Supermodels From the 80s and 90s, Then and Now

The supermodels of the 1980s and 90s aptly fit the Robert Palmer song Simply Irresistible, even today. We still remember the era when we used to wait for the magazine covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar just to see how our favorite models looked and what they wore. Because of supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, and Cindy Crawford, the sales of these magazines and many other brands received an instant and unprecedented boost. 

And, these supermodels still reign supreme. In fact, they continued to rule the fashion industry well beyond the 2000s. Their presence was such that they could conveniently make or break any runway show. Their photographs on giant billboards were plastered in every nook and corner of the world. And collectively, these models determined the fashion and makeup trends that we all used to look up to, and the new-gen models take cues from. So, how do these supermodels from the last two decades of the twentieth century look today? Let’s find out. 

Cindy was most well-known for her iconic mole. The model with the lustrous literally owned the runway back in the 1980s. But don’t think that Cindy Crawford’s claim to fame was only the looks. She’s a highly intellectual model who received an academic scholarship to Northwestern University and was valedictorian high school. Cindy was the runner-up in a modeling contest when she was just 17, and that’s how her career got launched. By the 1990s, she was an established supermodel.

Cindy has appeared in tons of magazine covers throughout her career, was married to Richard Gere, and how can we forget the 1992 Pepsi ad. She worked for some of the biggest names in the fashion world and hosted MTV’s House of Style. Today, she’s married to Rande Gerber, while her daughter Kaia Gerber is a successful model. Crawford has launched her furniture line and a home goods line for J.C. Penny. She’s a spokesperson for Acqua Minerale and a cosmetics line called Meaningful Beauty.  

Kathy Ireland landed a feature in not one or two but 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions, which is a feat none else could accomplish in that era. The California native also did back-to-back covers for Seventeen, Vogue, and almost every magazine published in that time. Kathy was a household name back in the 80s, and her fitness video was among the first such videos to make waves in the industry.

Kathy Ireland appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated when she was 20, which turned out to be the bestselling issue of all time. “We joke that there’s still the Kathy Ireland standard. She’s kind of the complete package,” stated MJ Day, senior editor of SI’s Swimsuit issue. Today, Ireland is among the world’s wealthiest models, with over $420 million worth of assets. The 57-year-old former model founded Kathy Ireland Worldwide in 1993 as a Kmart sock line that eventually evolved into area rugs, apparel, wedding dresses, wigs, carpets, jewelry, futon, and office furniture brand. In 2016, Kathy’s estimate net worth was $360 million. She’s married to Greg Olsen and has three children. 

Brooke Shields started modeling when she was just 11 months old baby. Her first modeling gig was for Ivory Soap. Shields appeared in several controversial ads for Calvin Klein throughout her childhood, which many still regard as provocative. Shields was 15 at that time and her dialogue “Want to know what comes between me and my Calvin’s?” remains etched in consumers’ memories. 

This campaign was instrumental in making Calvin Klein a premium fashion brand. During the 80s, Brooke Shields graced almost all mainstream magazine covers and was known for embodying the 80s Look like a pro. She also starred in the movie The Blue Lagoon. Today, Shields is 55 and has appeared on multiple TV shows over the years, such as Friends, Jane the Virgin, and Suddenly Susan. She’s an advocate for females dealing with postpartum depression. Brooke is married to Chris Henchy and has two daughters.

The Somalian stunner, Iman, started modeling in 1975 and modeled regularly for high-profile designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Calvin Klein. Iman was a muse for Yves Saint Laurent and was the first African-American ever to appear on the cover of German Vogue, in which she appeared in the iconic white Halston dress. Chris von Wangenheim did this shoot in 1977.

When Iman arrived in New York in October 1975, she had no idea about the fashion world. “I’d never seen a fashion magazine in my life; I’d never worn heels or makeup for that matter. So, I had no idea what I was walking into,” Iman told Vogue in one of her recent interviews. Today, Iman is busy with humanitarian work and stints on Project Runway Canada. Her flawless skin still surprises many as she looks just as youthful decades later as she was when she first came to the USA. 

Janice claims that she coined the term supermodel back in 1979 and is regarded as the world’s first supermodel. We cannot doubt her claim because Dickinson has appeared on as many as 37 Vogue and 7 Elle covers and did campaigns for Valentino and Dior. The Ford model’s career wasn’t limited to her home country. Janice has done modeling gigs all over Europe. But, as she aged, the beautiful model tried to stay youthful by going under the knife. Reportedly, she got her first cosmetic surgery when she was 33.

