Natalia Vodianova is a Russian top model.


Name: Natalia Mikhaylovna Vodianova

Date of birth: February 28, 1982

Place of birth: City of Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod

Place of residence: New York City

Education: incomplete secondary school

Work experience: At the age of 14, Natalia began selling fruit at a bus stop in the Avtozavodsky District district to help her mother raise two sisters, one of whom had cerebral palsy.

At fifteen, she submitted her application to a Nizhny Novgorod modeling agency.

At sixteen, she was scouted at an audition held by the French modeling agency "ViVa" in Nizhny Novgorod, where the well-known photographer Alexey Vasilyev noticed her — he was struck by how "untouched" her face looked.

That is how Vodianova ended up first in Moscow, and then, in December 1999, left for Paris to take part in a competition run by the French agency "Madison."

In Paris she had to work hard, attending several casting calls in different parts of the city every day. She often had to make do with food from buffet receptions — not the most filling option, but good for keeping one's figure — while sending whatever small earnings she had back home.

But nothing comes without effort, and Natalia did not have to wait long with her fishing rod. She received an invitation to take part in New York Fashion Week. After that, her rise was meteoric. She walked the runway for Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Valentino, and many other fashion houses. She appeared on the covers of the world's most prominent fashion magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, and ELLE. She was the "face" of the cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris, and also took part in advertising campaigns for Louis Vuitton, David Yurman, Marc Jacobs, Miss Sixty, Pepe Jeans, Diane von Fürstenberg, Chanel, and Gucci. She appeared in the Pirelli Calendar. In 2003 she officially became the face of Calvin Klein. Until 2007 she ranked among the three highest-paid supermodels in the world, surpassing Kate Moss in total earnings. After the birth of her third child she decided to step back from her modeling career to focus on her family and charitable work. She will still agree to walk the runway or take part in a photo shoot for a sufficiently large fee.

Marital status: her husband is an art collector, English lord Justin Trevor Barclay Portman (they met at a private party); three children — son Lucas, born 2001; daughter Neva, born 2006; son Victor, born 2007.

Measurements (unchanged, regardless of everything!): Height — 176 cm Bust — 86.5 cm Waist — 61 cm Hips — 86.5 cm

Hobbies: charity. Knowing firsthand the challenges of raising a child with a disability, Natalia Vodianova is actively involved in philanthropic work. She founded her own foundation, "The Naked Heart Foundation," to build playgrounds in provincial cities across Russia.

On one occasion, the editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Playboy remarked at a press conference in Nizhny Novgorod: "I visited your Vodianova at her apartment in Manhattan, met her husband, everything is fine there… A great girl, by the way. Such success, and she hasn't let it go to her head one bit!…"

Driving through the streets of the Avtozavodsky District of Nizhny Novgorod, one notices cheerful billboards with slogans like "These are your people, District!" or "The plant's best milling machine operator," and so on. Honestly, you wouldn't call such billboards an adornment. Whether the milling machine operator had a bit too much to drink before the photo was taken, or the billboards are simply poorly designed — it's hard to say.

And yet, one fellow native of Avtozavodsky is genuinely known the world over — yes, THE ENTIRE WORLD — for her beauty and determination (or perhaps more accurately, in the reverse order) — but her face appears on none of those billboards among the district's most distinguished residents.

Perhaps because advertising posters featuring the face and figure of NATALIA VODIANOVA already adorn the world's most fashionable magazines, shops, and street walls around the globe. So, lest she get too big for her boots, the home district where she was born and raised has quietly left her out.

Interesting facts

  • Natalia Vodianova is, on her father's side, Erzya.

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