There are models, and then there are Vogue models. As the world's leading fashion magazine, Vogue has been the ultimate style authority since its inception in 1892, ruling what and who is in style. Women deemed worthy of the magazine's "cover girl" status were catapulted into international recognition and fashion prominence. Vogue Model: The Faces of Fashion (published by Little Brown Book Group in December) traces the stories behind the iconic women who have made up Vogue's history, and by extension, part of our cultural and style fabric. From Gisele Bündchen to Naomi Campbell, a look at the famous faces in Vogue throughout the years.
Patrick Demarchelier
As if she emerged out of a painting, Paula Gellibrand possessed a remarkable, unique elegance. Described as having a "languid sophistication," Gellibrand famously introduced the trend of applying Vaseline to her eyelids to enhance their natural droopiness. Married to Spanish royalty, she became a marquise and was regarded by Vogue's fashion editor-at-large as having "individual and original taste." She was immortalized as the heroine of the Enid Bagnold novel, Serena Blandish or the Difficulty of Getting Married, and was forever a legend in early Vogue history.
Cecil Beaton
Barbara Goalen, a British model in the 1940s and 1950s, was most recognized for her tiny waist and unsmiling demeanor. A model for the haute couture houses of Dior and Balenciaga, Goalen had a way of carrying her 18-inch waist and 31-inch hips. As photographer Henry Clark described, "you put the dress on Barbara and she made it sing."
Horst
Regarded by Diana Vreeland as a "super-duper superstar," the New York-born model was a sensation in the fifties. With an "almond-shaped face, raven hair, turquoise eyes, and face painted so white," Dovima became the highest paid model; she was deemed "the Dollar-a-Minute" girl. Her stardom sky-rocketed when she entered the orbit of famed photographer Richard Avedon. His 1955 photograph of her in a floor-length, black evening gown with a circus elephant, entitled "Dovima with the Elephants," became one of Avedon's most iconic images.
Henry Clarke
Jill Kennington was chosen to be Vogue's model, "whenever we are doing pictures," Diana Vreeland proclaimed. With freshness and "dyanamo," Kennington became Vogue's""Face of '63," the Quintessence. From her Vogue pedestal, she enjoyed an exciting—but very short— career by most standards.
Bob Richardson
Lauren Hutton, the self-proclaimed, "gap-toothed, banana-nosed, swamp skunk," was one of the major models in the 1970s. Hutton remembers the instant fame she experienced in her heydey after Richard Avedon's photoshoot, rendering her "basically triple-booked every hour for the next ten years." The blonde girl-next-door earned a quarter of a million dollars in one year alone as the face of Revlon's Ultima. Her fame persisted for a number of years, with a short career in Hollywood films.
Eva Sereny
Self-described as the first modern supermodel, Janice Dickinson rose to stardom in the late seventies and eighties, gracing major catwalks and fashion magazines alike. In the peak of her modeling career, Dickson was best known for her unique look: her Lolita sexiness with large lips and small eyes. Moreover, she's said to have created "mini-typhoons wherever she went," with her immense charisma and booming personality.
Mike Reinhardt
Brooklyn-based model of Puerto Rican descent, Talisa Soto, became an immediate muse for fashion photographer Bruce Weber. Reminding him of "a young Marlon Brando," Soto began modeling in Paris at the age of 15 with Weber as her guiding light. Her collaboration with another photographer, Albert Watson, for Vogue's 1980 cover, was bizarre, "producing an eye-catching approximation involving pink netting from John Lewis, and brooches fashioned out of diamante-studded rocks."
Albert Watson
A legendary muse of photographer Steven Meisel, Linda Evangelista set herself apart from others within her supermodel coterie, including Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell, with her boyish figure, bowl-cut hairstyle, and bold remark, "we don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day!" Through the years, Evangelista proved her ability to effortlessly change her style and appearance and to have immense staying-power in a transitory industry. With a desire to remain a supermodel for her entire life, she returned to the catwalk in 2007 for Christian Dior's 60th fall couture show, and, at 43 years old, she was the face of Prade's 2008 campaign.
Patrick Demarchelier
Carla Bruni, France's former First Lady, was an "immediate star at Vogue." The Italian-French singer/songwriter took the fashion world by force in the late eighties at age 19, gracing the cover of Vogue. walking the runways of Chanel, Versace, and Dior, and becoming the face of Prada. To many in the fashion community, Bruni is known for her killer gaze and a body "that poured itself down the catwalk like honey off a spoon."
Max Vadukul
During the late 1980s and 1990s, Naomi Campbell became a household name and was among the top three most in-demand models of her time. London-born Campbell created a name for herself and a presence in the industry unlike most who have come and gone. Vogue once asked, "What is there left to say about Naomi Campbell? She along with Linda, Christy, Cindy et al, personified the age of the supermodel."
Patrick Demarchelier
The Bardot-like, German model Claudia Schiffer emerged in the 1990s. Described by photographer Arthur Elgort as "more like a movie star than a model," Schiffer was estimated by Forbes as the richest model in the early years of the new millenium. Her campaigns for Guess Jeans, Revlon, and Chanel made her one of the most recognizable faces in fashion.
Patrick Demarchelier
Of all the models in the world, Gisele Bündchen is the top of the list. As the hightest-paid model in the world for several years, the Brazilian bombshell first came on the scene with Alexander McQueen's Spring 1998 "Rain" runway show. Since that moment, "everyone has wanted Gisele." With her golden tresses and healthy, sexy body, Vogue dubbed her "The Return of the Sexy Model" in 1999, ending the era of "heroin chic."
Corinne Day
