Supermodels of the '80s and '90s - Where are they now? | Gallery

By Wonderwall.com Editors 5:25am PST, Feb 20, 2021

They say that beauty fades — but not if you're one of these freaks of nature! Wonderwall.com rounded up our favorite supermodels of the '80s and '90s to see how they've changed (or not!) over the years. Keep reading to catch up with Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Helena Christensen and more of fashion's most famous faces of the past, starting with Cindy Crawford, who turns 55 on Feb. 20, 2021. This stunning lady kicked off her career at the tender age 17 when she placed second in Elite Model Management's Look of the Year contest. She went on to pose for some of the biggest names in fashion and hosted MTV's "House of Style" from 1989 to 1995. She's one of the original five supermodels and in 1995 was named the highest paid model on the planet by Forbes. Read on to find out what she's up to now!

Though Cindy Crawford said in 2000 that she was officially retiring from modeling, she's posed for countless brands and magazines since then. The supermodel, who was briefly married to Richard Gere in the '90s, wed entrepreneur Rande Gerber in 1998 and is the proud mom of two kids who are successful models, daughter Kaia and son Presley. These days, the beauty has her own skin care brand, Meaningful Beauty, as well as a furniture line. She hasn't completely retired from the runway: She hit the catwalk at the Versace spring/summer 2018 show alongside other icons like Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen. Cindy, along with supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, will be the subject of Apple TV+'s forthcoming docuseries "The Supermodels," which will chronicle their modeling careers.

Gisele Bundchen started a modeling class when she was 13 and was discovered by the Elite Modeling Agency at age 14. She went on to pose for some of the biggest names in fashion including Versace, Missoni, and Valentino. In 2000, she signed a $25 million deal with Victoria's Secret and became one of the most prominent Angels of all time.

Gisele Bundchen is still as gorgeous as ever, but she retired from runway shows in 2015. Back in 2001, she debuted her own line of flip flop sandals — Ipanema Gisele Bundchen, which has sold as many as 25 million pairs annually — and in 2010, she launched her own skincare line. In 2016, she signed with Brazilian shoe company Arezzo. The last big ad campaign she did was for Under Armour in 2014. She's a staunch supporter of environmental causes and posed on the August 2017 issue of Vogue Paris promoting the use of fake fur. And when she released a book, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life," in 2018, she donated proceeds to social and environmental causes close to her heart. In 2020, the documentary she executive produced, "Kiss the Ground," which advocates for climate control, debuted on Netflix. Following a high-profile romance with Leonardo DiCaprio, Gisele married NFL quarterback Tom Brady in 2009. They have two kids together, Benjamin and Vivian, and she's also a step-mom to Tom's son Jack Moynahan.

Christy Turlington was just 17 when she appeared in the music video for Duran Duran's hit "Notorious." The California girl, who had already been modeling for a few years and was pals with frontman Simon Le Bon's model wife, Yasmin Le Bon, also appeared in the music video for George Michael's "Freedom! '90," which featured fellow supermodels Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz.

Success as a model wasn't enough for Christy Turlington, who enrolled at New York University in 1994. Five years later, the supermodel graduated with a degree in comparative religion and Eastern philosophy. In 2003, she wed actor Ed Burns, with whom she has two children. In 2014, the duo co-starred in an ad campaign for Calvin Klein's Eternity fragrances. Christy, who continues to work regularly as a model, also founded nonprofit Every Mother Counts, an organization "dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother." In February 2017, she and her husband signed on as the campaign stars for Calvin Klein Eternity and the fragrance Calvin Klein Intense. In April 2017, Christy graced the cover of Vogue Paris. And in 2019, she was one of 15 women picked to cover the September issue of British Vogue.

Claudia Schiffer became a household name posing for the likes of Guess and Chanel during the '90s. The German beauty, who has appeared on more than 1,000 magazine covers, was also engaged to magician David Copperfield from 1994 to 1999.

