Rocha, a flight attendant. “It’s the perfect job for someone who has to move,” she says. “Even home is always in flux. [My mother has] been buying, renovating and selling homes for years. But we’ve both found wonderful places, so it’s time to sit still, for now.”

On taking ownership of her condo in Gramercy Park two years ago, Ms. Rocha went to work placing her personal stamp on the property. “I wanted my living space to be like a little cottage house,” she says. “I have this amazing terrace, a rarity in New York City high-rises, and I wanted a garden – I find the decorating process exciting.”

Another exciting outcome was meeting James Conran, a New York-based artist and interior designer. Ms. Rocha contracted Mr. Conran to do most of the design work in her apartment. Teaming for months on the project, Ms. Rocha believes that Mr. Conran captured the essence of who she is. And more. He captured her heart. They’re dating and are in “relationship bliss,” she declares.

Ms. Rocha commissioned Mr. Conran to paint a Klimt-inspired mural in her bedroom. “In fact, we treated every wall as a piece of art,” she says.

While in the living room describing its design, Peekaboo (her two-year-old Maltese/poodle) skitters across the buffed hardwood floors. Here, an oversize custom-built media cabinet-cum-bookshelf vies for one’s eyes with the walls covered in ice-blue Venetian plaster. The paint has been applied in layers and waxed to a shine with iridescent silver wax, giving the walls a glass-like feel.

“Though my apartment looks modern with blue marble countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and soft sofas and ottomans on the terrace, most of the furniture and ornamentation show my fondness for a bygone age,” Mr. Rocha points out.

In the front foyer, the walls are painted a fun eggplant and off-set with a faux silver leaf on the ceiling and doors. The metallic doors are hand-painted in a graphic design inspired by ancient Japanese woodblock prints.

A custom Murphy bed and closet designed and built by the furniture maker Aaron Sommers, who also created the condo’s heat radiators hand-painted in metallic, are the centrepieces of the guest bedroom. All the built-ins are painted cream with gold accents. The walls are plastered with a cream Italian plaster with gold mica flakes buried within it and polished.

Many of the lamps and book stands peppered through her living areas were purchased at Film Biz Recycling a local organization that reuses and recycles film props. “The store has some unique items gleaned from major motion picture sets, TV shows and commercials,” Ms. Rocha notes. “I purchased some neat pieces from the sets of Mad Men and America’s Next Top Model.”

Vintage, a non-profit thrift shop on Third Avenue, offers what Ms. Rocha refers to as “a trove of hidden treasures and tchotchkes,” selling furniture, antiques and housewares. “It’s something of a routine for me to stop by and see what unusual items they have every other week,” she chuckles.

It’s also routine for Ms. Rocha to interact with her fans. She periodically updates her blog, Oh So Coco, adds new information to an official website (coco-rocha.com), and occasionally tweets about her goings-on in Canada and New York City. Most recently, Ms. Rocha hosted ET Canada’s red carpet coverage for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. And there’s her new fashion line, Rococo. She seems to be everywhere.

“Unfortunately, I don’t often get back to Canada,” she laments. “But mom does come to New York fairly regularly with the airline so we can be together. We’re both glad to have finally found our home bases.”

Source: National Post.

Famous for her striking features, fierce walk and bubbly personality, Toronto-born Coco Rocha may be an international supermodel—not to mention Vogue magazine darling and model muse to the likes of Steven Meisel and Jean Paul Gaultier—but the 21-year-old is careful not to let the attention go to her head. “I’m one of those funny girls that didn’t know what a supermodel was, nor did I know they even existed,” she laughs. “From the beginning I never expected anything, I took it very step by step and I think that’s the best way to do it because I was just thrilled with each new thing.”

And despite her supermodel status, Coco isn’t about to rest on her laurels now. In fact, she may just be the hardest working girl in the biz. Between fittings, fashion shows and magazine shoots, Coco somehow finds time to charm industry heavy-weights as a correspondent with Entertainment Tonight and E! Talk, design her own fashion line, ROCOCO, which she hopes to debut at the end of this year and plan her upcoming nuptials to muralist/interior designer James Conran. “It’s a busy time but I have a lot of people who support me and help me out so I’m really lucky!” she says.

