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Hemphill wins ‘Models of the Runway’
Published November 21, 2009
LAKE JACKSON — Her friends and family said Lake Jackson native Kalyn Hemphill appeared on “Project Runway” and won “Models of the Runway” with a smile and timeless grace.
The day after the finale aired showing Hemphill a winner, she said just being on the show was amazing. Winning was surreal, she said.
“I was just so thrilled,” Hemphill said in a phone interview from New York.
Hemphill won the six-week competition when she was paired with the winning Project Runway designer, Irina Shabayeva.
“I knew her collection deserved to win,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill won $25,000 and a spread in Marie Claire magazine that she will shoot in December.
Family and friends in Lake Jackson gathered to watch the finale and cheered when Hemphill’s designer won.
Hemphill watched backstage as the judges announced the winner.
“Everything Irina designed for me, I absolutely loved,” Hemphill said. She was paired with several different designers during the show, but toward the end, Shabayeva consistently picked her.
“I really identified with her collection,” Hemphill said. The mostly black clothes were meant to depict the strength that is needed in a woman who lives in New York, and the underlying softness of a woman, she said.
“It was kind of a magical night,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill lives in New York now, working as a model and actress.
She works hard, said Roberta Hemphill, Kalyn’s mother. She especially works hard at being a positive role model, she said.
“I’m just really proud of her,” Roberta Hemphill said. “The show showed her true spirit.”
Jim and Roberta Hemphill attended the season finale and both have known the result since February, when the finale was shot. For Roberta Hemphill, keeping the secret from family and friends was torture.
“It was very hard to contain that for nine months,” she said. But the warning that giving away the ending of the season could result in a major lawsuit kept everyone’s mouth shut, she said.
Many Lake Jackson residents watched every single episode.
Though confident at the beginning of the show that Hemphill would win, her friends had a few moments of doubt and cheered when her designer’s name was announced.
“We’re so excited,” Janie Williams said after the show. She and several friends met to watch the shows all season.
The group celebrated with a glass of champagne before saying goodbye to their weekly gatherings.
“She really is talented and a good person,” said Ali Williams, Janie’s daughter. “She’s a great example to girls everywhere that anything can happen if you follow your dreams.”
Ali Williams grew up watching Hemphill in school and area plays and looks up to her.
“I can’t wait to see her to give her a big hug,” friend Teri Williams said.
At another viewing party, the cheer at Bettye Denman’s house was so loud it would appear to outsiders the people were yelling for their own daughter, she said.
“We’re so proud of Kalyn,” Denman said. “She did a great job of representing herself.”
During the show, Hemphill was noticeably absent in little tiffs that happened around the models’ house.
“I really tried to steer clear of all of the drama,” Hemphill said.
During one episode, though, another model accused Hemphill of wearing double-sided tape to keep her dress in place. In previous runway shows, other models had used tape, and Hemphill was unaware it was against any rules, she said.
“For the record, I took it off,” she said.
Her friends believe she handled the situation well.
Hemphill enjoyed staying at the model house with the other models, even though there were a few arguments among girls and some late nights without sleep because of loud roommates, she said.
Hemphill has remained friends with many of the designers and models, especially Matar Cohen, she said. The two have enjoyed watching some of the episodes together.
Shabayeva told Hemphill she can wear any of her designs whenever she likes, she said.
Hemphill went to New York to act, and she still plans to be involved in the theater. She hopes the Project Runway experience opens doors for her.
“The thing I want people to take away from this is go after your dreams,” Hemphill said. “I want to encourage people that anything is possible.”
After Hemphill celebrated her win Thursday with fellow models and some of the show’s designers, she got less than two hours sleep before she was up and ready for an appearance on “Good Morning America.”
Hemphill also will be featured on modelina.com, complete with blogs and videos from her hometown in Lake Jackson, she said.
Katlynn Lanham is a reporter for The Facts. Contact her at 979-237-0150.
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