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It was a haircut that did it for
Linda Evangelista – or rather, several haircuts and, later, various
changes of color. The Canadian model had been modelling for several years,
picking up around $600 per shoot for "mediocre" work until she went for
the chop and parted with her long, light brown hair.
When British Vogue picked up on some shots Arthur Elgort had taken of her,
she went stellar. Years later, after retiring from the modelling scene,
she would make a comeback on the cover of the US edition of the magazine
that first made her famous.
Born on May 10, 1965, into a large Italian-Canadian family in St
Catherines, a small town near Niagara Falls, Linda developed striking good
looks and was first spotted while just a teenager at a local beauty
contest. An early modelling experience almost made her turn her back on
the business, however. While in Japan on a work assignment, she contacted
the Canadian embassy and was flown home after being asked to do nude
photos. Later, nudity was not something Linda minded.
Evangelista later moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model
Management there. She then moved to Paris, France, to further her career.
She also appeared in music videos with George Michael.
Evangelista uttered the quote, "We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a
day" (often misquoted as: "We don't get out of bed for less than..." or "I
don't get out of bed for less than...") Spoken in Vogue (1990) to Jonathan
van Meter, talking about money and how she and a few other models were
calling the shots and changing the game.
In the late 1980s, she cut all her hair off to brandish a little-boy-style
haircut and was promptly cancelled from all the important runway shows
that season. This was the first of many dramatic hairstyle changes. Within
months, she appeared on magazine covers everywhere and many women emulated
the hairstyle.
In 2007, she signed a multiple-year exclusive contract with the cosmetics
company L'Oreal Paris. It was announced in early 2008 that she would be
featured in the Prada Fall 2008 campaign seen in magazines
internationally.
She is signed to DNA Model Management in New York City, and Models 1 in
London.
Evangelista was married to Elite executive Gerald Marie from 1987 to 1993.
She has also dated actor Kyle MacLachlan (1992-1998), French football
player Fabien Barthez (1998-2000), Italian oil mogul Ugo Brachetti Peretti
(2003-2004), and former Formula One driver Paolo Barilla (2005).
Throughout her career, Evangelista has expressed her desire to have
children.
To her delight, on October 11, 2006, she gave birth to a boy, Augustin
James. While pregnant, Evangelista appeared on the August 2006 issue of
Vogue magazine. She was the first non-actress/singer model to appear on
Vogue in over a year. |
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"It was God who made me so
beautiful. If I weren't, then I'd be a teacher."
"I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day."
"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
"People think modeling's mindless, that you just stand there and
pose, but it doesn't have to be that way. I like to have a lot of
input. I know how to wear a dress, whether it should be shot with me
standing or sitting."
[In 2005, retracting her statement about not getting out of bed for
less than $10,000 a day.] I can't stand the way this follows me
around. I said it a long time ago, and I hope today I am a different
person. Now I get out of bed for a much better reason. I'm part of a
team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and
AIDS all over the world. |
