This story unfolded through the actions of people that have today become huge names in the fashion world. Anna Wintour had just arrived at the head of Vogue – originally from the UK, she had what it took to get what she wanted on the January 1990 cover: five girls shot by a photographer whose trademark was raw and sleek portraits. Peter Lindberg recalls: “Anna Wintour arrived at U.S. Vogue, she saw my photos and said that it was exactly what she wanted to do. She gave me the cover, and that was the turning point. From trash can to cover in just a few months.” These five girls were Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. Today, these are the faces that incarnate what it means to be a supermodel. In those days, these women were far from the prevailing standards of beauty – voluptuous in relation to what was happening on the catwalk, these models maintained all the freshness, independence, and simplicity of women that made a name for themselves in fashion magazines. The January 1990 cover of Vogue literally enthroned these women and made them into the stuff of legends.
The cover itself was a shock in the face of the over-the-top exuberance of the 80s. Compared to the opulence of the day – an opulence incarnated by Versace or Christian Lacroix – Lindberg had the idea to have these models pose with the simplest device, in clothing that would capture the essence of the decades to come. By using 1989 downtown New York as the decor, wearing Levi’s jeans and jersey tops, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington have barely any makeup on. And yet there they are, confident and at ease as they look into the lens. Simplicity reigns with the power of silence, as these photos and the women it portrays immediately become an object of fascination. Whereas before they didn’t have the right measurements to do runways, soon they were featured in every fashion show. What people liked about them was their way of inhabiting each garment, and personality that gave the piece meaning as well as an impulse to buy in cities around the world. Peter Lindberg brought out a new interpretation of a woman, giving all women the right to be themselves, to express multiple facets of their character in the simplest style imaginable. Just as these models found a voice, they also became vectors of personality and celebrities in their own right.
Supermodels became heroines of their era, and still incarnate resistance in the face of the enormous pressures of society today: rejecting categories and beauty standards, they put stars back into taste. They didn’t just change pop culture, they became a part of it so much so that they’ve never really disappeared from the pages of fashion magazines. Versace, Dior, Calvin Klein, Chanel… not a single brand passes them up. Today, these women are always present in the first row of runways to hype up the entire affair. Now the go-to stars even beyond simple campaign photo shoots, supermodels appear in ads to become the models of a generation. Because they represent a democratized ideal of women, they wear many hats: independent women, business women, mothers, supermodels represent daily women with an assured and accentuated glamour that gives them the status of an icon.
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