Model of the Week: Karlie Kloss

An American beauty originally from Chicago, then from St Louis Missouri, United States. Discovered at a charity fashion show in a mall in St. Louis for a friend who was battling cancer. Now based in NYC, Karlie studied ballet which explains her grace on the runway and her popularity among the designers. Close friends with fellow model Jourdan Dunn and Karmen Pedaru. Has a puppy named Joe.

Birth Date: August 3, 1992
Country of origin: United States

Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Hair color light brown
Eye color green

Measurements

(US) 32-23-34
(EU) 81-58.5-86.5
Dress size (US) 4; (EU) 34
Shoe size (US) 9; (EU) 40
Manager: Next Models

When Kloss was 13, she was discovered at a charity fashion show in St. Louis. She was encouraged and inspired to model by one of her teachers in Webster Groves High School. In 2007, she signed with Elite Model Management.

“I never imagined myself doing this. Doors opened for me and I ran for it.”

One of her first modelling stints was for Abercrombie when she posed for the brand’s photography shot by Bruce Weber.[6] In January 2008 she left Elite and signed with NEXT Model Management. She ended up walking 31 runways in New York Fashion Week notably, closing for Marc Jacobs, opening Carolina Herrera, and occupying both spots at Doo.Ri.[7] After New York she went on to walk 20 shows in Milan, and 13 in Paris for the fall 2008 collections, with a total of 64 shows in a single season. Kloss found herself in the middle of a legal dispute when her former agency Elite was suing NEXT for allegedly stealing away its young star by offering her “improper compensation” to sign. Elite felt they were responsible for launching her career and booking much work for her. The case was eventually settled out of court.

She was named the best model by People magazine in 2008. Kloss, labeled her famed runway walk a “moody gait.” Molly Sims, whom she considers a mentor, told New York she thinks Kloss is the type of model who will still “do well at 30″ because of her classic look.

She has been in advertisements for Jean Paul Gaultier, Donna Karan, Nina Ricci, Chloé, Lacoste, Sportmax, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Elie Saab, Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, Bally Shoe, Bergdorf Goodman, Pringle of Scotland, Dior, Hermes, Oscar de la Renta, Sonia Rykiel, Aquascutum, Topshop, Eryn Brinie, Uniqlo, Omnia Jade, Lord & Taylor, Barneys New York, American Eagle, and Victoria’s Secret PINK. Kloss is the face of the Marc Jacobs fragrance Lola. She has walked for numerous designers in New York, London, Milan and Paris, including Shiatzy Chen, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Givenchy, Gucci, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Versace, Elie Saab and appeared in editorials for American and Korean W, American Elle, Allure, i-D, French and Japanese Numéro, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused, and American, Australian, Italian, French, British, Korean, German, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese, Teen, and Latin American[8][9] Vogue magazines. Her covers include Italian Vogue in October 2009, January 2010, and December 2011, Vogue Turkey, Vogue Portugal, Vogue China in February, August, and November in 2010, Vogue Korea and American Teen Vogue, alongside Chanel Iman and Ali Michael in February 2008 and by herself in May 2010. She has ventured into TV when she appeared in Season Four Episode 1 of Gossip Girl as herself. She has become a muse for fashion designer John Galliano and has appeared in Dior and John Galliano campaigns and opened both shows, Christian Dior Haute Couture and Dior resort shows from spring summer 2010. In the Spring/Summer 2011 Season, she opened 10 shows and closed 8. Her runway walk, one of the most unique, is often described as powerful.

In 2011 Kloss renewed her contract with Christian Dior for the third season in a row. The same year, she made her debut in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Her hobbies include baking cookies, biking and ballet. Among her fellow models, her friends include Jourdan Dunn, Toni Garrn, Ali Stephens, Joan Smalls, Frida Gustavsson, Coco Rocha, Monika Jagaciak, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Irina Kulikova, Chanel Iman, Patricia van der Vliet. Supermodel Tyra Banks has stated on her Twitter account that Kloss is one of her favorite models right now because of her unique, atypical beauty.