Casting Calls: How to Spot a Real One

The rule that has never failed: a legitimate casting does not ask you to pay. Not for registration, not for a test shoot, not for a place on a list, not for a portfolio produced by a studio they recommend.

Verify upward. A real casting traces back to a named brand, agency or casting director with a public trail. If the only trace is a message and a location, treat it as unverified.

Be careful about where and when. Daylight, a studio or an office, a named contact, and someone who knows you are going. No private residences, no hotel rooms, no last-minute address changes.

Read what is asked of you. Requests for nudity that were never mentioned, contracts signed on the spot, original identity documents handed over, or pressure to decide immediately are all reasons to leave.

Keep records. Screenshot the brief, save the address, note the names. If something goes wrong, that record is what makes it reportable.

Every listing on our Fashion Week pages carries a link to its official source so you can check it yourself. If a listing cannot be traced to a source, we do not publish it.