My Precious Exclusive FEBRUARY 2011
AVENUE | Exclusive
Xandrah Sciavo Introducing My Precious Queen 2011 Written by Sensuous Soulstar Photography by Natasja Schumann
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fter a year of intense competition and a nail biting finale that had many wondering who would be the one to hold the title of My Precious Queen for 2011, Xandrah Sciavo emerged victorious. With a winning smile, poise, grace and elegance on the runway, and the experience to match, Sciavo beat out eleven other hand-selected finalists to gain the crown and the exciting title as the first My Precious Queen. Join AVENUE
as we sit down with the newly crowned Queen and find out a little about her background and her new role as the Queen for 2011. Sensuous Soulstar: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us Xandrah. First, congratulations on your exciting win as the first My Precious Queen for 2011. Now let’s get into those questions! How did you initially get involved with the My
Cover Credits Xandrah Sciavo //Dress My Precious Queen Xandrah Purple Gown //Jewelery Alienbear Precious Special Queen Set
Precious Queen contest? Xandrah Sciavo: I initially became involved with the My Precious Queen contest by entering the monthly contest for June of 2010. Each month, anyone interested is invited to participate by entering two photographs, a head shot and full length shot, of themselves featuring one of the elegant designs created by Agnes Finney. Submissions are accepted until the 12th of the month, when three lucky winners are chosen, becoming the princesses for that month. In July, the semi-final for the first half of 2010 was held, in which all of the monthly princesses competed for one of six finalist spots. The second semi-final was held at the end of November, and six additional finalists were selected. Together, all twelve finalists from both semi-finals were combined to compete at the My Precious Queen final which was held in December. In the coming year, the process will be slightly different, in that there will be two grand finals, one to be held in June and the other in December. Hence, two My Precious Queens will be crowned in 2011: the Summer Queen and the Winter Queen. SS: Tell me about the contest itself. What was your initial goal when you entered and how did you prepare yourself for the big event? XS: When I first entered the My Precious Queen contest, winning the entire contest was not my actual intention. As a matter of fact, when I
submitted my photographs at the end of May, I was submitting them only as a photographer who was hopeful that their work might be good enough to be recognized by placing in one of the three monthly spots. After being chosen, I realized that all of this was about to become much bigger. I learned about the semi-final, which was only a month away at that point, so I was quickly thrust into the preparations, and with no real connections in the modeling field, I was left to figure out on my own what that would entail. It was an adventure I was not expecting, but I decided to keep that as my perspective and goal - to approach the contest as an adventure, a challenge, and most importantly, a learning and growth opportunity. This remained my goal after the semi-final and throughout the remainder of the competition. My biggest preparations came in the form of my subsequent educational pursuits, practicing alone on my small makeshift runway, and spending countless hours on a pose stand engaged in styling experiments. Being selected as the winner at the contest’s end was a magnificent surprise to me, and I can say that I did, indeed, achieve the goals I set for myself. I learned so much, and it was an incredibly worthwhile adventure, one for which I am very grateful. SS: Now with your big win, tell me, what is involved with your role as My Precious Queen 2011? What was the prize, and are there any duties that you have with the new role?
XS: As My Precious Queen 2011, I am so very honored to have been chosen as the ambassador for one of Second Life®’s finest fashion houses. During my time in this role, I am delighted to have the opportunity to make appearances as a representative of My Precious at fashion shows and other events to be scheduled. In addition, another duty of My Precious Queen is to serve as the hostess of Behind the Throne, a blog in which I will be highlighting the magnificent designs of Agnes Finney, both new releases and classic favorites, as well as events hosted by the fashion house and other details of my time in service to My Precious. While the duties themselves are most definitely rewards for the winner, there were many additional prizes provided, as well. These included the title, the gown named after the chosen Queen, a set of jewelry created by Alienbear Design, a L$30,000 cash prize, gift certificates totaling L$30,000, a voucher to AVENUE Models Academy, and sponsored gifts from Entre Mares, which was the beautiful Karena monarch butterfly gown, and shoes from Stiletto Moody. For me, one of the greatest prizes has been the experience of the contest, itself, as well as those experiences to come as this journey continues. SS: Sounds like an amazing set of prizes for what I’m sure was a very competitive process. Now I’d like to get to know a little more about Xandrah. How long have you been involved with fashion, whether it was modeling or in some other form? XS: It was just this past July when I found myself face to face with the fashion and
