Yesterday and today: the fate of famous supermodels of the 1980s (11 photos)

The 1980s were some of the most iconic years for fashion in modern history, and the 10 models we'll talk about were true icons not only for the fashion world, but for the world as a whole. Let's see what the best supermodels of the 1980s looked like then and what they look like today.





Cindy Crawford



Cindy Crawford was first photographed for the cover of DeKalb Nite Weekly while she was still in high school. Her image was so well received that she decided to stay in the modeling business. She worked with a small agency before reaching the national finals of Elite's Look of the Year in 1983.

Crawford is not just a beauty, she graduated high school with honors and received a scholarship to study chemical engineering in college. But in the end she decided to devote herself to a modeling career. Crawford worked in Chicago for a time, then moved to New York in 1986, where she signed with Elite. This was the year Vogue commissioned her to photograph her, deciding not to retouch her birthmark. It has become an iconic part of her image. After this, her career took off and she appeared in numerous fashion magazines as well as Playboy.

Crawford decided to retire from modeling entirely in 2000, focusing on her cosmetics line and furniture collection. Her daughter Kaya, like two peas in a pod, is now one of the most famous top models.

Brooke Shields





Brooke Shields got into modeling as a child, and in 1980 she became the youngest model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue at the age of 14. In the 80s, she starred in a number of films, many of which caused great resonance and a lot of controversy, primarily because of the overtly sexual image of young Brooke. In 1983, Shields decided to put her career on hold to attend Princeton University, where she received a bachelor's degree in Romance Languages. She then returned to acting and starred in the incredibly popular sitcom Unpredictable Susan. Later in life, she decided to focus on her family, but still appears in TV shows and films from time to time. Shields is also a vocal advocate for women's health and has been outspoken on issues such as postpartum depression.

Tatyana Patits



Tatiana Patits was famous in the 1980s and 90s. The German model has appeared in magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Vogue, and also starred in the iconic music video for "Freedom! '90" by George Michael. She has been called "one of the original supermodels, looking great both in photographs and on the runway," but her name is still not as well known as other models of the era. Patitz, she still works as a model from time to time, although she devotes much more time to her other hobbies. She became interested in horses as a child and continued this hobby into adulthood. She also devotes a lot of time to environmental protection and animal rights.

Elle Macpherson



Elle Macpherson's modeling career began with a swimsuit advertisement. The Australian beauty has appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue five times, earning her the nickname "The Body." MacPherson has also found success in the high fashion industry, walking for brands such as Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton. She has taken her incredible success and turned it into numerous ventures, including a lingerie line and a skincare line called The Body. Like many models, she has appeared on television and film, notably as a presenter on Next Top Model and Fashion Star in the UK and Ireland. At the same time, MacPherson continued her modeling career for a very long time, in particular, performing at the closing of the 2010 Louis Vuitton show for Marc Jacobs in Paris.

Carol Alt



If Elle Macpherson was the “body” in the fashion world, then Carole Alt was the “face.” She was an incredibly popular model in the 1980s, easily earning herself supermodel status as she appeared on more than 500 covers in that decade alone. Among them were Vogue, Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, Mademoiselle, Elle and Cosmopolitan. Alt was the face of so many famous brands and was incredibly popular. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for General Motors, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Hanes, Versace, Diet Pepsi and Armani, to name just a few of her career highlights. In subsequent years, she also took up acting, appearing in numerous TV series in Italy. She has also published two books on raw food nutrition.

Rene Simonsen



Agents found Rene Simonsen in Denmark in 1981. Soon after, she appeared on the cover of Fotokino magazine and was chosen to represent her country in Ford's "Face of the '80s" supermodel competition, which she won in 1982. Simonsen increasingly received contracts in America and quickly became a star.

Despite her fame, in 1988 she decided to retire from fashion. She attended journalism school in Denmark, but soon switched to studying psychology. In 1991, she returned to the modeling world, becoming the face of Biotherm cosmetics. Currently, Simonsen still works as a model from time to time. She is also published and writes editorial columns for a Danish magazine.

Paulina Porizkova



Paulina Porizkova, born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Sweden, became the first woman from Central Europe to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine. She starred for it in 1984 and 1985, which brought her international fame. By 1988, she signed a record contract with Estée Lauder, and a little later with Escada. Eventually, however, she opted for an acting career, appearing first in the 1987 film Anna, and then in many others. She was a judge on America's Next Top Model for three seasons. She has recently published books for adults and children, and writes regular columns for the blogs Modelinia and The Huffington Post. In addition, on her pages on social networks, she tries to encourage women to accept their changing appearance with age.

Christy Turlington



Another of the top supermodels of the 1980s, Christy Turlington rose to fame after appearing in advertising campaigns for famous brands such as Calvin Klein, Missoni and Chanel. The creative director of American Vogue called her “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Turlington has been active in the fashion world over the years, modeling again for Calvin Klein in 2014 and walking in the Marc Jacobs show in 2019. Perhaps one of her most impressive achievements was the creation of Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit organization in 2010, dedicated to making birth and pregnancy safe for all mothers. In 2013, Turlington was recognized as one of Glamor magazine's Women of the Year, and in 2014 she was named one of the Time 100's most influential people in the world.

Kathy Ireland



Kathy Ireland entered the modeling world when she was scouted and hired by Elite Model Management at age 17. In 1989, she gained fame by gracing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Although there have been numerous other cover girls since then, Ireland remains elusive, having been featured in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated issues, including three on the cover.

In 1993, Ireland registered her own brand, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which made her one of the richest former models in the world. The company had sales of $3.1 billion in 2021. She has appeared on television many times and has two of her own series: Business Around the World and Modern Life.

Linda Evangelista



Canadian-born Linda Evangelista is considered one of the most influential and accomplished models in the industry. During her career, she has appeared on the covers of more than 700 magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Elle, Allure, Time and Rolling Stone. She is famous for coining the phrase "We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day" in reference to herself and Christy Turlington.

Unlike many models of the 1970s and 80s, Evangelista did not pursue a career other than modeling. She decided to retire from the business in 1998, only to return a few years later, and in 2008, Fashion File viewers named her the "Greatest Supermodel of All Time."

Evangelista disappeared from the public eye for several years, and in 2021 it was revealed that she had undergone a botched cosmetic procedure. She sued the clinic for an impressive $50 million in damages and loss of income. In September 2022, she appeared on the catwalk for the first time in 15 years.