Male models: from subway to runway

As Lykov's modeling career has progressed, demand for him has increased, bringing an occasional lifestyle change. During the recent Paris shows, he found himself booked in 15 shows (including Hermes, Raf Simons and Dior Homme), which meant he needed to hire a driver. "I would get up at 6, get in the car and be at castings, fittings and shows until 3 in the morning sometimes."

That's more akin to the routine of the female models -- especially a core group -- who tend to be more sought after during the runway season, says Anita Bitton, casting director for the Establishment. "The same women end up doing the same shows. Since it's not as important to have the same guys in the same shows, that's why you'll have the girls driven in cars and even on scooters through the streets of Milan and Paris between castings, fittings and shows."

This season, Lykov walked 34 shows in the three major markets of Milan, Paris and New York. That's not counting the one-off in Stockholm and pair of shows during Berlin Fashion Week.

He can't exactly say how much he makes a year -- "I haven't been doing it for a whole year yet," he points out. "I was also studying." But using the figure of $1,000 per show, he grossed somewhere close to $18,400 in the most recent round of shows (that's subtracting the 20% agency fee). Deduct another two grand for airfare, hotel, food and transportation costs and the season would net him roughly $16,400. Double that for a second season, throw in a couple of one-off shows and an exclusive gig and it turns out that being No. 24 on the list of top-ranked male models means making somewhere in the ballpark of $40,000 a year on the runways before taxes. It's not chicken feed, but in an industry where the favored faces can change with the season, it hardly screams "hired car and driver," either.

That total does not include the 11 New York shows he worked this season -- because most of them end up paying the models not in cash but in clothing. "Most of the men's designers paid in trade this season," he said (something that's not allowed in Europe). So it helps his bottom line that he's based in New York City -- he can easily catch the train from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, where he lives with four roommates. "None of them are models, thank God," he says with a laugh. "Male models are messy -- it's not sexy at all."