modeling industry after becoming one of the three June winners of the My Precious contest. My previous goals had all revolved around my career as a professional photographer, so my experience with modeling prior to this had all been from the other side of the camera. Modeling was a completely new venture, and the last seven months have been quite a rapid ride, but an exciting whirlwind of a trip, nonetheless! SS: So after you decided that you were interested in the modeling industry, what was your first step towards that goal? Did you attend any modeling schools? XS: The summertime was a great time for me to begin my modeling career because in real life, I work in the field of education, so I was home on summer vacation until the end of August. This enabled me to devote a considerable amount of time to getting to know the industry, which involved attending shows, networking with others, some in-depth exploration of what would be entailed in such a career, and most importantly, creating a goal plan for myself. I felt that for me, one of the most important things was going to be obtaining as much education as I possibly could so that I could be appropriately prepared to navigate the industry, so that became my first step. While sometimes there is no better education than doing, I knew that once school started for me in September, I would have less control over my time during the day, so I decided that my initial focus would need to be on learning, and I wanted to make sure that I created a plan for myself that would provide
me with a well-rounded and varied base of perspectives. Since then, I have graduated from several modeling schools, including Glance Model Academy, Miss Virtual World Modeling Academy, Mimmi Boa Modeling Academy, and SuperElite Modeling Academy. I am currently a student with AVENUE Models Academy. Each learning experience has offered something valuable and different, and as I forge ahead as a professional, I am grateful for my beginning and for each morsel of knowledge shared with me by the talented models who have so generously taught me what they know. SS: And in your opinion, what was the biggest challenge in getting noticed and getting work as an aspiring model? XS: I think in the very beginning, the biggest challenges in becoming noticed and obtaining work were the obstacles I placed in the way without the help of anyone else. Being a new model, and a shy one, at that, in the midst of so many talented and well-trained models was a bit daunting at first. To be honest, although this has been an exhilarating journey, there were some frightening aspects in the beginning. Fear was my greatest challenge. I think in order to overcome that, I just had to force myself to charge forward and get out there, to realize that making mistakes would be inevitable because I was new, and to be okay with that. With each new experience, it became easier and more comfortable, until finally I realized I wasn’t making as many errors, and as a matter of fact, I was getting better every day. Anyone who allows fear to hold them back just needs to remember that
with a little push, you can move past that to a place where anything is possible! SS: I definitely want to thank you for taking the time out to talk with AVENUE in the midst of fulfilling your many duties that have come along with the crown. As a newer model to the industry, do you have any advice, a funny story or a lesson learned for any aspiring models that may be looking to get into the industry? XS: I think the most important piece of advice I could impart to aspiring models is something that I cannot stress enough, and this is to maintain a healthy perspective on what it is we are doing here and why we are doing it. Most of us are here because this is a medium in which we can express ourselves, have fun doing it, and interact with a multitude of amazing people from all over the world who we would not have otherwise been fortunate enough to know. Accept every new day in the industry as a challenge, make it fun, be thankful for your achievements and express that thanks to those who helped you. Lastly, remember to laugh along the way! Sage advice not only for anyone interested in the modeling industry, but also for every Resident who may have forgotten why we are here in the first place. We wish Xandrah nothing but the best in her new role as My Precious Queen 2011. Look for more information on the My Precious monthly contests as well as more information on the My Precious Queen 2012 contest in future issues of AVENUE Magazine.
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AVENUE | Fashion Spread
True Royalty
Photography by Julie Hastings Models: My Precious 2011 Queen Xandrah Sciavo 1st runner-up Genevieve Kamala 2nd runner-up Cieleste Magic
Xandrah Sciavo //Dress My Precious Queen Lucia Lace Grandeur Gown //Hair *Lyrique* Agatha //Jewelery Alienbear Aphrodite Gold //Shoes Stiletto Moody Kahlo
Cieleste Magic //Dress My Precious Queen of Lace Grandeur Gown //Hair *Lyrique* Arden 2 //Jewelery Alienbear Aphrodite Princess Tirara and Earrings
Genevieve Kamala //Dress My Precious Dazzle Grandeur Gown //Hair *Lyrique* Elizabeth 2 //Jewelery Alienbear Precious Princess Special Set //Shoes Stiletto Moody Kahlo
Xandrah Sciavo //Dress My Precious Queen Mayur Grandeur Gown //Hair *Lyrique* Arden 2 //Jewelery Alienbear Mayur Set
Cieleste Magic //Dress My Precious Jocelyn Dress //Hat My Precious Eternity //Jewelery Alienbear Mimmi Earrings and Bracelets //Shoes Stiletto Moody Zaha
Genevieve Kamala //Dress My Precious Serene Romance Lace Dress //Hair *Lyrique* Allure //Jewelery Alienbear Gwyneira Set //Shoes Stiletto Moody Katherine
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