Claudia Schiffer has continued to model, though her career has slowed down a bit in recent years. In 2002, the supermodel wed "X-Men: First Class" director Matthew Vaughn, with whom she shares three children: son Caspar and daughters Clementine and Cosima. Claudia also appeared in the hit 2003 rom-com "Love Actually" and launched a cashmere clothing line in 2011, the same year she sparked concerns for her health by appearing scary-skinny at the Cannes Film Festival. To mark the 30th anniversary of her career, Rizzoli published "Claudia Schiffer," a collection of her favorite fashion moments, in October 2017. That same year, she rocked the runway again alongside fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen at the Versace spring/summer 2018 show.

Helena Christensen launched her career on the catwalk when she was 20. Within just a few years, she'd worked with practically every major name in fashion, signed a coveted deal with Revlon and starred in the 1991 music video for Chris Isaak's hit single "Wicked Game." During the early '90s, the Peruvian-Danish beauty — who was also one of the first Victoria's Secret Angels — dated the late Michael Hutchence of INXS. She and "The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus, with whom she welcomed son Mingus in 1999, were an item from 1998 to 2003.

Helena Christensen continues to work as a model, but she's also had major success as a photographer in recent years. Her photos have appeared in Vogue, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar and Black Book, among many other magazines. She launched a Helena Christensen for Thomson collection of boyfriend shirts in 2016. The supermodel and Interpol frontman Paul Banks have been an item since 2008. As for her thoughts on the new social media generation fueled by models such as Cara Delevingne and Kendall Jenner, Helena told The Telegraph in May 2016, "Honestly, I feel so grateful that social media wasn't there before. I was very happy with just being an elusive, mysterious figure that just appeared in photo shoots." Like some of the other famous faces on this list, the model strutted her stuff at the Versace spring/summer 2018 show during Milan Fashion Week.

Before she was a top model, Naomi Campbell was a child star: At 7, she appeared in the music video for Bob Marley's "This Is Love," and at 12, she popped up in Culture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" music video. A talent scout officially discovered the British beauty while she was shopping shortly before her 16th birthday. Not long after, she appeared on the cover of British ELLE. The rest is history! Naomi, who along with Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista made up "The Trinity" of supermodels, went on to pose for the biggest fashion houses and magazines on the planet. She's also credited with breaking down racial barriers in the modeling world.

Naomi Campbell, who's now appeared on more than 500 magazine covers, is still considered one of the world's top models. She's also found success on the small screen in recent years: She appeared on "Empire" in 2015 and 2016, "American Horror Story: Hotel" in in 2015 and "Star" from 2017 until 2019. The supermodel's romantic history is equally noteworthy. Naomi has romanced Mike Tyson, Robert De Niro, U2 bassist Adam Clayton, Russian billionaire Vladimir Doronin and One Direction heartthrob Liam Payne. Though the British beauty, who famously once chucked a cellphone at her housekeeper, has made more than a few headlines for her anger issues over the years, she actively supports several international charities. The late, great Nelson Mandela even called her his "honorary granddaughter." In 2019, she landed the first beauty contract of her career, repping NARS. In 2020, Naomi took part in the fashion reality show "Making the Cut" alongside fellow legend Heidi Klum. That same year, she also made an appearance in Beyonce's visual album film "Black Is King."

While she made her debut in the fashion industry in the mid-'70s, Somalian model Iman was a major force well into the '90s. The sought-after beauty walked the runway for luxury houses including Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Versace and Valentino. She was also a muse of Yves Saint Laurent. "I saw it from the inception," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2015 of his work. "All these colors that you think would clash and then so harmonious!"

