By Megan Riedlinger
9:07am PST, Mar 7, 2021
Talk about supermodels with staying power! Wonderwall.com is rounding up some of the big-name models who are still hard at work today and exploring their careers then and now. First up is the one and only Helena Christensen. The Danish-Peruvian stunner was one of the most iconic models of the '90s — and she was one of the original Victoria's Secret models. She notably starred in Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" music video in 1990 and landed a Revlon cosmetics contract by 1992. She's seen here walking the runway for Chanel in Paris in 1989. Keep reading to see Helena working today, plus more models who've had lengthy careers in the fashion world…
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Helena Christensen is still modeling today. In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia, French Elle and the British magazine Tatler. In 2017, she teamed up with Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Carla Bruni to iconically close the Versace spring/summer 2018 show. She walked the runway for Dolce&Gabbana in 2019 while also appearing in the brand's ad campaign that same year. More recently in 2020, she walked in Balmain's ready-to-wear show in Paris. She's also carved out a second career as a photographer. Helena shares son Mingus with former boyfriend and "The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus.
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English beauty Kate Moss was discovered at 14 back in 1988 while on vacation in the Bahamas. By the early '90s, she was landing major campaigns for brands like Levi's and walking runways for designers like Chanel and Isaac Mizrahi (seen here in 1993).
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These days, Kate Moss pops up on runways sparingly, but she did strut her stuff in January 2021 for Fendi's haute couture show — alongside her 18-year-old daughter, Lila Grace, who's been following in her mother's footsteps! Kate has also dabbled in design during her career, putting out collections with Topshop in 2007 and 2014. She shares Lila, her only child, with ex Jefferson Hack.
Christy Turlington started modeling as a teen and made the move to New York City at 18 to model full time. She was a fashion darling who was walking major runways, starring in campaigns and posing for the cover of Vogue in 1999 as one of the prestigious fashion outlet's touted "Modern Muses." She also enjoyed a long relationship with the Calvin Klein brand. Keep reading to see Christy still slaying runways today…
Though she doesn't hit runways often, it's always exciting to spot Christy Turlington returning to the catwalk. She walked in Marc Jacobs' autumn/winter 2019 collection show and in January 2021 joined fellow supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in Fendi's haute couture show. The beauty has been married to actor Edward Burns since 2003. They share daughter Grace and son Finn.
As the first Black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue, Russian Vogue and Time magazine, Naomi Campbell broke barriers from the very beginning of her career in the '80s. She was quickly coined a supermodel and called Yves Saint Laurent her mentor. She's seen here at a Christian Lacroix show in 1989.
These days, Naomi Campbell continues to slay the runway — as seen here at the Fendi Haute Couture show in January 2021. After the fashion industry slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Naomi launched her own web series on YouTube. She's continued to date famous men during her long career, from Leonardo DiCaprio in the '90s to Liam Payne in 2019.
Tyra Banks started modeling at 15. During her first runway season in 1991, she booked a record 25 shows at Paris Fashion Week and dominated the fashion world from that point on. She's appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times (plus she was the first Black woman to land the cover), been a Victoria's Secret Angel and walked runways for designers ranging from Ralph Lauren to Yves Saint Laurent.
After hosting "America's Next Top Model" from 2003 to 2018, Tyra Banks in 2019 she returned to the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and in 2020, she took over hosting duties on "Dancing With the Stars." She's also now a proud mom to son York, whom she welcomed in 2016 with then-boyfriend Erik Asla, a Norwegian photographer.
Midwestern girl Karlie Kloss was discovered at a charity fashion show at a St. Louis mall when she was 13. Two years later in 2007, she was walking the runway at New York Fashion Week modeling for Calvin Klein. Karlie, seen here on the Phillip Lim runway a year later, was memorably a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 to 2015.
Karlie Kloss continues to model — she's seen here walking for Off-White in 2020 — but she also has another important role: She founded Kode with Klossy! She started the organization for teen girls to promote learning computer science. She also took over for fellow model Heidi Klum as the host of "Project Runway" beginning in 2018. Karlie has been married to Joshua Kushner since 2018 and announced her first pregnancy in 2020.
Somalia native Iman was discovered by American photographer Peter Beard while attending college at the University of Nairobi. A year later, she'd landed her first modeling assignment for Vogue. After that impressive start, she quickly made a name for herself as a supermodel who served as a muse for designers like Halston, Issey Miyake and Gianni Versace.
Iman modeled for UGG's Spring/Summer 2021 campaign, showing she's still active in the modeling world nearly four decades after she started. She was married to basketball star Spencer Haywood, with whom she shares daughter Zulekha, and later was wed to rock icon David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016. They share a daughter, Alexandria.
Back in the '70s, Christie Brinkley was a household name thanks largely to her work in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and her contracts with Cover Girl that ran from 1976 until the mid-'90s.
Christie Brinkley was featured in the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at 63! She continues to dabble in modeling, appearing in ads for Barneys New York in 2015. She also competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2019. She was famously married to music star Billy Joel from 1985 to 1994; they share a daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. After that, she was married to Richard Taubman, with whom she has son Jack, from 1994 to 1995, and architect Peter Cook, with whom she has daughter Sailor, from 1996 to 2006.
Adriana Lima became a Victoria's Secret model more than two decades ago! Yep, a year after modeling for the brand in 1999, she was elevated to the rank of an esteemed Angel. The high-fashion world followed — she's seen here walking the runway for Valentino in 2000.
Adriana Lima continues to walk runways, though she appeared in her last Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2018. These days, she also does a lot of print modeling for brands like Maybelline, Puma and Chopard. She shares two daughters with her ex-husband, former NBA star Marko Jaric.
Linda Evangelista was discovered in a modeling contest and was signed by Elite Model Management in 1981. Her career took off quickly and soon the stunner was on the cover of Vogue, walking runways (like this one for Yves Saint Laurent in 1985) and famously sparking a hairstyle trend with her cropped tresses.
She's still working! Linda Evangelista continues to model and is still regarded as one of the best ever to do it. In 2016, she teamed up with fellow supermodels Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell for a campaign for the Elephant Crisis Fund to raise money to protect pachyderms. The mother of one — she shares son Augustus with ex Francois-Henri Pinault — also works with the anti-aging skincare brand Erasa.