Janice is 55 now and is now associated with America’s Next Top Model as a judge. She was part of the show for its first four seasons and was a ruthless judge. She also participated in I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here as a contestant and starred in her reality show titled The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. The show was named after her personal modeling agency of the same name that she launched in 2005.

The California native had ruled the runway since the age of 14. Turlington remained the face of Calvin Klein for more than twenty years, which in itself is a great achievement. You must remember her from George Michael’s Freedom! 90 video as her sultry smile still gave viewers sleepless nights. Christy was one of the most famous models in the 1990s and modeled for reputed brands like Chanel, Missoni, Revlon, and Valentino.

Turlington was the supermodel trinity of the 1990s, the other two models being Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Christly still rocks the modeling world. The only difference is that she is more engaged in her non-profit activities and raising her two children with hubby Ed Burns. She runs a maternal health organization called Every Mother Counts. Turlington has certainly achieved a lot with a master’s degree in Public Health, a documentary dubbed No Woman No Cry, and serving on Harvard’s Global Health Council. Recently, Christy has launched two activewear brands Nuala and Mahnuala while she co-owns Sundari, an ayurvedic skincare line.

Ms. Evangelista’s comment to Vogue that she and other famous supermodels of her time didn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day is proof of her insane popularity back in the day. Linda is among the most famous and highest-earning supermodels from the 80s and 90s. She holds the record for appearing on the most covers with Vogue Italia. She was ranked in the 80s Big Six Supermodels. In the 90s, Linda cut her hair into a cropped bob that instantly became a raging trend. 

Linda kept on appearing in campaigns for the best brands throughout her career, including Versace, Revlon, and Donna Karen. She took a brief break from modeling but returned soon and appeared in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Moschino’s makeup line. She also modeled for Hudson’s Bay and was recently honored as Creative Director and Vice President of the Erasa Skin Care brand. Even at 55, the Canadian-born model is as gorgeous as ever. She spends most of her time in France and raises her son Augustin with former flame Francois-Henry Pinault.

Carol Alt was declared The Face of the 80s. She started her career as the cover model for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition in 1982. Reportedly, Alt took it as a summer job and had no idea it’ll become her profession. Eventually, Alt graced more than 500 magazine covers in her career. She’s now a cosmetic entrepreneur, and we are surprised to see that youthful glow on her face even today. 

Alt claims that apart from her makeup line, a raw diet helps her stay glowing and youthful. Carol believes in a duet comprising raw food, and she has been following it for the past 18 years. In her latest book, A Healthy You, released in 2015, she raved about the impact of this diet on her health and skin. She believes that people should stop worrying about growing old and instead try to age gracefully and that we should stop working so hard as it can quickly add several years to our face.

The sexy and sultry Paulina Porizkova was born in Czechoslovakia. After the Soviet invasion in 1968, when Paulina was just three years old, her parents fled to Sweden and left her in the care of her grandmother. It took them seven years to reunite with their daughter. When Paulina was 15, she moved to Paris and became interested in modeling. She earned her big break after sending her pictures to different talent agencies. At 17, Paulina appeared on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover issue in 1983. Then she kept appearing on its cover year after year. 

Paulina was one of the most famous supermodels of her era, and her Eastern European origin contributed significantly to her success as she appeared exotic and different. “In the ’80s I was exotic because I was from an Eastern European country, and I had this story; I was a refugee. And it sort of catapulted me into the big time,” Paulina said. Now 54, she is a blogger for Huffington Post. She was married to rocker Ric Ocasek, and the couple has two sons. Paulina has appeared in several TV shows, including Desperate Housewives, and participated in Dancing with the Stars.

The all-American looks of Christine and her killer bod helped her get featured on three consecutive covers of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues from 1979 to 1981. In addition to this, Christine Brinkley appeared on over 500 magazine covers and remained the face of Cover Girl for more than two decades. As per Encyclopedia Britannica, Christine represented a “new generation of celebrity models who were photographed more often in sportswear than in couture fashions.”

Back in 1976, Brinkley signed a contract with Cover Girl was associated with the brand until the late 1990s. She was first married to singer Billy Joel, but unfortunately, they got divorced. Then she married developer Richard Taubman, but they also got divorced after the infamous helicopter incident. Later she married for the third time to architect Peter Cook and left him after he was caught cheating on her with their nanny. Today, Christine looks like a slightly older version of Barbie. She lives in the Hamptons and is worth around $80 million.

