Gerber Backpacks

She was so unassuming sitting there in the front row, wearing a modest black dress with a small backpack resting on her shoulders, that she was easy to miss. Other starlets dress to the nines and court the hordes of paparazzi clustered around the front row, soaking in the flashbulbs. But Kaia Gerber, the 14-year-old daughter of Cindy Crawford, was content to take in her first New York Fashion Week show quietly unassuming.

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Still, I spotted Gerber (who, for the record, is the spitting image of her mom and so exquisitely beautiful in person she looks almost unreal) in the front row at Sunday's Public School show. I chatted with the budding model (she's already booked campaigns for Versace and a feature in ) about her future modeling plans, tips from mom, and getting through high school even when it sucks.

What it's like to be here? Are you going to a lot of shows this week?

No, this is actually my first show at New York Fashion Week so it's just amazing to finally be able to experience it. This is incredible.

Are we going to see you walking the runway at some point?

At some point! Maybe not yet, but eventually yeah, I hope so!

I was actually just reading a little bit of your mom's book.

You were?

Yeah!

Amazing!

What do you think of it?

The amount of time and energy she put into that book, I'm just so glad that it turned out as amazing as it did.

One of the stories that struck me was the one about your mom getting picked on in high school. Did she tell you about that?

Yeah. It's funny because the lessons in the book are lessons that she's been telling me, so to actually see how she decided to write them out is really cool because I'm reading them and I'm like, 'Oh, I remember you telling me this!'

Have you experienced anything like that too? You're in high school, right?

I am, yeah.

How is it?

I mean, it's got its ups and downs but just being able to have someone who's gone through it as well is really helpful because she can give me the advice that I need to push through.

And I've heard she has given you some valuable modeling advice, too.

She has, yeah!

What's the best piece of advice she's given you?

Well, I always say this, but it's to have like a feeling inside or to have a thought, not to just be blank. And I've just used that so much, and it literally changed everything.

It did? What do you think about?

I mean, if they want you to smile, just making yourself laugh, not just smiling because you have to. Like, just making things more genuine. If you're being more serious, thinking about something really serious. That kind of stuff.

What's the silly stuff that you think of to make yourself laugh? Does your brother ever provide them?

He does, yeah! I think I just think of the most recent hilarious thing that's happened and I end up making myself laugh and then the smiles where I'm laughing are better than the ones that are more forced.

Modeling is hard, right?

It is! It's not easy!

People think that you just sit there but it's really—

No, not at all! There's much more behind it. It's not just like you're just staring at a camera.