Supermodels Zone

Laetitia Casta

2008-11-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

French fashion model Laetitia Casta was born May 11, 1978, in Port-Audemere in Normandy. The 5'7" model was "discovered" at age 15 when she was building sandcastles with her sister at a beach in Corsica. A photographer urged her to go to Paris for some test shots, and a few weeks later Casta was walking the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier. By the time she was 16, she had appeared on the covers of three magazines.

In 1993 the model started posing for Guess?, and Sports Illustrated featured her in their 1997, 1998, and 1999 swimsuit issues. She was musician Chris Isaak's love interest in his controversial video "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing." And in 1998 Rolling Stone magazine selected her for the cover of its "Hot" issue. In 2000, Casta was chosen as the new "Marianne," a woman to represent the ideals of the French republic. This position has formerly been held by celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuvre.

In addition to modeling, Casta has also appeared in several French films. In 2001 she gave birth to her daughter Sahteene, and she currently divides her time between homes in London and New York.

Cindy Crawford

2008-07-31T00:58:00.000-07:00

Cynthia Ann Crawford was born February 20, 1966, in De Kalb, Illinois. Cindy's big break stemmed from a lucky meeting she had with a newspaper photographer when she was 16 years old. During their chance encounter, the photographer insisted on taking a picture of Cindy, who was pollinating corn at the time. The photo and the positive feedback surrounding Cindy's photogenic talents were enough to convince her to quit her summer job and take up modeling.

Following two summers of modeling with Elite Model Management in Chicago, the all-American beauty decided to focus on expanding her mindset rather than her portfolio. Specifically, Cindy traded in the glamorous life a model (at least temporarily) to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University on scholarship.

The former high school valedictorian pulled off the same exceptional grades in college as in high school, but she didn't stick around long enough to see where a degree in engineering would have taken her as she left school in order to pursue a full-time modeling career. After working for photographer Victor Skrebneski in Chicago and becoming a success, Cindy took her supermodel assets to New York City in 1986.

Career:

From 1989 to 1995, Crawford was host of MTV's House of Style. In 1992, roadside posters of her had to be removed in Norway when authorities noticed a 300% increase in the accident rate as motorists were distracted by them. In 1995 Crawford took her first movie role in Fair Game. Her performance was dismissed by critics, and the film was a financial failure, with expenses of $50 million and $11 million takings at the box office.

Crawford is just over 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall, has a slim, well-toned figure, with brown hair and eyes. Her measurements are 34"-24"-35". She was the first modern supermodel to pose nude for Playboy magazine. She was ranked number 5 on Playboy's list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th century.

Milla Jovovich

2008-07-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

Milla Natasha Jovovich was born on December 17, 1975 in Kiev, Ukraine. She is the only child of Gallina Loginova, an actress, and Bogdanovitch (Bogie) Jovovich, a physician. Much of her first five years was spent travelling back and forth between her father's medical studies in London and their home in Russia.

At age 11, Milla rose above this relentless torment to begin her acting career. Her first movie, released in 1988, was Two Moon Junction. From that point on, Milla was flying high. Upon her entry in the realm of modeling, the world was amazed by how beautiful and 11-year-old fashion model could be. Milla's acting and modeling careers continued through her adolescence.

At age 18, Milla released her first album, The Divine Comedy. Many critics anticipated a cheesy pop album that they had come to expect from a model/actress turned singer/songwriter. To the surprise and pleasure of music-lovers everywhere, Milla's first album was a beautiful collection of eclectic music that utilized instruments from around the world.

In 1997, Milla starred with Bruce Willis in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element. Her performance as Leeloo forced the world to recognize her as the incredible actress that she is. During the filming, there were stories of a love affair between Milla and Luc.

Milla and Luc were married in December, 1997. Milla's last starring role came in Spike Lee's He Got Game with Denzel Washington. She stared in Luc Besson's Joan of Arc. In June 1999, she began performing on stage again, and there are rumors of an upcoming follow-up album to "The Peopletree Sessions", Milla's second album. Milla turns 24 this December.