Elle Macpherson got registered as the next big thing after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, and she was roped in for the magazine’s cover for a record five times. She also graced the covers of every fashion magazine from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar to Elle and many more. Interestingly, she achieved it all before her 21st birthday.

Macpherson started modeling during the mid-80s and enjoyed a successful career throughout the 90s. Due to her ultra-fit body, Elle got “The Body” title and walked the runway for mainstream designers like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Christian Dior. That’s not all. She also worked with Victoria’s Secret. Later on, Elle launched a lingerie line called Macpherson Intimates and a skincare line called The Body. Recently she became the co-founder of an organic wellness supplements brand, WelleCo. Elle has appeared on Friends, Batman & Robin, and the Revlon spokesperson has hosted Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model.

Stephanie Seymour started modeling at 14. The brunette beauty was among the first catalog models for Victoria’s Secret but what made her more famous was her appearance in former beau Axl Rose’s Guns’ N Roses’ video, “November Rain.” This song is still our fondest memory from the 1980s. She had a successful run as a supermodel until the late 1990s, during which she represented brands like Valentino, Almay, L’Oreal, and Christina Dior.

Stephanie also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Playboy. She was first married to Axl Rose, but she married publishing mogul Peter Brant after their divorce. She has two sons, Peter Brant. Jr. and Harry. The two are renowned socialites and are often spotted in NYC’s artsy circles. Seymour shares a close bond with her sons. The former supermodel still does professional modeling occasionally, but at 50, she now prefers to stay low-key. Recently she agreed to become the global ambassador for Estee Lauder, has co-founded a lingerie line, Raven & Sparrow, and appeared in the movie Pollock.

Naomi Campbell is one of the “six” supermodels of the 1980s. In fact, Campbell was the most sought-after model of her day. The fierce diva modeled for the fashion industry’s most prominent brands like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. The London-born dusky beauty got her big break into the world of modeling when she was 15. She is one of the first black models to grace British Vogue, French Vogue, and Time. Throughout her career, Naomi featured in more than 500 covers.

There’s no doubt that Campbell is among the most influential supermodels of all time. Her first modeling gig was for Elle UK. She became the first African-American model to represent major brands like Ralph Lauren and Prada and appear in music videos for Michael Jackson and Madonna. She even dated the most high-profile men such as Mike Tyson, Eric Clapton, and Robert DeNiro. Now 48, Campbell still owns the runway and walked for labels like Zac Posen and appeared in Burberry and Agent Provocateur campaigns. She even founded a charity, We Love Brazil, to combat poverty in South America.

Christensen ventured into the world of modeling accidentally after winning the coveted Miss Copenhagen contest. She participated, thinking that the contest was held for a charity. Then she participated in the Mis Universe contest and got herself noticed by the who’s who of the fashion industry. Helena then modeled for all major fashion houses and magazines throughout the 90s, including Chanel, Victoria’s Secret, Prada, and Versace. Christensen took everyone by surprise by appearing topless in Chris Isaak’s music video for Wicked Game.

Helena Christensen continued modeling throughout the 1990s. She appeared on the covers of British Harper’s Bazaar, American Vs. and Elle and did campaigns for coveted brands like Triumph, Reebok, and Character. in 1999, Helena co-founded Nylon magazine and later launched two clothing lines. She also tried her hand at photography, and her photos appeared in various photography exhibitions and magazines like Elle, Nylon, and Marie Claire.

Tyra Banks was one of the most sought-after and famous supermodels back in the 90s. she started appearing in fashion shows at 15 years and quickly became the country’s top model. The African-American beauty virtually ruled the fashion industry and was the first black model to grace the GQ and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover. In 1997, Banks received the Supermodel of the Year award from VH1 and remained Victoria’s Secret Angel for nearly a decade.

Tyra ventured into acting as well and appeared in episodes of Coyote Ugly and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Today, she is an executive producer, judging American’s Top Model for 24 seasons and a presenter. Currently, Banks is executive producer for Freeform’s Life-Size 2. She has even written three books and has a cosmetics brand known as Tyra Beauty. Tyra has hosted her own talk show that aired between 2005 and 2010. In 2020, she was signed for hosting Dancing with the Stars, but the show received mixed reviews.

Interestingly, the future supermodel was accidentally discovered at JFK International Airport in New York when she was 14. No one knew back then that she would soon become one of America’s highest-paid supermodels. People call her a rebellious model who embodied the look of Heroin Chic through the 1990s. Kate Moss worked with every major fashion brand and starred in controversial ads for Calvin Klein. Moss dated mainstream actors like Johnny Depp and was dubbed the fashion industry’s IT Girl for two decades.

