Model Bag Basics

Ask a model what she carries in her bag and you are bound to hear her include something you have never thought of carrying before. What you need to have in your bag will vary from job to job. Sometimes, the client will request specific items. If you are working with a make-up artist or hair stylist, you generally won’t need to carry hair or make-up products, however, they are great to have just in case. The following is a pretty complete list of everything you might need.

Hair:

Headband, rubber bands, bobby pins
Brushes, combs
Hair appliances (curling iron, rollers, straightners)

Clothing:

Shoes in neutral colors – most jobs will provide your shoes for you, however, it is never a bad idea to have a couple of pair of versitile shoes just in case. Models who do a lot of runway or who have an unusual shoe size will generally have an entire shoe bag they bring with them covering a variety of styles and heel heights.
Different colors of sandalfoot nylons (black, nude, tan) and include toe-less if you can find a pair.
Flesh toned undies (one should be a thong)
Body briefer, control undergarments, or padding (be sure you have body briefers in black and nude)
Plain black and white socks
Bras: black, nude and strapless – all should be seamless and a lightly padded, t-shirt style. A good convertable bra is a great alternative to carting around a number of different bras.

Skin:

Skin cleanser and moisturizer (though you should arrive bare-faced for shoots with make-up artists)
Make-up kit
Body make-up
Cotton balls and cotton swabs
Mirror
Body lotion for dry skin
Clear or nude nail polish, clippers, nail file, polish remover

Other:

Safety pins, small sewing kit, clothes pins, clear nail polish (for runs)
Light dressing robe or open front, easy to remove, clothing
Scarf or make-up mask to prevent make-up transfer
Dress shields or clear, non-scented deoderant
Emergency items (Tylenol, antacid, tampons, razor, bandages, etc.)
Music, books or magazines for downtime

If you want to learn all you can about being a plus model, you need to subscribe to PlusModels. Subscribe to our RSS here, and register as a PM user here.