During the ‘80s and ‘90s, these supermodels were considered to be some of the best in the business. They had bodies to die for and they only worked with the best brands, photographers and magazines. Even though they were incredibly successful, unlike their more famous contemporaries, their careers ended up fading away. While some of them had some say in stepping back from the spotlight, others didn’t have as much control. We decided to round up some former supermodels, see how they rose to fame and check in and see what they’re up to now. Here are 7 of the hottest and most forgotten supermodels!
7. Amber Valletta
Amber Valletta was one of the undisputed queens of the catwalk during the ‘90s. She began her modeling career when she was still a teenager and she went on to appear on the cover of Vogue and in ads for Louis Vuitton, Versace and Calvin Klein. Valletta gave up modeling over a decade ago to focus on acting and she recently opened about her struggles with addiction on the site MindBodyGreen, detailing her journey to sobriety.
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6. Kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland was a leading supermodel in the ‘80s and ‘90s who was best known for appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for 13 consecutive years, starting in 1984. During the ‘90s, Ireland started her own successful business Kathy Ireland Worldwide. The company has become incredibly successful, marketing more than 15,000 products, including furniture, baby items and jewelry. As a result, Ireland is now one of the wealthiest models in the world.
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5. Karen Mulder
Karen Mulder was another successful model during the ‘90s. The Dutch model walked the runway for Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Versace and Armani, and appeared on the cover of Vogue. Mulder retired from modeling in 2000 and tried her hand at acting and music; however, she had limited success. Apart from a handful of projects, a nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt, the former model has managed a keep a low profile for years.
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4. Stephanie Seymour
During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Stephanie Seymour was a supermodel best known for appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Vogue, Victoria’s Secret and Playboy. She has continued to model since she made her big debut almost three decades ago. In 2013, Seymour beat out women half her age to land the new Jason Wu campaign; however, she recently came under fire when she posed in a provocative shoot with her two sons Peter, 20, and Harry, 17.
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3. Kristen McMenamy
Kristen McMenamy – who is known for her unconventional, androgynous appearance – was a supermodel during the ‘80s. She worked for many of the world’s top designers and fashion houses, including Chanel, Valentino and Versace. These days, her daughter Lily is the one strutting down the catwalk. In 2013, Lily walked the Marc Jacobs show completely topless, wearing a pair of high-waisted shorts with her arm covering her chest.
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2. Niki Taylor
Niki Taylor is considered one of the great supermodels of the ‘90s. She landed her first Vogue cover at the age of 15 – the youngest person to ever do so – and scored a multi-million dollar cosmetics contract with L’Oreal at the age of 16. Although she was expected to be the next Cindy Crawford, Taylor took a step back from her modeling career after her near-fatal car accident in 2001. These days, family and charity are the two most important things to this former model.
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1. Bridget Hall
During the ‘90s, Bridget Hall was one of the top 10 moneymaking supermodels. She covered numerous fashion magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Allure, and appeared in fashion shows for Ralph Lauren, Chanel and Gucci. Despite achieving a high level of fame, Hall has been mostly retired for years; however, she returned to the spotlight last year as the face of Rag and Bone’s DIY campaign and Prabal Gurung’s Fall 2013 campaign.