Who is Kristen McMenami and why her appearance on the podium of the last Valentino show excited everyone

Kristen McMenami She began her modeling career back in 1985, and in 1998 decided to say goodbye to the modeling business. And so everyone was surprised when the last show Valentino his appearance on the catwalk opened 57-year-old Kristen. She looked no worse than in her best years.



GettyImages Of course, those present had difficulty believing their eyes. Moreover, the legendary model appeared before the public in a black mini-dress with a neckline in the form of a heart, as well as in black stockings and short black gloves. Is this the same woman who recently celebrated her 57th birthday?

Today's edition. "Site" It invites readers to find out who Kristen McMenami, whose appearance on the podium made so much noise. How did this American woman, who was never given a chance, become a fashion legend?

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The future model was born in an Irish-American family. She was the third child out of seven and was successful in her studies. However, relations with peers at Kristen in childhood did not go well in many ways because of her unusual physique. The skinny and lanky girl was quickly nicknamed the "skeleton."

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However, Kristen herself had a different opinion about her appearance. While studying in college, she sparked a dream of a modeling career. So she dropped out of school and moved to New York, where she began to look for options to implement her plans.

She was rejected everywhere at first. In all seriousness, she was even advised to seek help from plastic surgeons. But the girl stubbornly pursued her goal. She went to auditions for days and worked in a pizza restaurant at night. In the end, persistence did produce results.

The turning point was an experiment with appearance, when the girl cut off her long red hair and dyed in a brunette. In addition, she also shaved off her eyebrows. The new look was impressive and successful, it gave a great impetus to the development of modeling career Kristen.

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In many ways, our heroine at an early stage helped acquaintance with Peter Lindbergh (photographer) and Karl Lagerfeld (chief designer Chanel). Chanel’s 1985 fashion show, as well as several bright promotional photo shoots, quickly made Kristen recognizable.

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It was really different from other models. While the “classic beauties” competed with each other in terms of grace and femininity, Kristen took others. She surprisingly combined male and female traits, she looked eccentric and bright in any outfit.

And a clear difference from other popular models-contemporaries did not make Kristen worse. She was on a par with other top models, and fashion houses gladly cooperated with her. The most important designers called the American her muse. And Karl Lagerfeld did lead Kristen to the crown when she was going to marry the photographer Miles Aldridge.

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Last year, Kristen McMenami already reminded of herself, participated in the advertising campaign Gucci Aria. Now a show from Valentino. It seems that this top model of the 90s will not stop there and will try to surprise us again. Will it work?

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