More surprising 6-figure jobs: “UnSuper Models”

If you’re asked who earns a six-figure income, you’re likely to come up with a list of doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and high-powered sales people.

This week, we take a look at fitting models, court reporters and broadcast captioners.

Fitting model: If you’re someone who’s a perfect size fill-in-the-blank and has dimensions that match fashion industry standards — “plus,” “petite” and “big and tall” sizes included — you may find work as a fitting model with a clothing company or clothes designer.

The job involves modeling outfits in a manufacturer’s showroom and letting the designers, clothes makers and buyers know what works and what doesn’t about an outfit, for example, how it falls and how it feels, said Darryl Roberrts, men’s director for modeling agency The Lyons Group.

The most successful fitting models who make six figures know how clothes are made, know how different fabrics behave, and are very knowledgeable about the line they’re modeling. In fact, many have degrees in pattern-making, said Susan Levine, owner of Model Service Agency, LLC.

“The model is the one that gives (designers and seamstresses) the direction of how to make the garment,” Levine said. “The model can make or break your sales.”

While you don’t need perfect cheekbones or the face of Catherine Deneuve, you do have to be attractive and clean-looking. “You need to project a certain image,” Levine said.

And there is one requirement that can be very tough to meet: “You have to maintain your size at all times,” Roberrts noted.

A successful fitting model can earn between $750 and $1,500 a day, Roberrts noted. On an hourly basis, you might earn between $200 and $275, Levine said. And you might work three-to-five days a week, for between five and eight hours a day.

by Jeanne Sahadi