Mainland Europe is the destination of the blog this week to chat in the hauntingly beautiful area of North Germany to the equally hauntingly beautiful alternative gothic model, La Esmeralda.  This gorgeous dark haired beauty – who loves fairytales, gothic, burlesque, cosplay and animals according to her website profile – not only has a stunning face and figure, but she is a talented photographer and dressmaker too.  A big warm welcome Esmeralda:

Hello! My name is Esmeralda and I am a 25 year old alternative model from Kiel, Germany.

You started modelling in 2009 and as well as posing you often do your own make up, design and create your own fairytale dresses and take self-portraits, too. Also you have a full time job as a media designer and product photographer. What a busy bee! So, when you were a child, did you hope to be a model or photographer or fashion designer or make up artist …?

No, I never planned to do that. I had always been a very creative person, was interested in crafting and drawing and many other things but actually planned to become a latin teacher. I started taking photos with my friends just for fun and soon I also started modeling in a bit more professional way. Still, I had never expected anything like this to happen because I just did what I liked.

What inspired you to try your hand at modelling? Why did you choose the fab brand name of La Esmeralda to launch your modelling career?

I can’t really say what inspired me to start. I wanted to take some photos with my horse (I was riding until I was 18), dressed up as a gothic princess and went to the forest to take some photos with a friend. I loved it so much and really soon I started to do more and more shoots. Esmeralda was just the name that I always used for my video game characters and similar stuff. When I wanted to create an account at deviantArt Esmeralda was already chosen by someone else so I put the “La” in front of it… and then I kept this name as I had no better idea. Today I think that it was a pretty good choice as many people always compared me to this character anyway.

You are a beautiful alternative gothic model that has achieved (I think!) the perfect balance between the dark broody gothic/rock chick look with the romantic fairytale princess feminine edge and with a spluttering of respectable yet sultry sexiness . Knowing that you don’t do any nude or fetish photoshoots, have you been on any unusual or strange modelling locations? Have you had any strange/unusual/bizarre modelling experiences?

Hmm no, I don’t think so.

To date, what has been your most favourite photoshoot?

At the end of 2013 I had a wonderful shoot at Wildtierhilfe Fiel, not far from my town. They take care of wild animals that have got hurt and they were all so lovely and fluffy, I could cuddle them all day. It was just amazing. I will just share our behind the scenes video with you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CccfWzSwiuY
By the way, they are always happy about donations, in fact they need that to survive. I am the godmother of Lotta the otter baby from the video, so to speak, and donate some money for her each month 🙂

Is there any style of photoshoot /modelling / famous photographer that you would like to try that you haven’t yet experienced?

I am sure there are some but at the moment can’t think of anything I really want to do that I haven’t done or planned yet. When I started modeling I was a huge fan of Annie Bertram, Silent View and Viona Art – I was so happy when I had had the chance to work with these talented photograhers. In fact I worked with Annie for several times already and always love meeting her.

You have a passion for make up that started when you were a young girl – what make up items are your favourite essentials? Have you a favourite brand or two?

I am afraid I don’t have any favourites. I just take care to only buy products that are cruelty free and I also buy drugstore products. At the moment I use a lot of make-up from KIKO because I like the quality, the price and that they do not test on animals.

You’re well known for wearing lots of gorgeous corsets and having a gorgeous hourglass figure and a naturally tiny waist, you must be a godsend to corset makers! Do you do any special exercises/workouts to maintain your waistline? What do you feel are the advantages/disadvantages/differences between made-to-measure corsets and cheaper ready made corsets?

No, actually I don’t. I am very lucky that I have this figure and must admit that I am a bit lazy when it comes to doing workouts but eat a lot of chocolate instead. I love dancing and do some different things every now and then. Some years ago I also did bellydancing but at the moment I don’t have the time for that, even though I would like to start again.
The differences between a made-to-measure corset and a cheaper ready made one are GIANT. Made-to-measure corsets are way more comfortable, you can wear them all day long without any pain and you can reduce your waist a lot better. I also started with buying some cheap ones and still have some but these days I would always prefer to spend more money on a made-to-measure and unique corset than buying a cheap one and damage my body.

Another favourite past time of yours is sewing – you have made many of your beautiful dresses that you model in? What was the first item of clothing you’ve ever made? Have you had any sewing failures? What’s your favourite item that you’ve made?

Oh I had so many failures already, I bet everyone has! The first dress I made was one of them: it was from panne velvet and I never wore it because the fabric was so horrible. But it was cheap so I guess that is okay 😀 My second dress however was a medieval dress that I still like a lot. About favourites – I think I have two favourite dresses. A red / black velvet dress that I created for last years WGT and a green/black one that I made for Father Sebastiaan’s vampire ball in Berlin.

You have a personal interest in photography – as reflected in both your job as a media designer and product photographer as well as some of your modelling self portraits. Apart from those fields, what photographs do you enjoy taking for pleasure?

Sadly there is not much time left for taking any other photos as I work most of the time.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing when not modelling?

Comfortable things that are preferably black, band shirts or geeky stuff, as well as some very elegant goth things with a touch of fantasy. And while I never would wear jeans for photo shoots I do wear them in real life.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Ebay 😉

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

That is quite a long list. At the moment I am planning to sew three or four new dresses for different upcoming events, I hope I get them done in time.

Boots or Shoes?

Fun fact: I hate shoes, except for sparkling high heels. If I go to a shop because I need new “normal” shoes I get super frustrated and leave after 5 minutes because I don’t like anything.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook/twitter etc so that readers can follow you and your career.

https://www.facebook.com/Alternative.Model.La.Esmeralda
http://modellaesmeralda.blogspot.de/
http://la-esmeralda.deviantart.com/
http://model-la-esmeralda.tumblr.com/
http://instagram.com/modellaesmeralda

Thank you very much Esmeralda for chatting to me this evening –  it’s been a real pleasure and a delight to view those wonderful dresses!  

Linda x

CREDITS:

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Hanny Honeymoon; Ashtray Arts Photography; La Esmeralda; Alex Blyg; Annie Bertram

CO-MODEL: Lobo/Wildtierhilfe Fiel

HEADDRESS: Jumeira Creations; Elegant Curiosities

DRESSES: La Esmeralda; Royal Black; Johanna Macht

NECKLACES: Von-Uebel Design; Gothic Elegance

CORSET: Royal Black