The model Daria Werbowy was born in Warsaw, Poland, has Ukrainian roots but grew up in Canada. At 14, she won a modelling contest and was signed to the New York-based IMG Models agency. She has been the face of Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Missoni, Chanel and, currently, Lancôme, as well as being on the covers of American, French, British and Italian Vogue.

I feel bad saying it, but I was sitting by a pool in New York on 9/11. There was a terrible feeling in the city, but life went on.

Show season is thrilling. It sounds like a cliché, but drinking champagne at 10am is a good way to start the day. Being at the shows is a bit like going back to school after the summer break.

I went off modelling after my first trip to Europe: I was in London, it was the coldest February ever and I was lonely. I thought about going back to art school, but you can’t study without money, so I found myself back on the runways in New York. That was three years ago.

Castings look glamorous, but when you walk into an office of unfamiliar faces and the stylist fans through your book quickerthan you can say hello, it’s not much fun. The same could be said for living in a model house. There were good times — but I had stuff stolen. I kept my suitcase locked and learnt not to trust anyone. Bitchiness is an added extra, but then girls in general are competitive. It’s the same in any industry.

I walked into a wall when I opened the Burberry show one season; that was humiliating. Nerves still get in the way. The worst is when the show is overlit and you can see the press and buyers scrutinising you: I know some girls hear them pointing out cellulite. And that’s before you get to the heckling photographers at the end of the catwalk.

I’ve been photographed several times by Karl Lager-feld. I like him because he’s in tune with what’s going on, not just in the fashion world, but in music, pop culture and world events. He’s very perceptive; his photographs expose your real character. I’ve learnt a lot from photographers: Nick Knight taught me to achieve different facial expressions by ear-wiggling. It’s a good tip, if you can do it!

My downtime generally involves a snowboard or a dinghy. I’ve been boarding in Whistler for seven years; it’s an amazing sensation. Being up on the snowcaps is more peaceful than you could ever describe. It’s a good antidote to the madness of modelling. Someone once mentioned that I also knit and now I can’t shake the association. I made a jumper for my boyfriend, despite one of those old wives tales saying you’re not meant to knit for men.

Working on the Prada advert was an amazing experience, apart from when I first met Miuccia and I didn’t realise who she was. The film was shot on my 21st birthday in Berlin — a good present, to say the least.

I often don’t recognise myself in my work shots, which is a blessing because I don’t want to see myself on every bus that goes past. It’s good to see the final result, because more often than not, I’m in front of the lens thinking, “I’m just not feeling this”. Trust is an important part of the job.

Being asked to be the face of a beauty company was very flattering. Luckily, I’ve always been pretty zit-free. I couldn’t live without Lancôme’s undereye cream, though. I might not have spots, but dark circles are a modelling curse I can’t seem to shift.

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