Kristen McMenamy | |
---|---|
Born | Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | December 13, 1964
Occupation(s) | Model, actress |
Years active | 1984–present |
Spouses | |
Children | 4, including Lily McMenamy |
Modeling information | |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Hair color | White |
Eye color | Blue |
Agency |
|
Kristen McMenamy (born December 13, 1964) is an American model known for her unconventional, androgynous appearance. [3] Originally a long-haired redhead, [4] she reinvented her look in the early 1990s by having her hair cut short and dyed black, [5] and her eyebrows shaved off. [6] Her career was boosted by the advent of the grunge fashion trend. [7] [8] [9]
McMenamy was born in Easton, Pennsylvania [10] and also spent some time in her youth in Buffalo, New York. [11] [12] She was the third of seven children in an Irish-American Catholic family.
McMenamy attended Notre Dame High School in Easton, where she reportedly received excellent grades [13] but was often teased by her classmates, who called her "Skeleton" due to her lanky body. [10] [14] While in college, she decided to drop out of school to pursue a career in modeling. [13]
Following high school, McMenamy moved from Easton to New York City to pursue a career as a model. She was initially rejected by various agencies. [10] [15] In 2012, she recounted, "I got rejected by everyone. But I was obsessed! It was the only thing I wanted to do and I wanted it so badly. I was like a bulldog, hanging on by my teeth." [15]
She met modeling agent Eileen Ford, who advised her to get plastic surgery. [8] [10] [16] Despite not undergoing plastic surgery, she was signed by a modeling agency that sent her to work in Paris. [17] A few years later, she was signed by Elite Model Management, [18] and subsequently by Ford Models. [16] [19]
McMenamy's modeling career mainly spanned the years 1985 to 1998, when she worked for several of the world's top designers and international fashion houses, including Versace, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Todd Oldham, Christian Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferré, Lanvin, Isaac Mizrahi, Yohji Yamamoto, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Chloé, and Moschino.[ citation needed ]
During the beginning of her modeling career, McMenamy met photographer Peter Lindbergh, with whom she worked extensively, and Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld, who helped mentor her. [10] [14] One of her first fashion campaigns was for Chanel's Spring/Summer 1985 haute couture collection. The same year, she was photographed by Lindbergh for a Jil Sander ad campaign, [20] and she also starred in an ad campaign for the Byblos fashion house. In 1986, she was featured in the book A Day in the Life of America, photographed by Sante D'Orazio, [21] and also appeared in advertisements for Gerard Darel and Alberta Ferretti.
She worked with several fashion photographers, including Albert Watson, Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth, Arthur Elgort, Paolo Roversi, Patrick Demarchelier, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Tim Walker, David Sims, Max Vadukul, and Juergen Teller. [22] Teller described her as "the best model I have ever worked with". [13]
In 1991, McMenamy starred in the ad campaign for Claude Montana's spring/summer collection, and was paired with model Claudia Mason for Fendi's fall/winter ad campaign. It has been said of McMenamy that "At the time of supermodels, she was the first eccentric and unusual beauty to fight her way through a host of classically beautiful women, thus appearing on the covers of Vogue and on other famous magazines." [23] Some of the other magazines that she has been featured in are Harper's Bazaar , Vanity Fair , People , Interview , Elle , V , Dazed & Confused , LOVE , i-D , The Face , W , Women's Wear Daily , and Newsweek .
