These Famous 80s Supermodels Were the Real OGs
The 80s helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in fashion. While many credit 90s supermodels like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell as the first capital S Supermodels as we know them today, it was the famous 80s supermodels below that paved the way.
The 80s marks the beginning of many shifts in the fashion industry. Thanks to television, music, and a globalizing economy, fashion became a mainstream affair. The members of the famous Trinity supermodel squad of the late 80s—Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell— became household names overnight.
On television, fashion could push the boundaries in ways it could never have imagined. TV series, movies, and music videos became opportunities for an iconic fashion moment. In 1989, House of Style premiered on MTV, almost singlehandedly launching the supermodel craze of the 90s.
1980s fashion was fixated on being sexy. Remember, this is the decade that brought us Madonna, "nobody puts Baby in the corner," and Baywatch's slow-motion running scenes. Swimsuit models were the ultimate It-Girls, and sexy jeans campaigns were considered scandalous.
These famous 80s supermodels were the definition of style throughout the pivotal decade.
While we stan the 90s Trinity, these famous 80s supermodels were the real OGs of the runway.
Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford's prolific career all started when she won Elite's Look of the Year competition in 1982. Legend has it, her first big break in the modeling industry came after a photographer captured her working on her family's farm in Illinois.
During the next two decades, Crawford would skyrocket to fame as part of the Trinity and Big Six, going on to have the most commercial success of all the squads' members. In 1989, she secured her spot in 80s fashion history as the host of House of Style, a popular fashion television show on MTV.
Thanks to her sexy Pepsi commercial in 1992, Crawford became known as the 'girl next door.' American fashion designer Michael Kors once said that "Cindy changed the perception of the 'sexy American girl' from classic blue-eyed blonde to a more sultry brunette with brains, charm, and professionalism to spare."
Crawford's all-American looks made her a frequent muse for many 80s fashion designers, particularly Gianni Versace. She's walked the runways for Escada, Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors throughout her career.
Over the course of her career, she's racked up 18 Vogue covers, including a Vogue Paris cover with her daughter Kaia Gerber.
Elaine Irwin
Elaine Irwin went from small-town girl to supermodel overnight after an appearance in a 1985 issue of Seventeen magazine. Thanks to her long blonde hair and striking blue eyes, she became known as a classic American beauty.
Irwin was one of the first Victoria Secret runway models and was frequently featured in the brand's print catalogs. She also walked for Chanel, Versace, Escada, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, and Ralph Lauren.
Throughout the 80s, Irwin was featured on over 50 magazine covers, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Self, Vogue, Vogue Italia, and Elite. Irwin's natural beauty made her a favorite subject of top 80s fashion photographers like Steven Meisel, Irving Penn, and Herb Ritts.
Kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland was scouted by Elite Model Management at age 16 and quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of the decade. She appeared in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues throughout her career. Ireland's cover of the 1989 Swimsuit Issue is still considered one of the most iconic covers in the magazine's history.
Outside of modeling, Ireland has appeared in numerous movies and television series, including Melrose Place and Boy Meets World.
Thanks to her successful licensing empire Kathy Ireland Worldwide, she is one of the richest world's richest supermodels. In 2020, Ireland has an estimated net worth of $360 million.
Janice Dickinson
Janice Dickinson started modeling in the early 70s after winning a national competition called Miss High Fashion Model. During the 1980s, most models were blonde-haired and blue-eyed, so Dickinson was repeatedly turned down by modeling agencies early in her career. Famous model scout Eileen Ford allegedly told Dickinson she was "much too ethnic" and would "never work."
Despite her critics, Dickinson rose to supermodel stardom in the 80s, signing with Ford Models and later Elite Model Management. Throughout her career, she worked with Azzedine Alaïa, Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, and Oscar de la Renta.
Over the course of her career, Janice Dickinson has become a bit of a controversial figure. She claims to be the first ~Supermodel~ and to have coined the term in 1979. Wrong. Sorry Janice, but the receipts show that The New York Times called Twiggy a supermodel in a 1967 article.
People born after 1990 probably recognize Dickinson, not by her work as a model, but from her multiple appearances on reality TV. And her lengthy list of plastic surgery procedures, but that's a whole other story. She became known for her brutal honesty and harsh critiques during her four seasons as a judge on Tyra Bank's America's Next Top Model.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields began her career as a child actress in the late 70s and early 80s, with appearances in Pretty Baby (1978), Blue Lagoon (1980), and Endless Love (1981).
In 1980, the 14-year-old New York City native became the youngest model ever featured in an American Vogue cover. The same year, she appeared in a controversial Calvin Klein ad campaign shot by Richard Avedon. In it, she asks, "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
Shields' bold eyebrows, striking bone structure, and voluminous 80s hair made her one of the most iconic faces of the decade. In 1980 she was named of People magazine's Most Intriguing People.
Gia Carangi
If you've watched Angelina Jolie's career-launching and Golden Globe award-winning performance in Gia (1998), you're already familiar with the tragic story of Gia Carangi. After a long battle with heroin addiction, the famous 80s supermodel died of AIDS-related complications in 1986. At just age 26, she was one of the first famous women to die from AIDS.