However, the model is often accused of promoting anorexia because of her wafer-thin frame and prickly quotes like “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Moss has had her fair share of controversies but is still relevant in the industry. At 47, she’s still modeling and was recently named one of the industry’s highest-paid models. She has also ventured into designing and had done multiple collections for Longchamp handbags and British retailer Topshop. She is the face of several perfume lines and contributes as a fashion editor for British Vogue with Naomi Campbell.

Schiffer was discovered in 1987 when she was just 17 years old. By the late 1990s, she was a household name and a full-fledged supermodel. Karl Lagerfeld signed her as the face of Chanel, and throughout the 90s, Claudia appeared in campaigns for major fashion brands and graced the covers of hundreds of magazines. Due to her resemblance with Brigitte Bardot, she was handpicked to be the face of Guess. The supermodel did a cameo for the 2003 flick Love Actually for an eye-watering £200,000.

Claudia also holds the Guinness World Record for doing the most magazine covers as she appeared on over 1000 covers. Today, Claudia Schiffer is married to director Matthew Vaughn and is busy raising her three children. She occasionally does modeling for brands like Alberta Ferretti, Chanel, Ferragamo, and Yves St. Laurent. In her 50s now, Claudia is known for her multiple exercise videos, cashmere collection, hair care line with none other than Schwarzkopf, and her work with UNICEF.

Amber was 15 years old when she enrolled herself at Linda Layman Agency modeling school back in 1989, and the rest is history. Within five years, the bombshell secured a contract with Calvin Klein and appeared on the covers of Elle, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. Interestingly, during one of her shoots, she also met her future husband, fellow model Hervé Le Bihan. Throughout the 90s, Valletta remained the ultra-famous supermodel.

As a model, Amber Valletta appeared on16 Vogue covers. While nabbing cosmetic contracts with Elizabeth Arden and Calvin Klein, she also became the face of high-end brands like Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Prada, and Versace. She co-hosted MTV’s House of Style too. Amber ventured into the world of cinema in the early 2000s and is known more for her acting prowess now than her modeling gigs. She starred in What Lies Beneath, The Spy Next Door, Hitch, and TV shows like Blood & Oil and Revenge. Recently she walked for fashion shows in Paris, Milan, and New York and is now married to volleyball player Chip McCaw with whom she has a son.

Shalom Harlow is another famous face from the 1990s. Known as the catwalk queen of the 90s, Shalom was discovered in 1989 at a concert in Toronto when she was 15.As a model, she worked with brands like Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, and Versace and also acted in movies How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days and In & Out. She was the co-host for MTV’s House of Style along with fellow model Amber Valletta.

The designer muse is regarded as one of the defining faces at the turn of the century. The former ballet dancer’s poise and expressiveness made anything she donned appear as a work of art. In 2015, Harlow was named one of the world’s fifteen top-earning supermodels by Forbes. Harlow kept low for a while and returned to the ramp for a fashion for Versace in 2018. Nowadays, Shalom Harlow prefers to spend most of her time at a cottage in Canada, where she roams like a “little wild creature. I just was oriented toward nature, always,” Shalom recalls.

Heidi Klum is known the most for her gigs with Victoria’s Secret. Klum was the first German model to be named Victoria’s Secret Angel in 1999. During the late 90s, she created a huge splash in the fashion world and did covers for reputed magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Currently, she is more into acting and has served as a host, judge, and executive producer of Project Runway for many years. This show got her an Emmy nomination.

Klum has made numerous appearances on TV and has been a judge, host, and co-producer of Germany’s Next Top Model. In addition to this, her other notable works on television include appearances in Sex and the City and How I Met Your Mother. She also starred in several movies, the most noteworthy being Blow-Dry and Ella Enchanted. Throughout her modeling career, Heidi Klum remained the face of well-known brands and fashion houses. She boosted sales of everything from clothing to perfumes, music videos, and even video games. She recently judged America’s Got Talent and manages to stay relevant in the industry even today.

Ms. Romijn started modeling in the early 1990s and graced the covers of mainstream magazines like Marie Claire, Elle, Allure, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Sports Illustrated, and Glamour. Apart from magazine covers, Rebecca did campaigns for Christian Dior, Escada, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria’s Secret, La Perla, Maybelline, J. Crew, and Pantene, etc. Romijn walked the ramp for major brands like Sonia Rykiel and Giorgio Armani. She also hosted MTV’s House of Style for several years. 