McMenamy was known for having an over-the-top manner of walking on the catwalk, and was likened to "a vamp, stopping to strike exaggerated poses". [14] In 1992, after having her long red hair cut short and dyed black, makeup artist François Nars shaved off her eyebrows for Anna Sui's fall/winter fashion show, thereby "ushering in the era of grunge". [24] [25] [26] The transformation of McMenamy's look made her famous, and her career took off. [8] [27] [28] From that point on, her image became associated with androgyny, [11] [29] [30] [31] and she was also considered a gamine. [29] [32]
In October 1992, she opened the Versace spring/summer 1993 womenswear fashion show, and she later appeared in the ad campaign for that collection, photographed by Avedon. [13] In December 1992, she starred in a grunge photo spread for Vogue titled "Grunge & Glory", photographed by Meisel. [30] [33] Harper's Bazaar named her "Model of the Year" in January 1993. [17] [18] [34] The following month, she had six red ribbons painted on her back, for an amfAR benefit event that she co-hosted with Leanza Cornett. [35] [36] McMenamy also fronted advertisements for Calvin Klein that year. [11]
In October 1994, she was one several models on the cover of Vogue Italia's 30th anniversary issue. [20] The following year, she closed the Versace spring/summer Haute couture show wearing a bridal gown. She then starred in the ad campaign for that collection along with model Nadja Auermann and Elton John, photographed by Avedon. [20] McMenamy and John later appeared together on the cover of the April 1995 issue of Interview. [10] [20] That same month, she was on the cover of Vogue. [37] She was also featured in a chapter of the 1995 book The Beauty Trip. [36]
The following year, McMenamy was the star of an Absolut Vodka fashion campaign that was photographed by Newton in Sweden. [10] [38] Also in 1996, she posed nude with the word "Versace" written on her breasts and buttocks for a series of pictures that were photographed by Teller, which were published in the German magazine Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin. [39] [40] In addition, she appeared in that year's Pirelli Calendar, photographed by Lindbergh. She was also one of the ten subjects of Lindbergh's 1996 book 10 Women.
McMenamy was sometimes compared to supermodel Linda Evangelista because of certain similarities that they shared. Both of their careers skyrocketed after they dramatically changed their looks, [8] and later, they both were considered "chameleons". They both were muses to Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace, as well as to Lindbergh and Meisel, with whom they often collaborated. In spite of their similarities, there were rumors that they didn't get along. [41] [42] [43] They did, however, appear together in several magazine photo spreads and in two ad campaigns for Versace.
In 1997, McMenamy appeared in advertisements for the fall/winter collections of both Versace and Armani. She was also featured in the book Fashion: Photography of the Nineties, in a series of pictures that were photographed by Teller. [44] She then chose to step away from the modeling world in 1998 to focus on her family. [45]
In 2004, McMenamy made a return to modeling by walking the runway for the Prada fashion house. [20] [45] That same year, she chose to stop dyeing her hair, and instead let it go gray. [8] The next year, McMenamy was booked by Marc Jacobs for his fall/winter 2005 campaign. In 2006, she appeared on the cover of the book In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine along with Evangelista, photographed by Meisel. Then, in 2009, she was on the cover of the July issue of Vogue Italia, and the cover story had the words "McMenamy the Legend" as the heading. In the September 2009 issue of Harper's Bazaar, she wore no makeup for a feature story titled "Supermodels Supernatural". She also appeared in advertisements for Lanvin's fall/winter collection.