In 1994, Iman founded her own beauty line, Iman Cosmetics, in an effort to provide a wider range of shades. "When I launched IMAN Cosmetics in 1994, we were touted as the prestige brand for women of color, which in marketing speak was really just a PC way of saying Black," she wrote in an Instagram post in 2020. "And even though our brand positioning and advertising shows a vast array of skin tones from what people identify as Hispanic and Asian, I was admittedly comfortable with IMAN Cosmetics being identified as a the beauty brand that filled the gap for Black women because it was deeply personal for me. It was more than foundations and powders for me; it was appealing to a deep psychological need that I think all Black women needed at that time: To be told that they were beautiful, invited to sit at the table, and courted in high style: women of all skin tones want to look good when they rule the world." She's also a dedicated philanthropist — since 2019, she's been a global advocate for CARE, which aims to diminish poverty. From 2007 to 2009, she hosted "Project Runway Canada." Iman, who was famously married to David Bowie from 1992 until his 2016 death, has one daughter with the music legend, Alexandria. She's also a mom to daughter Zulekha from a previous relationship with professional basketball player Spencer Haywood.

Paulina Porizkova was just 18 when posed for the cover of the 1984 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. That same year, the Czech beauty starred in the music video for The Cars' song "Drive." She and frontman Ric Ocasek tied the knot in 1989, a year after she became the face of Estée Lauder.

Paulina Porizkova continued modeling and has appeared in a number of films over the years. The supermodel, who starred on Pop Network's "Nightcap" in late 2016, also briefly competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007 — she was the first contestant eliminated from the competition during her season — and served as a judge on "America's Next Top Model" from 2008 to 2010. During the '90s, Paulina released a children's book, and in 2007, her novel "A Model Summer" debuted. She wed the late Ric Ocasek in 1989 and welcomed two sons, Jonathan and Oliver. They announced their split in 2018 and Ric passed away a year later. The model is currently active on social media, and in January 2020 posted an attention-grabbing makeup-free selfie with a caption about aging.

Eva Herzigova relocated to Paris to pursue her career after she won a modeling contest in her native Czechoslovakia at 16. She went on to model for Guess, Victoria's Secret, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and Wonderbra's 1994 ad campaign. Eva wed Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres in 1996, but it wasn't meant to be: They parted ways just two years later.

Eva Herzigova continues modeling today. In recent years, she's appeared steadily on European magazine covers, walked the runway for Atelier Versace and posed for Dior Beauty. She and Italian businessman Gregorio Marsiaj have three sons: George, Philipe and Edward — and after years of being "anti-marriage," she and Gregorio announced their engagement in March 2017, though they've yet to tie the knot. These days Eva is active on social media and serves as editor-at-large for Vogue Czechoslovakia.

Tyra Banks started modeling at 15 and within just a few years had relocated to Milan to further her career. During 1991's Paris Fashion Week — which was her very first runway season as a model — she famously walked in 25 fashion shows. Tyra also became the first black woman to appear on the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog and posed for the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue twice. Her love life has been equally noteworthy: She romanced Seal, John Singleton and Will Smith during the height of her supermodel fame.

Tyra Banks isn't just a retired model or actress — she had a recurring stint on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1993 and has appeared in several films since then. She's also a media mogul. The former supermodel created, produced and hosted "America's Next Top Model," which ran for 22 seasons between 2003 and 2015; the Emmy-winning "The Tyra Banks Show," which ran for five seasons between 2005 and 2010; and the short-lived "FABLife," which ran for one season between 2015 and 2016. She also runs the successful Tyra Beauty cosmetics company, topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011 with her debut young adult novel, "Modelland," and completed a prestigious nine-week program at Harvard Business School in 2012. She and Norwegian fashion photographer Erik Asla became an item in 2013, and in January 2016, they welcomed a baby boy, York, via surrogate. The couple split in 2017 — the same year Tyra joined season 12 of "America's Got Talent" as its host (she left after two seasons). In 2019, Tyra rocked a bikini once again on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — 23 years after making history as the first African American woman to land its cover. In 2020, she became the host of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" for its 29th season. Tyra has been in a relationship with French businessman Louis Bélanger-Martin since 2019.

Niki Taylor's girl-next-door beauty and undeniable charisma set her up for an incredibly successful modeling career. She first appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine at 14 and went on to model for CoverGirl, Nokia and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. When she was 15, she became the youngest model to grace the cover of Vogue.

