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The Model Mogul
Television siren Tyra Banks reveals her favorite designers, how she got back in fighting form and why Miami nightlife intimidates her.

BY CRISTINA GREEVEN CUOMO
PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARAH SILVER

As a supermodel, talk-show host and America’s Next Top Model creator, executive producer and host, Tyra Banks was named the fifth most powerful woman in media by Forbes magazine. She began in the ’80s as a top model for Calvin Klein, Armani and Anna Sui, among many others, but perhaps what most distinguishes her is that she has made a career out of mentoring teens via her charity programs, television shows and countless ventures with her company, Bankable Enterprises. From the set of our cover shoot, Cristina Greeven Cuomo speaks with Tyra Banks.

OCEAN DRIVE: How are you changing the format of your talk show now that it has moved to the CW?
TYRA BANKS: I changed the skin of the show and the music—now it’s hip, modern, fresh, energetic. We have one of the youngest audiences so I want the show to move fast. Because of the Internet and all these outlets pulling them in so many different directions, their attention span is shorter. I want the best of the best to be on the show and not drag a topic on just because we’re supposed to do it for an hour.

What are your favorite stories to work on?
I love dealing with teens. I feel like I’m their big sister and that I can say things to them that they wouldn’t necessarily accept from their parents. They also say stuff to me that they don’t say to their parents.

And you’re their mentor.
Yes! I’m also taking the bull by the horns and doing live makeovers on stage to show my expertise in makeup. For America’s Next Top Model we’re now calling makeovers “Ty-overs” because they are my vision of what the girls should look like. I take audience members, put them on stage, and with my makeup belt on, shout, “Should I give her a smoky eye?” I have a live band and the singer follows with, “Smoky eyeeeee!” I was inspired by Emeril Lagasse, like when he says, “Should I add some cayenne pepper to this stew?” and the audience is like, “Yeaaah!” Well, I wanted to do that with makeovers. Girls used to line up in front of me backstage at fashion shows in Paris, New York and Milan because they wanted me to do their makeup.

Was it years of modeling that gave you that skill?
My mom is the queen of makeup and when I was a little girl, I used to sit at the end of the bathtub and watch her put on her makeup every single morning as she was going to work.

You grew up in LA, right? Do you go back often?
I go back to LA for decorator showhouses. They are a passion of mine! I’ve been going for years with my mom. I will fly out from New York when a new showhouse in LA or Pasadena has opened. That’s how passionate I am. Just looking at all the rooms, and talking to the designers.

I didn’t know that! Did you decorate your apartment?
My very first apartment in New York I decorated all on my own. Now I’ll work with designers, but I’m extremely hands-on.

What styles do you like—traditional, modern, eclectic?
I tend to like eclectic meets whimsical meets traditional.

When are you happiest?
I am happy when I am doing anything that has to do with planning, creating, facilitating. I’m also happiest in my mom’s kitchen.

Do you cook a lot?
Oh, hell, no! I’m cooking frozen dinners and stuff in there, but my mom cooks breakfast for me when I’m home.

Do you have any vices?
Yeah, frozen yogurt.

That’s not really a vice.
Well, I don’t smoke or drink. I don’t like the taste of spirits. The most alcohol I ever had was when I was 12 years old and drank the neck of a wine cooler. It was nasty, and I never drank alcohol again. But I know what everything tastes like. I’ve had a sip of wine, a sip of Champagne, a sip of a real piña colada, an amaretto sour. I know what it tastes like, it tastes nasty, and I don’t like it.

What is your fitness regime?
I moved a couch out of my living room and put in an elliptical and a treadmill. I do about 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. I sold the world my fat ass, but then I went on a get-fit, get-healthy challenge with some friends to see who could get the fittest in three months. I actually won because I’m very competitive. And then the press started picking up on it, and going, “Oh, my gosh, Tyra’s looking like her old self,” and I was very torn about whether to talk about it or not, because I don’t want women to think that by me getting in shape I’m saying that their curves are bad. I still have what my stylist calls “levels,” meaning boobs that stick out, a butt that sticks out. I have an issue with my stomach—I suffer from these stomach attacks that happen every two to three months—but I haven’t had one since I started this challenge with my friends.

What is your beauty regimen?
I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleanser—it’s like an oil makeup remover—and then I wash my face one more time with Aveeno bars from the drugstore for dry skin. Then I put some Aveda hydrating lotion on my face and a little chilled Kiehl’s Eye Treatment with Avocado under my eyes. I tie my hair up every single night when I go to bed because I don’t want split ends.

Who are some of your favorite designers?
I went through this phase of loving certain designers, but only when I was walking in their fashion shows. So I loved Chanel, I loved Armani, Calvin Klein, Anna Sui. But when it came to my personal life, I looked like a pig! I wore sweats and flipflops and was a damn mess. I looked so bad that a friend had an intervention with me and said, “Tyra, you need to pull it together. You need to comb your hair and get out of the sneakers and sweats.” I just started shopping for myself and styling myself and I discovered that I love Alexander McQueen. His clothes make me feel so girly. When I go into his store, I get all giddy and excited and want everything.

And it’s very form-fitted. Yes, because I’m curvy, I have to show my waist. So he really, you know, cuts for a very curvy woman, which is really good.

Now let’s talk about Miami.
When I think about South Beach, I think about my days as a model. A lot of my jobs were in South Beach. I was a businesswoman as a 20-year-old model even before I was a businesswoman, so I would always think about the budget. And I could never understand who would bother traveling to these different islands all over the world. I would be like, Why did we go all the way to Timbuktu when we could have just gone to South Beach? It would still look gorgeous and tropical. I used to stay at The Raleigh hotel back in the day. And I actually remember the Delano being remodeled, and being so impressed with the big curtains out front. I was like, Woooo! That’s different—outside curtains. Now they’re normal, but they were cutting-edge at the time. I’m a little intimidated by South Beach, though.

Why?
Because it’s so popping, you know? The night vibe is so cool, but because I don’t drink or party, I feel really intimidated. I guess I’m more of an Orlando girl, a Disney girl. OD

Styling by Basia Zamorska at Kate Ryan Inc.
Makeup by Valente Frazier at Ken Barboza Associates Inc.
Hair by Oscar James at Ken Barboza Associates Inc.
Photographer represented by Kate Ryan Inc.