Philadelphia native, Carangi was discovered in a night club in 1976 when she was just 17. She soon became a favorite subject of fashion photographers like Richard Avedon and Chris von Wangenheim. Throughout her career, she modeled for Christian Dior, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Versace. She was featured on the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan multiple times.
Iman
In the 1980s, the modeling industry was obsessed with now considered offense but weren't back then terms like "Amazonian bodies" and "exotic beauties." And no one exemplified the exotic look more than Somalian model Iman.
Yves Saint Laurent once described Iman as his "dream woman" and devoted his 1985 collection (called the "African Queen" collection) to the longtime friend and muse. She also modeled for Gianni Versace, Halston, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karen.
Iman paved the way for Black models in the fashion industry. She was often the only woman of color in the photoshoot or on the runway, and makeup artists rarely had a dark enough shade. She launched IMAN Cosmetics in 1994 to serve the women of color the beauty industry ignored.
Iman married the equally-iconic David Bowie in 1992. When asked about his marriage, Bowie reportedly replied, "You would think that a rock star being married to a supermodel would be one of the greatest things in the world. It is.”
Elle Macpherson
Australian model Elle Macpherson was known in the 80s as "The Body," thanks to her incredible physique and prolific swimsuit modeling career. She first began modeling in New York City to earn money to pay for her law books at Sydney University, but quickly rose to supermodel stardom.
She's been featured on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's cover a record-breaking five times— including three times in a row in 1986, 1987, and 1988. Throughout her career, Macpherson walked the runway for Christian Dior, Azzedine Alaïa, Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, John Galliano, Donna Karen, and more.
In 1994, Macpherson learned that after appearing nude in the film series Sirens, the media had begun an intense search for nude photographs of her iconic figure. The tabloids even went so far as to contact her ex-boyfriends.
To show the world her nude photos "on her own terms," Macpherson posed for a nude photo spread in Playboy magazine's May 1994 issue. You go sister!
Kim Alexis
Kim Alexis was discovered by Elite Model Management at age 18 and quickly became one of the biggest supermodels of the 1980s. She holds the record for most Glamour magazine covers and has also appeared on the cover of Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan.
Kim Alexis famous Sports Illustrated swimsuit models
Like most 80s supermodels, Alexis often posed as a swimsuit model. During the 80s, she appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for six consecutive years.
Though she also modeled for high fashion designers, she is best known for her work in the beauty industry. In 1983, Alexis replaced 70s supermodel Lauren Hutton as the face of Revlon's Ultima II line of makeup products.
Karen Alexander
Karen Alexander was one of the most influential Black models in the 80s. Legend has it that she was rejected by some of the biggest modeling scouts of the 80s, including John Casablancas and Eileen Ford, when she first began interviewing with modeling agencies.
Throughout the 80s, Alexander walked for Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Yohji Yamamoto, and many more. She secured her supermodel status when she was shot by Peter Lindbergh for the cover of Vogue's January 1989 issue.
Alexander broke down barriers for future Black models in a predominately white 80s modeling scene. She was one of the first Black women to appear in a Chanel beauty campaign, and one of the first Black models to appear inside a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Linda Evangelista
Linda Evangelista was first scouted by Elite Model Management in 1981. By the end of the decade, she was one of the highest-paid supermodels and one of the most recognizable faces in the world. She once famously said that "I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day."
Evangelista was a member of The Trinity supermodel group in the early 90s, alongside Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell. She was known as "the color chameleon of fashion," thanks to her ever-changing hair colors and styles. In 1988, Evangelista cut her hair into a choppy pixie that soon became dubbed "The Linda."
Evangelista was a frequent muse for fashion photographer Steven Meisel and 80s fashion legends like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel and Gianni Versace. She's modeled for top fashion brands like Chanel, Calvin Klein, Commes de Garçons, Max Mara, Anna Sui, and Lanvin. Throughout her career, Evangelista has been featured on over 700 magazine covers.
Christie Brinkley
Blue-eyed, blonde-haired American beauty, Christie Brinkley, was one of the most famous swimsuit models of the 1980s. From 1979 to 1981, she was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition three years in a row.
Throughout her career, she's graced over 500 magazine covers and was the face of Covergirl for a record-setting 25 years.
Brinkley is also well-known for her relationship with Grammy-Award-winning singer Billy Joel. She's the inspiration behind his hit song Uptown Girl, about a working-class "downtown man" trying to win over a wealthy "uptown girl." The polka dot dress she wears in the song's music video has become one of her most widely recognized looks.
Farida Khelfa
Farida Khelfa was another "exotic beauty" of the 1980s. The French-Algerian model was discovered at age 16 while working at a Paris nightclub. Legend has it that after running away from her strict family of Muslim Algerian immigrants, she stayed in Paris with her good friend Christian Louboutin.
Khelfa's unique look made her a muse to Jean-Paul Goude, Azzedine Alaia, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. During her early 20s, she was romantically involved with Goude. Khelfa has now retired from modeling and currently works as a documentary filmmaker.