Niki Taylor's life has been marked by tragedy. In 1996, her little sister, model Krissy Taylor, died suddenly at 17 from an unexpected asthma attack. In 2001, Niki herself was in a near-fatal car accident. After years of recovery, she returned to the entertainment world, appearing on "The Apprentice" in 2011 and a 2015 episode of "Say Yes to the Dress." In 2017, she became the face of Jennifer Fisher's spring 2017 jewelry campaign. She also appeared in Swimsuits For All's summer 2017 campaign alongside plus-sized model Ashley Graham. In 2006, she married her second husband, NASCAR driver-turned-airline pilot Burney Lamar. They have two children. Niki is also a mom to adult twin sons with former Arena Football League athlete Matt Martinez.

Linda Evangelista — who famously once said that she and her fellow supermodels "don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day" — started modeling in her Canadian hometown before an international agent discovered her while she was competing in the Miss Teen Niagara pageant. She may have failed to win the competition, but within just a few years, the beauty was posing for some of the biggest names in fashion. In 1985, she even became Karl Lagerfeld's muse! Three years later, Linda cropped off her hair and officially earned supermodel status.

Linda Evangelista took a brief hiatus from 1998 to 2001. In 1993, she left husband Gerald Marie, the head of the French office of the Elite Modeling Agency, for actor Kyle MacLachlan. They were an item until 1998 and were even briefly engaged. In 2006, Linda welcomed son Augustin but initially declined to name his father. The man's identity was made public during a bitter child-support case. (Augustin's biological father is French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek's hubby.) The supermodel romanced Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton from 2006 to 2013, which was her last high-profile relationship. She's also launched a skincare line, Erasa XEP 30.

Germany-born Tatjana Patitz got her start modeling as a teenager in Paris in the mid-'80s. By the '90s, she was working for brands including Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Cartier, Versace and Calvin Klein. In 1990, Tatjana appeared alongside fellow supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford in George Michael's "Freedom! '90" music video. Throughout the '90s, she also appeared in films like "Restraining Order" and "Rising Sun."

While Tatjana Patitz has since stepped out of the spotlight, she hasn't fully left the fashion industry. The beauty has previously returned to the runway for designers like Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier. She currently resides on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California, with son Jonah, who was born in 2004, and their many animals. "The place I live, my home base, with the animals and my son" is where she's most comfortable, she told Prestige in 2016. "Going outside of that is like a treat, but it's not the norm for me. I'm a mom, I wear jeans and T-shirts and comfortable dresses. I've always loved Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford. But when you live in semi-nature, like I do, you don't run around in high heels and fabulous clothes, you just don't. It's more jeans and riding boots."

Elle Macpherson originally aspired to become a lawyer but started modeling during the '80s to earn cash to pay for her textbooks. She went on to star in a widely seen commercial for Tab cola, which helped her book the covers of countless fashion magazines. She also landed on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue five times over the years, starting in 1986. Three years later, Time magazine nicknamed Elle "The Body." She, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer make up the modeling world's "Magnificent Seven." During the late '80s, Elle was briefly married to French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon, who was 20 years her senior.

Elle Macpherson, who eventually trademarked her nickname — The Body — released several calendars and workout videos during the '90s. She also launched a successful lingerie line, appeared in several films, acted on "Friends" and "The Beautiful Life: TBL," became the face of Revlon in 2008 and hosted "Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model" from 2010 to 2012, the same year she served as a judge on NBC's "Fashion Star." In 2005, the supermodel and French financier Arpad Busson parted ways after nearly a decade as a couple. They have two children together, sons Arpad Flynn and Aurelius Cy. In 2013, she wed billionaire real estate developer Jeffrey Soffer, but they split in June 2017. Since 2017, Elle — who drew criticism when she promoted an anti-vaccine campaign amidst the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 — has been linked to former doctor Andrew Wakefield, the producer of the vaccine investigation documentaries "Vaxxed" and "Vaxxed II: The People's Truth." The beauty has also been busy with the wellness company she co-founded, WelleCo.