The following year, McMenamy modeled for the fall/winter 2010 Viktor & Rolf fashion show, in which she was a "Matryoshka doll", where the designers put several layers of clothing on her, similar to how the dolls have several layers. [46] She also walked the runway for Klein's fall/winter 2010 fashion show. [47] In August 2010, McMenamy appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia. The cover image and the accompanying 24-page photo spread, which was titled "Water & Oil", were said to be inspired by that year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. [48] [49] A controversy arose over the photo spread, particularly because in some of the pictures, McMenamy seemed to be emulating a bird covered in oil. [50] Though, according to Franca Sozzani, Vogue Italia's editor-in-chief, the message of the photo spread was "to be careful about nature". [49]
In September 2010, McMenamy starred in a short fashion film for Gareth Pugh's spring/summer 2011 collection. [46] [51] A few days later, she closed the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2011 fashion show wearing body paint that was intended to look like zebra stripes. [52] In January 2011, she closed the Chanel Haute couture spring/summer fashion show. [53] She also starred in the 2011 short film The Tale of a Fairy, which was directed by Lagerfeld. [27] She later made an appearance at the Cannes film festival, where she attended a gala for amfAR. [54]
McMenamy appeared in the fall/winter 2011 ad campaigns for both Givenchy and Gaultier. [20] Then, in 2012, she was in the ad campaign for Roberto Cavalli's spring/summer collection. [55] In 2013, she walked the runway for Atelier Versace's spring/summer fashion show. [56] Months later, she was the star of the fall/winter ad campaign for Balenciaga. [57] In October 2018, McMenamy opened the Valentino spring/summer 2019 fashion show. [58] [59] In 2021, McMenamy appeared in the Gucci Aria fall/winter campaign, photographed by Mert and Marcus. [60] [61] In September 2021, McMenamy opened the "Fendace" fashion show, which was a collaboration between Fendi and Versace. [62] [63] McMenamy was the cover model for the January 2022 issue of British Vogue , photographed by Meisel. [64] [65] That same month, McMenamy opened the Valentino spring/summer 2022 haute couture show. [66]
In July 2022, while closing the Gaultier fall/winter 2022 haute couture fashion show wearing a bridal gown, McMenamy tripped on her high heels and fell on the catwalk, with several audience members rushing to her aid. [67] The incident was widely reported in the media and prompted several specific articles. [68] [69]
In January 2023, she fell on the catwalk once again, while walking in the Valentino spring/summer 2023 haute couture fashion show. She wound up removing both her shoes and finishing her walk barefoot. [70] [71] The video went viral on social media and the incident was widely reported in the press. [72] Several people reportedly "criticised the Italian luxury fashion house for showcasing shoes that appeared too difficult to walk in", [73] which prompted McMenamy to post on her Instagram page that she did not fall because of her heels or the outfit, but blamed herself for the mishap. [74] In September 2023, McMenamy was a guest celebrity judge in the episode Stitch & Strut of the British reality television series RuPaul's Drag Race UK broadcast on BBC Three. [75]
In the early 1990s, McMenamy became romantically involved with Hubert Boukobza, the owner of the Paris nightclub Les Bains-Douches. [10] [76] In 1994, they had a daughter, model Lily McMenamy. [30] [76] The relationship came to an end, and later, McMenamy began dating English fashion photographer Miles Aldridge, whom she met on a photoshoot for W magazine. [77] They were married in 1997. Her wedding dress was designed by Karl Lagerfeld, who gave her away, [78] [79] and she wore a headdress made by the milliner Philip Treacy. [78] [79] Naomi Campbell served as one of the bridesmaids. [78] [79] McMenamy and Aldridge have a daughter and two sons. [65]
After 16 years of marriage, McMenamy filed for divorce in April 2013. [80] That same year, she began dating art dealer Ivor Braka. [81] In June 2016, McMenamy and Braka were married. [82] [83]
Linda Evangelista is a Canadian fashion model. She is regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential models of all time, and has been featured on over 700 magazine covers. Evangelista is primarily known for being the longtime "muse" of photographer Steven Meisel, as well as for the phrase: "We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day."
Shalom Harlow is a Canadian model and actress. She began her career in the early 1990s and by the end of the decade was at supermodel status. In 2007, Forbes listed her as thirteenth in the list of the World's Top-Earning Supermodels. She has also appeared in films such as In & Out (1997) and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) and hosted MTV's House of Style alongside fellow model Amber Valletta.
Isabeli Bergossi Fontana is a Brazilian fashion model. She is known for her work with brands like Victoria's Secret and has been on the cover of Vogue 58 times. Vogue Paris named her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s decade.
Karolína Kurková is a Czech-American model and actress, known for her work as a former Victoria's Secret Angel and Vogue cover star. Mario Testino praised the "proportions of her body and her face, as well as her energy level", which he said "ma[de] her a model who could fit almost into any moment". Vogue editor Anna Wintour called her the "next supermodel".
Mariacarla Boscono is an Italian fashion model and actress. Rising to fame in the early 2000s, Boscono has walked the runways of major worldwide fashion weeks and festivals, including Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, the Met Gala and Venice Film Festival. In 2005, over a two-week period, she walked more than seventy runways in three different cities, establishing a world record.