Gisele Bundchen

2008-07-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Gisele Caroline Bundchen was born on July 20, 1980, in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Gisele is not the only beauty in her family; in fact, her five other sisters -- Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Patricia, and Rafaela -- are also aspiring models. The road to becoming the world's most sought-after model came by chance for Gisele, after she was spotted by an Elite agent while eating a Big Mac at a Sao Paulo McDonald's with her friends at the age of 14. Despite her father's disagreement with her career choice, Gisele moved to the city. In 1995, she entered the Elite Look Modeling Competition, and her career took off.

Gisele Bundchen in Vogue USA

Gisele Bundchen has since been in campaigns for major fashion houses, such as Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Valentino, Celine, Gianfranco Ferre, and Chloe.

As for magazine covers, she has graced the covers of Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Arena, Allure, and Rolling Stone.

gisele bundchen dates leonardo dicaprio

While her best friend may be her dog Vida (life in Portuguese), she has been romantically linked to male model Scott Barnhill, billionaire Joao-Paulo Diniz and actors Josh Hartnett and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Kate Moss

2008-07-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

Katherine Moss, who has become one of the most recognized and highest paid supermodels to emerge from the '90s, was born in Croydon, Surrey, England, on January 16, 1974. Kate's entry into the fashion industry all started in 1988, when she and her family were in JFK Airport on their way back from a vacation in the Bahamas. The then 14-year-old Kate caught the eye of Sarah Ducas of Storm Agency, who approached her. This chance encounter was the launching pad of Kate's hugely successful career.

Kate Moss in vogue

Kate signed with three different modeling agencies -- Women in New York, Marilyn in Milan and Storm in London. Her first modeling job was a topless appearance on the cover of the British magazine, The Face. After that, Kate was on her way to becoming the latest "It" girl, whose face and body would show up everywhere. The long list of magazine covers she has graced include Allure and Harper's Bazaar in the U.S.; Arena, Elle and The Face in the UK; as well as the American, British, Australian, Italian, and Brazilian editions of Vogue.

Kate Moss in music videos

In keeping with the tradition of supermodels being cast in music videos, such as Linda Evangelista and Helena Christensen, Kate Moss wins the prize for the most music video appearances. She has been in Johnny Cash's "Delia's Gone," Primal Scream's "Kowalski" and Elton John's "The Way You Look Tonight."

Adriana Lima

2008-07-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

Adriana Francesca Lima (born June 12, 1981) is a Brazilian supermodel. She was dubbed "The World's Most Voluptuous Virgin" by US GQ magazine. Lima is best known for her modeling work with Victoria's Secret and Maybelline.

In 2001, Lima starred in BMW short film, The Follow alongside actors Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Forest Whitaker. The film was directed by Hong Kong film director and internationally renowned auteur Wong Kar-Wai.

Lima is probably best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She first graced the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1999 and has appeared on subsequent shows ever since. Her most notable walk down the runway was in 2003, where she was the show opener. Lima had appeared on several television ads for the brand but her most memorable one, was appearing alongside the legendary rock musician Bob Dylan in 2003 Victoria's Secret Angel in Venice commercial which received both praise and criticism. She is currently a contract 'Angel' and spokesperson for the brand.

Lima is also a spokesperson for cosmetic giant Maybelline New York. She is the world's fourth highest paid supermodel as of 2007.

Since her rise to fame, Lima is often cited by popular media as one of the world's sexiest women. She ranked 7th on FHM 100 Sexiest Women 2007 and was chosen as one of People Magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People in the World, in May 2007. On June 13, 2007, she was awarded as "Hottest Girl on the Planet" at the first Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards but the category was not mentioned in the actual show. Lima was also voted on the Maxim Hot 100 2007 as number 53.