Rebecca got married to John Stamos and is now known more for her acting than modeling. Some of her famous works as an actress include the character of Mystique in the X-Men franchise. She also bagged meaty roles in hit movies like The Punisher and Rollerball. Moreover, Rebecca Romijn has appeared on television shows, including Ugly Betty. However, fans still remember her dual roles in the movie Femme Fatale released in 2002, and Star Trek: Discovery as Number One.

The Italian bombshell remained one of the top models in the world for most of the 90s. She worked with major brands like Christian Dior, Guess, Paco Rabanne, Givenchy, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint-Laurent, Versace, and Chanel. Until 1997, she remained one of the highest-earning supermodels and left the fashion world to pursue a career in music and acting. For most of the 2000s, Bruni has remained busy with her music and acting career, but she did a show for Versace in 2018.

Bruni married French president Nicholas Sarkozy in 2008 and hence, became the first lady of France. Since then, her career as a model or musician took a backseat, and she got more involved in her duties as the first lady. There’s no doubt that Carla Bruni’s life has been a lot more eventful and more prosperous compared to other supermodels from that era. She, however, achieved a lot in her short-lived modeling career as she walked runways in Paris and appeared on covers of all major fashion magazines. In the music industry, she remained a chart-topping folk singer, and as the first lady, she became a symbol of grace and dignity.

Kim Alexis was not only beautiful but she had the brains to go with her looks. After high school, Kim was accepted to a five-year pharmacy school program at the University of Rhode Island. She graced the covers of some of the top American magazines such as Harpar’s Bazaar, Vogue, Sports Illustrated and Cosmopolitan to name a few. She was also the face of Revlon (replacing Lauren Hutton) for the Ultimate II line.

This 5’9 tall American supermodel had that all American look that every young woman aspired to have in the 1970s and 1980s. Kim Alexis transition from modeling to television in the 1990s and appeared in shows for Lifetime and the Family Channel. Kim has two ex husbands and three children from her two marriages.

Discovered at the age of fifteen while on vacation in the south of France, this 5’10 Dutch model entered into the modeling world when her friend submitted a photo of Karen for Elite Model “Look of the Year” contest. Karen soon graced the covers of Vogue all over the world and walked the runways from Chanel to Versace. But what made Karen Mulder a household face when she appeared as one of the original Angels for the Victoria Secrets catalogue and high anticipated runway shows.

Considered one of the top ten models in the 1990s, Karen Mulder at 5’10 was also one of the highest paying supermodels, commanding a salary of over $10,000 per assignment. Karen retired from modeling in 2000 and has pursue her singing career in Paris.

Carre Otis born in San Francisco was discovered at the age of sixteen in San Francisco became one of the most recognizable face in the world in the 1990s. She later graced the top fashion magazine covers such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and the likes. Carre debut her acting career in Wild Orchid with Mickey Rourke and was later married to him for almost six years that ended in 1998, citing domestic abuse. The charges were later dropped.

In 2011, she released her memoir Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir where she described the multiple times she was raped by Gérald Marie,the head of the Elite modeling agency. In August 2021 Carre Otis filed a lawsuit and sued the management of Elite Models for the rapes she endured at seventeen years old.

Considered to be one of the top supermodels in the 1990s, this 5’11 tall German born, raised in Sweden model was so popular she was one of the five supermodels in George Michael’s video Freedom! ’90. A vegetarian and a avid horse rider, Tatjana now lives in Malibu with her four horses, four dogs, two cats and a son from a previous marriage.

Considered to be one of the “Original Supermodels,” Tatjana continues to work in both television, films and modeling.

Jerry Hall absolutely ruled the late 1970s and dominated the 1980s. This statuesque Texan at 6’0 tall had already forty magazine covers by the time she was twenty-one. She was the world’s most sought after model and had international fame. She caught the eye of Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones. They were together from 1977 to 1999. After four kids together, the power couple parted ways.

Jerry Hall was not only a model but also a muse to many fashion designers and artists, such a Andy Warhol and Lucien Freud. In 2016, Jerry Hall married the media mogul Rupert Murdoch who is twenty-five years her senior.

Stella Tennant, a aristocrat British woman who’s modeling career span over thirty years. Her rise in the 1990s catapult her to supermodel status and she became the muse of several designers such as Helmut Lang, Marc Jacob and Karl Lagerfeld. She became the face of the House of Chanel for several years.

In August of 2020, Stella and her husband announce they were separated. By December of 2020, she had taken her life. Her family said that she had been dealing with mental issues for quite some time. She left behind four children.