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INDIE REWIND: The Greatest Supermodels of the 80s (and Early 90s)

Lester Brathwaite — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:51:29 +0000

When you think of “supermodel,” you can’t help but think of The Big 3. Or The Super Six. Or my favorite grouping, The Legion of Doom. Spawned from the decadence of the 80s, these gals became more than supermodels — they became divas. From Linda Evangelista refusing to wake up for less than $10,000 a day to the phone-throwing, blood diamond-wearing, catwalking behemoth known as Naomi Campbell, there have never and will never be supermodels the likes of these ladies. Yet their dominance over the zeitgeist was short-lived as they were replaced in the mid-90s by a series of bland waifs whose personalities would not detract from the clothes, i.e. they got knocked from their high horse. But you can’t keep a good super down and they are as in demand today as they were 25 years ago.

Christie Brinkley (Feb. 2, 1954) Billy Joel's Uptown Girl was the reigning supermodel of the early 80s thanks to her three consecutive Sports Illustrated covers (1979-1981). After signing a record 20-year contract with Cover Girl, Brinkley came to embody the perpetually perky All-American girl of the decade. Recently, though, she went through a very public and very messy divorce and proved in a 2006 editorial in W magazine there was some grit beneath all that goddamn cheer.

Gia Carangi (1960-1986) Tragic beauty Gia Carangi skyrocketed to superstardom after scoring her first Vogue cover in 1978. All that success perhaps came to early as she became heavily involved in drugs and her modelling career was all but over by 1982 when she shot her last cover for Cosmopolitan. She died four years later from complications of AIDS. Gia's legacy was enhanced a decade later when Angelina Jolie starred in an HBO biopic, garnering a Golden Globe for her performance.

Kathy Ireland (March 20, 1963) Like Christie Brinkley, Kathy Ireland was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit regular -- her first cover, the 25th anniversary issue in 1989, is still the best selling in the mag's history. She hung up her bikini in the mid-90s and started hocking goods for Kmart and she parlayed her supermodel career into a super successful business that pulls in some $1.5 billion a year

Paulina Porizkova (April 9, 1965) Equally adept on the cover of Sports Illustrated -- landing consecutive covers in 1984 and 85 -- as on a high fashion runway, Porizkova was a Czech phenomenon. In 1988 she scored the biggest modelling contract at the time when Estée Lauder signed her for $6 million. Another America's Next Top Model alum, Porizkova is most fondly remembered by trannies everywhere as the idol of Octavia St. Laurent in Paris Is Burning.

Linda Evangelista (May 10, 1965) If you watch Isaac Mizrahi's seminal fashion documentary Unzipped (1995), you won't be able to help but think Linda Evangelista is a whiny bitch. She complains about everything the entire movie. You wonder why Mizrahi and everyone else puts up with it. Then, moments before she goes on the runway for his Fall 1994 collection, she stares directly into the camera, seduces you in a second then turns it out all the way down the catwalk. The super among supers who once notoriously purred, "We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day," was worth every penny. She's fashion's reigning chameleon, able to go from high fashion to commercial with the raise of an eyebrow.

Cindy Crawford (Feb. 20, 1966) The mole that launched a thousand magazine covers, Cindy Crawford was perhaps the most iconic of the supemodels to emerge in the 1980s. She was the approachable bombshell, the girl next door who just happened to be walking a Chanel runway in Paris. Cindy is rarely seen on a runway or in an editorial these days, but whenever she crops up it's a pretty big deal, like mama bird coming home to the roost.

Christy Turlington (Jan. 2, 1969) Quietly stunning, Christy Turlington can nonetheless pose anyone off the page. Perhaps it's all those years of yoga, but her inner serenity and ferocity when it comes to her body language go hand in hand. She can be dynamic, she can be avant garde, she can be powerful, but she's always amazing.

Naomi Campbell (May 22, 1970) What can be said about Naomi Campbell that hasn't already been said that won't land me in jail? The preeminent black supermodel of the past 50 years, Naomi recently celebrated her 25th year in the modeling industry, though her personal life remains front page material. Famous for her temper, the super has managed to stay in the spotlight because she's got more to offer than just a cell phone to the head. A versatile editorial model, she also possesses the best walk ever seen on a runway.

Paulina Porizkova is a Cheerleader for Plastic Surgery

Amanda Gabriele — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:21:32 +0000

Model turned blogger Paulina Porizkova thinks plastic surgery can be a healthy boost to a woman’s self esteem. I think she’s full of shit, but let’s see what she has to say.

Porizkova’s thoughts on plastic surgery:

“Let me state once and for all that I am not against plastic surgery. In many cases, it is something that can so vastly improve the quality of life it actually saves it. And even in the more frivolous cases, I do not have a problem with a woman who chooses a teensy bit of this or that to make herself feel better, as long as she admits to it. Nothing galls me as much as age-defying celebrities who achieve their looks by ‘healthy food and yoga.’ I know this is bullshit. You may not. But I can guarantee we will both feel bad about the way we look, the way we have let ourselves go, when Michelle Pfeiffer and Demi Moore look not a day over 30.”

Maybe we should be teaching young girls that plastic surgery is not the only alternative. With “healthy food and yoga,” you may not look 25 when you’re 50, but you can feel good and look beautiful at any age. Ugh and I’m so over Demi Moore, it’s like she never began.

LINK LOVE: The Cut

The Ten: Supermodels Who Refuse To Age

Rebecca Alexander — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:13:48 +0000

Fashionation has a list of six super-human women who are aging quite gracefully. We’ve added four more to complete the list.

1. Cindy Crawford

2. Christie Brinkley

3. Paulina Porizkova

4. Elle Macpherson

LINK LOVE: Popgloss via Fashionation

12/08/2004 - Cindy Crawford - Ocean's Twelve Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Grauman's Chinese Theatre - Keywords: Ocean's 12 - Photo Credit: David Gabber / Photorazzi - Contact (1-866-551-7827)

IN CASE YOU CARE: Paulina Porizkova Gets the Stiletto Boot

Princess Glover — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:17:06 +0000

Times are tough, and when it’s time to trim the fat its only fair that the once-famous supermodel, whose only real purpose is to make it look like it’s not really all about Tyra and provide shallow, empty commentary, should pack her bags and leave the house.

“The current state of the economy has forced shows to make major budget cuts industry wide,” says America’s Top Model executive producer Ken Mok, in a joint statement with Tyra Banks released Monday. “America’s Next Top Model is not immune to these financially challenging times. We’ve had to make significant cuts in every area of the production and, unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts.”

Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference since the show is a joke anyway. They should’ve stuck with Janice even if she did talk out of her ass half the time, at least she was entertaining. So who’s up next…Frederique Van der Wall?