Tyra Banks

2008-07-16T01:28:00.000-07:00

Model, television personality. Born Tyra Lynne Banks on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California. After graduating from Los Angeles’ Immaculate Heart High School, Banks signed with Elite modeling agency. That initial job at age 17 launched an international modeling career that included runway shows, magazines, commercials and billboards.

Banks’ career has had as much to do with her looks as her business savvy. At age 20, she became only the third African American woman to secure a large cosmetics contract when she signed with CoverGirl. She was also the first black model to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Though Banks’ credits include such top fashion elite as Ralph Lauren and Dolce & Gabbana, she is best known for her commercial work for lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret.

In addition to modeling, Banks has recently gotten involved in television. She is the host and executive producer of UPN’s reality series America’s Next Top Model, which premiered in 2003. In 2005, she launched a self-titled daytime talk show aimed at young women.

Banks has been linked romantically with director John Singleton and Sacramento Kings player Chris Webber.

Heidi Klum

2008-07-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Heidi Klum was born in Bergisch Gladbach, a small city near Cologne, Germany, in 1973. Her career as a top fashion model and swimsuit star began almost by accident when, on a lark, she submitted photos to a model competition hosted by Petra, a young woman's magazine. Klum won the competition, and signed with Metropolitan, the German modeling agency. After modeling in Europe for a few years to great success, she went to the United States to pursue modeling there, and met with more success, culminating in her relationship with Victoria's Secret. This brought her to the pinnacle of modeling and, in 1998, the coveted cover of Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue, cementing her status as one of the world's top models. Along with that came lucrative marketing opportunities, including her own signature lines of sandals, jewelry, and perfume.

Like many other models, most notably Famke Janssen, Klum then sought to parlay her fame into a career in Hollywood. She has appeared frequently on TV in the US and in Germany, and has had several small parts in movies, including a cameo playing Swiss bombshell Ursula Andress in the Peter Sellers biopic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). Klum is married to British singer Seal and, as of June 2005, was expecting a child with him -- she has a daughter, Leni, with a boyfriend from a previous relationship. While she is best known for her beauty and perfect figure (one of her nicknames being "The Body"), the tall and willowy Klum remains surprisingly down-to-earth for a supermodel - a middle-class Westphalian girl from a small city - and has an endearingly goofy, engaging sense of humor. She is famously close to her father, Gunther.

COVER GIRLS

2008-07-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Supermodels are highly paid, top fashion models. These (usually female) celebrities, also known as cover girls, appear on top fashion magazine covers, in catalogues and in fashion shows.

The first model to pave the way for what would become the supermodel was Lisa Fonssagrives.The relationship between her image on over 200 Vogue covers and her name recognition led to the future importance of Vogue in shaping future supermodels. Her image appeared on the cover of every fashion magazine during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s from Town & Country, Life and Vogue to the original Vanity Fair. Model Janice Dickinson, however, asserts that she was the person for which the term was coined. as she popped the term herself while talking to her agent at the climax of her career: "I'm not superman, I'm a supermodel".

Other notable supermodels and top models have included Twiggy, Gia Carangi, Karen Mulder, Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley, Rachel Hunter, Christy Turlington, Jerry Hall, Marie Helvin, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Elle Macpherson, Stephanie Seymour, Elizabeth Hurley, Claudia Schiffer, and Kate Moss. Currently, according to several of the fashion world's personalities, such as Claudia Schiffer, Gisele Bündchen is the only true supermodel of her generation, although there are some others famous names as Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Doutzen Kroes, Carolyn Murphy, Laetitia Casta, Miranda Kerr, Natalia Vodianova, Karolína Kurková, Daria Werbowy, Ana Beatriz Barros, Fernanda Tavares, Isabeli Fontana, Gemma Ward and Heidi Klum.Notable male models include Tyson Beckford, Marcus Schenkenberg, Tyson Ballou and Evandro Soldati.