At just 18, Arizona-born Amber Valletta snagged her first of 16 Vogue covers in the early '90s. The supermodel, who went on to appear in campaigns for Prada, Calvin Klein, Armani and Elizabeth Arden, also hosted MTV's "House of Style" with fellow beauty Shalom Harlow.

Though she broke onto the scene as a model, Amber Valletta has since focused more on acting. She's appeared in several films including "What Lies Beneath," "The Family Man," "Hitch" and "The Last Time." She also landed roles on television shows including "Legends," "Revenge" and "Blood & Oil." The talented beauty, who shares son Auden with ex Chip MaCaw, an Olympic volleyball athlete, has spoken publicly about her issues with alcohol addiction and drug abuse in hopes of being an advocate for others who are struggling. "Only by being sober do I have any chance of survival," she told Porter Magazine in 2020. "Left to my own devices, I guarantee you no matter how much I love life, my family, if I take a drink or any of my drugs of choice, I'll be dead. I'll ruin everything."

Canadian model Shalom Harlow began her career after a scout discovered her at a The Cure concert when she was 17. Fashion journalist Tim Blanks described her body as "made for couture" and she proceeded to become a favorite of houses like Chanel and Dior.

Shalom Harlow starred in ads for Banana Republic's "Mad Men" collection, Tiffany & Co. and Chanel Skincare in the mid-aughts and dabbled in acting. After a four-year runway hiatus, she returned to the catwalk for Jason Wu's Fall 2012 show. In April 2017, she signed with hot modeling agency The Lions and has been revving up her social media presence as of late. Not much is known about her personal life, but she's made a serious comeback via Versace over the last couple years. The stunner walked in the fashion house's spring 2019 show (seen here), and also went on to star in their spring campaign.

Pennsylvania-born model Kristen McMenamy made waves with her unconventional look. While she debuted as a redhead with luscious locks, by the early '90s, she'd shed that image in favor of a more androgynous look. She went on to model for countless fashion houses including Versace, Valentino, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Commes des Garçons and Moschino. The eccentric beauty embodied '90s grunge!

In 2004, Kristen McMenamy made her return to the runway when she walked for Prada and in subsequent years has appeared in campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Balenciaga. She also went on to grace the covers of Vogue Italia and Harper's Bazaar. In 2013, after 16 years of marriage, the beauty divorced photographer Miles Aldridge, with whom she has two sons. She also shares daughter Lily, a model in her own right, with ex Hubert Boukobza. She married art dealer Ivor Braka in 2016.

German model Heidi Klum shot to fame when she became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 1997 and graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue the same year.

Heidi Klum went on to become one of the biggest models in the world, landing deals as a spokesperson for McDonald's, Braun, Liz Claiborne, Volkswagen and more. Although she still models, Heidi has since expanded her resume to include jobs such as "Project Runway" host (for which she's won an Emmy), lingerie designer, fragrance mogul and "America's Got Talent" judge. The mother of four split from her second husband, singer Seal, in 2012 after nearly seven years of marriage. She dated art dealer Vito Schnabel from 2014 until 2017. A year later the German stunner went public with Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, whom she wed privately in February 2019 before having a yacht wedding in Italy that summer. In March 2020, Heidi debuted her newest show, Amazon Prime Video's "Making the Cut," with Tim Gunn.

Canadian model Yasmeen Ghauri was discovered in most unlikely of places — McDonald's! After appearing on the cover of ELLE's January 1991 issue, she quickly rose through the ranks to find success in the '90s and became the face of luxury houses like Chanel. She also walked the runway for brands including Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier. Yasmeen also made history: In 1992, she was the first woman of South Asian descent to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.

In 1997, after walking the runway at a Yves Saint Laurent show, Yasmeen Ghauri (pictured here in 1997) sparked speculation that she was going to retire early into career. She stepped away from modeling while her star was on the rise in order to focus on having a family with husband Ralph Bernstein, with whom she shares daughter Maia.