High Fashion Baby Names

By Bree Ogle

It’s amazing how much fashion, and with it, the models who display it, changes over time. For example, the fifties were exemplified by women with defined brows and cinched-in waists. The sixties saw the rise of Twiggy, who brought extreme thinness into vogue. The seventies were the time of uber-blondes like Bitten Knudsen and Gunilla Lindblad, and the eighties seemed to have a lot of commercially attractive models like Christie Brinkley. The nineties were all about “heroin-chic,” a look typified by gaunt Kate Moss.

And now? It’s anything that makes you different. The current “It” girl is Cara Delevingne, who owes some of her fame to her bold brows. Lindsey Wixson, another popular model, is known for her distinctive pout. It’s all about standing out, whether it’s your looks or your name–be it real or adopted. There is no denying that a girl called Kid is going to be more memorable than one named Katelyn.

50’s:

Bettina Graziani (born Simone Micheline Bodin) – French

Carmen Dell‘Orefice – Aged 83, she stills models to this day, and walks the runway

China Machado (born Noelie Dasouza Machado) – Chinese–She was the first non-Caucasian cover girl

Dorian Leigh (born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker) – Sister of Suzy Parker

Dovima (born Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba) – Richard Avedon called her “the most remarkable and unconventional beauty of her time” – American

Jean Patchett

Lisa Fonssagrives (born Lisa Bergitta Bernstone) – Dutch–Credited as being the first supermodel

Sunny Hartnett (born Annemarie Margot Hartnett)

Suzy Parker (born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker)

Wilhelmina Cooper – Dutch–Founded the Wilhelmina modeling agency; She was known as “Willy” to friends

60’s:

Anita Pallenberg – Italian

Donyale Luna – She was the first black model on the cover of Vogue

Grace Coddington – Now the creative director of Vogue

Ingrid Boulting – South African

Jean Shrimpton – She helped launch the miniskirt into the spotlight, and is an icon of the 60’s

Marisa Berenson (born Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson) – She’s the granddaughter of designer Elsa Schiaparelli

Naomi Sims—considered the first African American supermodel

Peggy Moffitt (Margaret Anne Moffitt)

Penelope Tree – Along with Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, Penelope was an icon of the Swinging 60s

Twiggy (Lesley Hornby)–another Swinging London superstar

Veruschka– German— (Vera Gottliebe Anna Gräfin von Lehndorff-Steinort) – Her father was a Prussian count and was executed when she was five for attempting to assassinate Hitler

70’s:

Bitten Knudsen – Danish

Cheryl Tiegs

Dalma Callado – Brazilian

Gia Carangi – American—Her life was dramatized in a TV film that was Angelina Jolie’s breakout role.

Gunilla Lindblad – Swedish

Iman – Somali (Iman Mohamed Abdulmaid), has been married to David Bowie since 1992

Janice Dickinson

Jerry Hall, mother of models Elizabeth Scarlett “Lizzy” Jagger and Georgia May Ayeesha Jagger

Lauren Hutton (born Mary Laurence Hutton), she also had an acting career

Margaux Hemingway (born Margot Louise Hemingway) – Granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway

Patti Hansen (born Patricia Elvina)

80’s:

Brooke Shields

Carol Alt

Christie Brinkley

Cindy Crawford (born Cynthia Ann Crawford)

Elle Macpherson (born Eleanor Nancy Gow)

Paulina Porizkova – Czech

Vanessa Duve–German

Yasmin Le Bon, married to Duran Duran singer Simon le Bon

90’s:

Christy Turlington

Chrystèle Saint Louis Augustin – French

Claudia Schiffer–German

Georgina Grenville, South African

Heidi Klum – German, also the producer of Project Runway

Helena Christensen, Danish

Kate Moss

Kristen McMenamy, known for her androgynous appearance

Laetitia Casta – French

Linda Evangelista

Marielle MacVille–Dutch

Milla Jovovich (born Milica Jovovich) – Now more recognized for her roles in the Resident Evil film franchise – Ukranian-American

Naomi Campbell

Shalom Harlow – Canadian

Stella Tennant

Tanga Moreau – Belgian

Tatjana Patitz – German

Tyra Banks

Present:

Adwoa Aboah – Ghanian-British-American

Anja Rubik (born Anna Rubik) – Polish

Arizona Muse – American (Vogue editor Anna Wintour has been quoted as saying “How could anyone resist someone with that name?”

Bambi Northwood-Blyth (born Stephanie)

Behati Prinsloo – Wife of “Maroon 5” front man Adam Levine – Namibian

Binx Walton (born Leona Walton) – American

Candice Swanepoel—South African

Cara Delevingne

Cato Van Ee – Dutch-American

Daphne Groeneveld – Dutch

Doutzen Kroes – Dutch

Fei Fei Sun – Chinese

Freja Beha Erichsen – Danish

Gemma Ward, Australian

Gigi Hadid (born Jelena Noura Hadid) – American

Gisele Bündchen – Brazilian

Hadassa Lima – Brazilian

Harleth Kuusik – Estonian

Ine Neefs – Belgian

Irma Spies – German

Kid Plotnikova (born Katya Plotnikova) – Russian

Kinga Rajzak – Slovakian

Linnea Ahlman – Swedish

Liya Kebede – Ethiopian

Lottie Moss (born Charlotte Moss) – Kate Moss‘s sister

Luba Hryniv – Ukranian

Lululeika Ravn Liep – Danish

Manon Leloup – French

Marloes Horst – Dutch

Ming Xi (born Mengyao Xi) – Chinese

Misha Hart– Scottish

Shanina Shaik – Australian

Smith Vanders (born Cathelijne Vandersmissen) – Dutch

Ubah Hassan – Somali-Canadian

Veroniek Gielkens – Dutch

Vlada Roslyakova (born Elena Vladimirovna Roslyakova) – Russian

Some challenging choices–which ones do you like?