"Commercial modeling," Anna clarified and not (yet?) ramp modeling from which she retired a few years ago. "In fact, I’ve started appearing on TV again."
Based in New York with her only son, eight-year-old Callum (by her ex-husband Simon Spence, from New Zealand), Anna has been busy promoting her line of lipsticks, simply named Anna Bayle, and doing consultancy work for professional models, would-be models and aspiring beauty queens.
"Do I miss modeling?" asked Anna last June when I did a Conversation with her. "No, I don’t. What I miss are the good clothes."
In her heyday (as the first Filipina model to make it on the international stage), Anna was the star model of such iconic designers as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Valentino, Renata Balestra, Pierre Cardin and many others. Anna was famous for her unique catwalk which she described as her "batis walk," showing her as if floating onstage.
"Why did I call it my ‘batis walk’? Di ba ‘yung mga labandera natin sa batis, they look so graceful when they walk while balancing a basinful of labada on their heads? I also copied the gracefulness of the singkil dancers. They are so poised, di ba? When everybody else was making pabongga on the ramp, I would resort to my batis-singkil style and it worked."
Before becoming an international model, Anna (a scholar at UP after graduating also as a scholar from the Philippine Science High School) was a first runner-up to Suzanne Gonzalez (who became an actress) in the 1975 Miss Philippines contest.
I learned from Anna that her boyfriend’s name is Twan Clinton, a Jamaican who is based in Miami, Florida. Twan once played for the Miami Heat. He and Anna met in Manila when Twan came to train employees of a call center and they’ve been going steady for five months now.
They have one thing in common: Their hair. Twan wears his in gridlock while Anna has long, curly locks (which she gathered in a bun during the flight).
On the PAL flight back from L.A. to Manila, guess who would I bumped into also at the Business Class – yes, Anna and her "giant" boyfriend whose head almost touched the ceiling when he stood up. Throughout the flight, the two-some were curled up under the blanket like kids in sweet slumber.
Our bet, 2005 Bb. Pilipinas-World Carlene Ang Aguilar, is said to be among the top favorites in a field of more than 115 candidates.
Miss World is the only international beauty title which has so far remained elusive to a Filipina. So far, we have two Misses Universe (Gloria Diaz in l969 and Margie Moran in l973) and four Misses International (Gemma Cruz in l964, Aurora Pijuan in 1970, Melanie Marquez in 1979 and Precious Lara Quigaman, the reigning queen).
You can actually help make Carlene bag the title. Here’s how: Watch Star World’s "Vote For Me" series every Monday, 9:30 p.m., and Thursday, 9 p.m. Text MW114 to 2929 and give your vote of support to Carlene.
The texted votes will be counted along with those of the panel of judges.