Hana Soukupová is a Czech model. She has participated in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows and modelled for the Victoria's Secret catalog.
Elena Vladimirovna Roslyakova, known professionally as Vlada Roslyakova, is a Russian-American model. Vogue Paris called her one of the top models of the 2000s decade.
Bianca Balti is an Italian model. She is known for her Dolce & Gabbana campaigns, after being the face of the brand for 10 years.
Stella Tennant was a British model and fashion designer, who rose to fame in the early 1990s and had a career that spanned almost 30 years. From an unconventional aristocratic family, she worked with Helmut Lang, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and Gianni Versace. She worked for haute couture names like Valentino, and Dior by John Galliano and with photographers Steven Meisel, Bruce Weber, Paolo Roversi, and Tim Walker. Over the years she appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermès and Burberry.
Natalia Sergeevna Polevshchikova, known professionally as Natasha Poly, is a Russian supermodel. Since 2004, Poly has appeared in high-fashion advertisement campaigns, magazine covers, and on runways. Poly established herself as one of the most "in-demand models" of the mid and late 2000s, with Vogue Paris declaring her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. She has a total of 61 Vogue covers. Poly is known for her recognizable runway walk and signature pose, and is ranked as an icon by Models.com.
Tatiana "Tanya" Dyagileva is a Belarusian model, artist, art director, fashion designer, stylist, and fashion photographer.
Anja Rubik is a Polish model, activist, philanthropist and entrepreneur. She is one of the most prominent models of the 20th and 21st century, continuously featuring on magazine covers, as well as runways and campaigns for the most notable fashion houses. By 2009, Rubik was dubbed a "top model" by French Vogue and continues to influence the fashion industry.
Catherine McNeil Plumlee is an Australian fashion model. At fourteen years old, she won a model search contest hosted by Girlfriend. Vogue Paris declared her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.
Edita Vilkevičiūtė is a Lithuanian model. Throughout her whole career, she has appeared in 25 Vogue covers. In 2015, she was one of the highest paid models in the world thanks to the frangrace ads for Roberto Cavalli and Viktor & Rolf.
Lindsey Wixson is an American model. She is known for her unique looks, defined in part by her "bee-stung lips", "rosebud pout", and gapped front teeth. She is best known for her campaigns with designers as Chanel, John Galliano, Versace Vanitas, Miu Miu, Jill Stuart, and Alexander McQueen.
Joan Smalls Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican model and television personality. In 2011, she became the first Latina model to represent Estée Lauder cosmetics. In 2013, she entered Forbes magazine's "World's Highest-Paid Models" list for the first time, ranking at number eight with over $3 million in earnings, In January 2014, Smalls appeared on the "Return of the Supermodel" cover of American Elle. In 2012, Smalls was ranked the number #1 model in the world by Models.com.
Kaia Jordan Gerber is an American model and actress. After starring in a series of ad campaigns for fashion brands since debuting at Fashion Week in 2017, Gerber won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2018.
Micaela "Mica" Argañaraz is an Argentine model and artist. She is best known for being a Chanel and a Versace muse, having been referred to as an it girl and "fashion force to be reckoned with". She is currently ranked as an "Industry Icon" by models.com.
Anok Yai is an American fashion model. She is the first model of South Sudanese descent and the second black supermodel after Naomi Campbell to open a Prada show. She has made several appearances on i-D and international Vogue covers, including American Vogue three times. Models.com ranks her as one of the "New Supers" of this generation, and since 2023, she was chosen by both the industry and fans as "Model of the Year" and USA Top Model 2024.
Lucie de la Falaise is a Welsh-born French design consultant, former model, and socialite.
Kristen McMenamy at the Karl Lagerfeld Spring 1996 show circa 1995 in Paris, France.
Model Kristen McMenamy poses for a photo and shows off the AIDS awareness ribbons painted on her back at an AmFar Benefit at Webster Hall in February 1993 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Catherine McGann