Linda Evangelista (( ; born May 10, 1965) 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."
Evangelista's modelling career began in 1984 when she signed with Elite Model Management after having moved from her native Canada to New York City. Upon the suggestion of photographer Peter Lindbergh, Evangelista had her hair cut short in 1988. The haircut, nicknamed "The Linda", not only sparked many copies worldwide, but it also benefited Evangelista's career and helped usher in the era of the supermodel.
Described as the "chameleon" of the fashion industry, and as a key figure among the five supermodels (Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford). Evangelista was one of the most famous women in the world during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.
Unlike her colleagues, Evangelista chose not to diversify into other ventures outside of modelling. She retired from her career in 1998 and made a comeback three years later, this time working only sporadically. Her achievements as a model led to her being voted as "The Greatest Supermodel of All Time" by the viewers of the television show Fashion File in 2008.
Early life
Evangelista was born on May 10, 1965, in St. Catharines, to a working-class Catholic family. She is the second of three children of Marisa and Tomaso "Tom" Evangelista (1940–2014), who were Italian emigrants from Pignataro Interamna. Her father, who immigrated to Canada in 1957, worked for General Motors, and her mother was a bookkeeper. Evangelista has an older brother, Jim, and a younger brother, Danny. She attended a self-improvement course in a modelling school at the age of 12, where she was taught things such as poise and etiquette, and she was advised to attend a modelling course. She attended Denis Morris Catholic High School.
As a teenager, Evangelista started modelling locally in her hometown. In 1981, she took part in the Miss Teen Niagara beauty pageant. While she did not win the pageant, she caught the eye of a representative from Elite Model Management.
At the age of 16, she flew to Japan to model there, but an unpleasant experience involving nudity during an assignment made her want to stop modelling altogether. She returned to Canada, and two years went by before she decided to try her hand at modelling again.
Career
1984–1987: Early career
Evangelista moved to New York City in 1984 upon signing with Elite, where she met the prominent modelling agent John Casablancas, who compared her likeness to the model Joan Severance. Elite then moved Evangelista to Paris, where she launched her international high-fashion career at the age of 19. Her first major fashion magazine cover was for the November 1984 issue of L'Officiel. Subsequently, she appeared on the covers and in the pages of a variety of international publications, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Elle, W, Marie Claire, Allure, Time, Interview, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Cigar Aficionado, and i-D. She appeared on a total of more than 700 covers worldwide.
In 1985, Evangelista began working with Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer of the fashion house Chanel, to whom she would become a muse. On the subject of Evangelista, Lagerfeld once uttered, "There is not another model in the world as professional as she is." Evangelista became one of the first editorial models to successfully cross over into the realm of runway modelling, with her agent Piero Piazzi successfully booking her to walk for fashion designer Gianni Versace, for whom she became a muse. She first appeared in a Versace ad campaign in 1987. She also modelled for various other fashion brands such as Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferré, Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaïa, Oscar de la Renta, Giorgio Armani, Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Donna Karan, Jil Sander, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alberta Ferretti, Isaac Mizrahi, Escada, Calvin Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo, Max Mara, Perry Ellis, Chloé, Comme des Garçons, Bill Blass, and Herve Leger. She has represented a diverse array of other companies and non-fashion brands like Visa, American Express, Pizza Hut, De Beers, and Elizabeth Arden.