Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Neyman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started modelling for Sakowitz Department store as an elementary student and began modelling professionally at 14, with an Agent named Glenn Tillitson. I modelled Saturdays with three other teen models in the Sky Terrace Restaurant, my first exposure to elegance and refinement. I walked their Teen Department fashion shows during that time whenever they came up. Around 19 or 20, I signed with the leading fashion model Agency in Houston at the time. I was booked regularly for informal trunk shows, likely due to an innate comprehension of it actually being a form of sales as well as Fashion Shows. Client stores included Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Ave, Marshall Fields, Frost Bros, Joskes, Foley’s, etc. I expanded into commercials and print.
My husband, an independent jeweler was murdered during the time I was 6 months into a high-risk pregnancy. Total financial devastation. I expanded my marketplace to include Dallas, New York, and Chicago, fortunate to be working regularly as I was very proactive in supporting my daughter. I remarried, divorced and one last time married and we have 25 years of marriage to our credit.
It was not my daughter who got me into the Daclatasvir trial. It was my Hepatologist, Howard Monsour who at the time was head of liver transplant at Methodist hospital and his team. It was truly a miraculous accomplishment! The Hyponatremia was minor in comparison to developing Cryoglobulanemia Vasculitis. Not only was the genome of Hep C I had rare, both the hyponatremia & cryoglobulanrmis vasculitis fell in the .02% chance of developing. Not my favorite time to be considered unique. The Rheumatologist, Sippi Khurana had her hands full managing the vasculitis. Basically, it is a rare, multisystemic autoimmune disease that manifests ulcers (pupua) on your toes & fingers. Your extremities become hypersensitive to cold & when it attacks your feet you can’t wear shoes. Nothing can touch your toes! The pain is intense. Think of it as a great deal like shingles. I could not wear shoes for a few Dallas Markets & trunk shoes. So chic! LOL!
Tia Mia was actually called Tia Mia Jewelry Designs.
My faith, my husband, my brother and my Great Dane, Merlin (who never left my side) got me through the sickest of times. Not many people in my position were as lucky.
In 2001, Enron collapsed and our family was significantly impacted, my husband being one of its executives. Fortunately, he was retained to see the transition until nearly the end. However, a significant change was required and I sprang into action. With two daughters this was serious!
I formed TiaMia Designs shortly thereafter. We were a high-end jewelry Collection specializing in rare pearls, high karat gold, vermeil & sterling silver with sparkly gemstones. We developed a loyal following as I knew my customer, her lifestyle, color preferences, etc.
I became aware of having a rare form of Hepatitis C and the treatment took a high toll on the body. I continued to travel with TiaMia, never missing a trunk show or market no matter how ill I was. I felt a commitment to my client stores and my family. After many years and numerous trips to ER and hospital stays, I was cured.
I retired. After insufferable boredom and establishing, I was not the type to be happy in the Country Club environment I started studying ballet and took class and private lessons nearly every day of the week. Today, at 60 I am training en pointe. Not bad for an old girl. Recently, after observing the rising position in advertising and
editorials of mature, gray-haired models (or old broads! Whichever you prefer! LOL.) I started researching the possibility of resurrecting my modeling career, not your typical “Phoenix rising from the Ashes” story but close enough!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Does such a thing exist!!!!!!?
Continuing my modeling career as a single mother after my husband died was an enormous challenge. It required me to branch out to work in Dallas, New York, and Chicago and manage child care simultaneously. A great deal of work with very little sleep.
Health issues were a huge challenge. Hep C is hard but the treatment can be debilitating. As a result of the virus, I developed Hyponatremia, low sodium levels that can and, in my case nearly did cause convulsions. Numerous ER trips and numerous times hearing that the treatment failed, one failure after another. I believe we tried four or more protocols before my daughters got me into the trial of a developing Hep C drug targeting my rare genome. After six months to a year per treatment plan, it is tough to hear it failed. I weathered the storm thanks to an amazing husband who was always there for me. My wicked sense of humor was a plus!
Re-entering the modeling profession after 30 years! Technology! Social (just shoot me) media! The entire industry had changed! It was essential for models to have Instagram and Facebook… I am private, I share my life with family and a tight knit group of friends. Self-promotion goes against core values! Think of being raised in a strict family with belief that: “Fools names, like fools faces always appear in public places!” Clearly, THAT concept is obsolete! I am a dinosaur, an ancient relic when it comes to technology and trying to catch up. Another challenge is finding advisors who are successful in the industry and willing to advise you! A personal Stylist friend thought my query into modeling a great idea and introduced me to Jay Marroquin, a New York and International Fashion Photographer who had been looking for a mature silver-haired muse to photograph. Ding! Ding! Long silver hair, 60 years old, fit and experienced in front to the camera here! Let me introduce myself, Sir! OK, so a little rusty but focused and clearly adaptable! This led to an ongoing terrific friendship and work relationship.
Technology, social media, connections remain an immense challenge for me.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?.
A freelance fashion model. I possess a fit, ballet & Pilates honed body. I dance, including en pointe, multiple times a week lift weights 2 X week, daily isometrics with a minimum of 500 leg slides for lower abdominals along with Pilates daily. Since I have severe arthritis, training is as essential mentally as it is physically. Certain aspects of aging are inescapable. I work on what I can and try to accept my older body with grace. I walk fashion shows, runway and have recently been doing a great deal of print, One Austin photographer I shot with has 3 Editorials with me accepted! Not too shabby for an old girl! My look is primarily described as elegant. Frankly, I convey elegance visually and feel like this elegant demeanor is harboring more of a Lucille Ball personality!
I am thrilled to have already been invited back to walk Fashion Week in three cities for fashion for good, previously Fashion X, the brainchild of Matt Sweeney, whom I met during Houston Fashion week over a year ago. He is a modern-day visionary bringing to the runway upcoming fashion designers from around the globe and inclusively presenting models who embody a true representation of present-day society.
My other greatest thrill (other than my husband) so far has been the month of June! Three magazines, BLouder, Elegant and SHUBA all featured Editorial in which I modeled. My favorite? June 2019 Elegant Magazine, Volume 59 No. 1, pages 10 – 17. It’s title: “Hello Mrs. Robinson!,” of course!
My focus is on runway and print. I have editorials pending and am already booked for Fashion Week Shows in three cities!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would not change a thing. Life is a learning curve. For every misadventure, we learn something valuable. If we apply what we learned, we do not make the same mistake twice. I am frequently around young models. I feel like the resident protector of them and educator of vintage fashion! It is amazing how the younger generation knows nothing of glamor. Sex, sexy they know. Elegant, sensual, the implied innuendo in a facial expression they do not. I feel like the pied piper of elegance as well as The New Look Era, exposing them to a time when women meticulously dressed, paying attention to the slightest detail. My path has allowed me this privilege. I am simply grateful
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tianeyman.com
- Email: Tia Mia
- Instagram: tianeyman
Image Credit:
Jay Marroquin, Teo Pogonat
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