Top Model's Miss J tackles SCAD runway

For the past nine years, J. Alexander, of America's Next Top Model fame, has coached runway-bound SCAD students for the school's annual fashion show. Years ago, when his friend, Vogue contributing editor André Leon Talley, encouraged him to "go down and help those students out," Miss J was mostly interested in a paycheck, now it's a part of who he is.

"I don't have to [do it], but I think the students appreciate it... It's not their job, they don't want to be models," he said. "I just try to give them what they need."

While on hiatus from Top Model, which began filming Monday, Miss J. made a weeklong pass through the area stopping first at Turner Studios for an appearance on the Mo'Nique show before working with the students in Atlanta and Savannah. In a manner befitting of a runway diva, the trip wasn't without some drama. After switching to an earlier Atlanta-bound flight from his Paris home, Miss J ended up on the Delta flight with a passenger bomb scare.

"I was watching "Precious," [the film for which Mo' Nique won an Academy Award], and suddenly all the lights came on," Alexander said. The flight attendant's voice quivered as she told passengers to stay in their seats and pass pillows and blankets to the front. "I said, ‘Girl, are we going down?' I had to scrape my hair back and put on some moisturizer," he said.

When they landed in Bangor, Maine, officials stormed the plane and took the suspect away in handcuffs. "That's when I fell apart," Alexander said. The overnight delay almost made Miss J late for his Mo'Nique appearance. He did his makeup in the car, steamed his clothes while they were on his back, and made it to the show in time.

The next morning, Miss J, wearing a tank, jeans and a bandanna, was at SCAD looking like an airport ramp agent as his arms waved direction to the models. The girls standing at one end of the room, stomped their way down the makeshift catwalk to the heavy beat of music from an iPod in groups of two, three and as individuals.

"Take your time, sweetie. Take your time. Three seconds!" said Miss J reminding them to pause at the end of the runway for a count of three.

In his book, "Follow the Model," (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $22.99), Alexander reveals many tips and secrets for runway success while sharing the story of his rise to fame from a childhood with a no nonsense mother of 10 to his own turn on the catwalk. The classic mistake of new models, he said, is looking at their feet or not knowing where to place their hands. Black girls tend to poke out their lips and think they are Tyra Banks, while white girls lack coordination, he said.  And then there are the girls who are just really... special.

There is a smattering of each type among the models at SCAD and Miss J attempts to coax them out of their bad habits.

"I'm about to hit her with a Phat Farm sneaker," Miss J says under his breath after one model's tortured walk. "Keep your chin down," he says to another. "I can look up your nose and see what you're thinking."

He reminds another student to wear lipstick next time. Occasionally, Miss J takes to the floor himself to demonstrate a pose, a simple pivot turn or proper alignment. Two hours later, rehearsal is over.

"That's enough for them to go home and marinate," he said.

Working with students is clearly different than working with industry models, he said.

"There is a lot of eating and drinking and carrying on at Lady and Sons [Paula Deen's Savannah restaurant], so you are dealing with a lot of different body types. These girls are doing it, but for the industry girls [modeling] is their passion," he said.

So how does he whip them into shape in just a few days?

"I keep making you do it over and over until you get it right," Alexander said. "I try to get them to feel confident and get them to walk good enough to fool the audience."

SCAD Atlanta Fashion Presentation

7:30 -- 9 p.m. May 20th. Free. SCAD Atlanta, 1600 Peachtree Street N.W. RSVP: atlrsvp@scad.edu.