When our local models and fashion designers gather for Tampa Bay Fashion Week’s Model Behavior cocktail reception, they’ll have a real icon in the room to prod for wisdom.

Supermodel Cheryl Tiegs is hanging out in Tampa Bay this week. Known for her all-American beauty and Sports Illustrated covers, Tiegs became bikini pop culture royalty in the 1970s and 80s. These days she’s a spokeswoman for Cambria stone surfaces, sponsoring Wednesday's party, and she’ll be throwing out the first pitch at Friday's Tampa Bay Rays game. We caught up with her at her Tampa hotel Tuesday to talk fashion and her evolving concepts of beauty.

Tiegs, 63, also dropped news that she has agreed to appear on the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice.

“I was asked last night,” she said. “I thought on Sunday nights I would have my soup and salad and would have an easier life, but this is a challenge, and I’ve never said no to a challenge. But it’s scary. I know Donald Trump. I said to him I should be on the show, but now all of a sudden it’s a reality and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’”

Give her some encouragement at the Model Behavior party, hosted by Cambria, from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Element, 808 N. Franklin St. in Tampa. Designers and models scheduled to appear in Friday's runway show will be on hand enjoying food, drinks and raffles with Tiegs. Tickets range from $40 to $75 and are available until 2 p.m. Wednesday at fashionweektampabay.com.

What are your days like? Do you travel a lot?

You have no idea. That’s putting it mildy. You know, sometimes when I accept something, I think, ‘Oh my God, it would be so much easier to sit at home with my dogs and my friends and my boyfriend. But I’ve never done things that are just easy. I’ll go out there. I’ll step out there and I’ll do it.

Are you still interested in fashion?

I am. I am so excited there are fashion weeks everywhere. How does this happen? There seems to be a fashion week network spreading across America, which I love. It’s been part of my life since I was a teenager. I’m not a big shopper. I’m not greedy when it comes to fashion, but I’m always totally interested in it.

How do your tastes run these days?

It has always been a fine line between very classic, and on the other side, trendy. I like something that is a little cutting edge. I like very clean silhouettes, almost the minimalist look.

Do you have any favorite designers?

I stick with Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli.

What's your fitness and health routine?

I think yoga is one of the keys to my happiness. A week ago, I started getting irritated at the littlest things, and I thought, ‘Time to go to yoga.’ I just calms me down. It just smooths out the world. And I meditate every day.

Do you think that impacts your appearance, too?

Yes. I think there’s a calmness about me, a calmness I certainly feel inside. People say I’m very calm and not a lot ruffles me, so there’s a certain strength in that. You can walk into any situation, you can go about your day and if you have that center, I just think it shows on the outside.

You'll be meeting our local models and designers Wednesday. What advice do you give people?

I would say 16 is the very, very youngest that anyone should step in front of a camera. 

How old were you?

I was 16, but I modeled part-time when I was in high school and then I went to college and modeled part-time, and then I went to New York. I think the key to beauty is educating yourself, and even if you finish your formal education, just go out and have adventures and try new things, something you’ve never done. That’s the key to beauty… Just spend time with yourself first. Take time to go on a hike, go on a walk without a cell phone. Just make friends with yourself first.

Can women older than 40 still have a relevant role in the fashion and beauty world?

I think they can have a relevant role until the day they die. I don’t think that beauty has to do with age. I’ve seen older women, like 80s and 90s, who just take my breath away and I want to know them, I want to talk with them and be with them. I think every age has a big stamp on society. There’s something to be said, of course, for the beauty of youth, but it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop unless you let it stop.

Deal Diva Stephanie

Photos: Cambria, Times files