After the frenzy of Paris Fashion Week—where she rocked the runway for coveted shows a la Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and of course Jean Paul Gaultier—Coco took time out to tackle our infamous Model DNA questionnaire and giving us the scoop on her plans for the big day.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being totally and completely comfortable with yourself.

What do you consider your worst trait?
Jumping to conclusions. I think everyone does it but, man, I hate when that happens.

If you could choose an occupation other than your own what would it be?
Definitely dance. I don’t know how you make money from dance but that’s what I would do!

Best moment of your career so far?
There are a few: being named one of Steven Meisel’s girls in American Vogue (“The Godfather,” May 2009) and taking a picture with him and Linda Evangelista and all his top girls—that was a big honour! Dancing down the runway with Jean Paul Gaultier…fighting down the runway with Jean Paul Gaultier! There are a lot of things I’ll look back on and think, “that was amazing!”

Favourite fashion shoot?
The Romeo and Juliet shoot with Annie Leibovitz for American Vogue (“Love of a Lifetime,” December 2008). I love anything with a storyline and a lot was put into that so I really enjoyed it.

Were there any models you looked up to when you were starting out?
I remember being really in awe of Daria Werbowy. She was—and still is—number one on every hit. I was just really enthused about this other Canadian model was doing so well in the industry.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I say “good times” a lot with my friends and lately I keep calling James “boo.” I don’t know what that is, but it’s my new word. I have to stop.

What is your most treasured possession?
I remember always thinking that if there was a fire, the one thing I would grab is my baby bear. Not my dog, not James. Baby bear. He was in my crib before I came home and if you see any of my travel photos from age 0 to 12, he’s in every one.

Any tattoos?
I had a grampa who had a lot of tattoos from the war and I saw how horrible they looked when he got old so never will I ever get a tattoo.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Right now the wedding! I’m trying not to be extravagant but I think its every girl’s dream to have a gorgeous wedding.

Fashion trend you wish would disappear?
Ugg boots need to go, they’re just ugly. Leave the world!

How would you describe your personal style?
I’m a vintage girl. I love clothing from the late 1800s to the 50s. Anything unique I love. A lot of my pieces are high-waisted, have button collars, great shoulders, and I love my jackets! I could wear the same pants and t-shirt 24/7 and just change the jacket—it always transforms the outfit.

What are your five key wardrobe pieces?
A pair of black jeans, amazing boots, a favourite top you can wear over and over and over, a bag that can fit your whole house and a great winter jacket because that’s what you’re seen in the most.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Staying who I am. I don’t think over the years that I’ve changed much—I feel like I’m still the Coco that everyone remembers and that was always my goal.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned in the past year?
Last year I started to feel a little overloaded. For so long it was travel here, go there, get this done, get that done, and I felt like I wasn’t living much of a life. It was just work, work, work, so I needed to slow down and take care of me…and now I’m happier than ever!

Describe your perfect Sunday?
A sunny Sunday! As long as it’s sunny, it’s perfect. I don’t care what I’m doing! Like today is my favourite day, it is so sunny out, I can’t believe it!

How did James propose?
He took me to a beautiful castle in France and he proposed there. We’re actually going to be married there as well.

Do you have any designers in mind for your wedding dress?
I doooo! I just met with Zac Posen last week—he’ll be making my dress!

Do you want a big wedding or a small, quiet ceremony?
We’re only having about 60 people so its not going to be too big at all.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty. I’m around a lot of people who sometimes feel like they have to please me all the time, so with friends I need them to just be honest.

What’s your twitter policy?
I think in this new era of technology, if you want to get acquainted with fans and just let people know that we’re real people, this is the way to do it. It’s interesting but it can be overwhelming sometimes. I give a little bit but people always want more, more, more.

What will you do when you retire?
Live in a swamp in Botswana! I don’t know, I think I’d want to get away from everything and just relax. I love the idea of going to a place where there’s nothing around you—it just sounds amazing.

Finish this sentence:
“People think I’m fake but this is really me.”
A lot of people think I’m overly nice or this couldn’t really be me, “Miss. Goody Two Shoes,” but in fact I am a Goody Two Shoes! I’m not fake with anyone, this is who I am.

Source: Elle Canada.