top 10 models

1. Adriana Lima
adriana lima may not have wanted to be a supermodel when she was growing up, but lo and behold, she's strutting her stuff for magazines and fashion shows seen by millions. Paris, Milan and New York are very different from her hometown of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, but adriana lima, with her diamond eyes, seems to take it all in stride -- besides, her worldwide travels are great excuses to shop. learn more


2. Tyra Banks
Born December 4, 1973, Tyra Banks has gone from ugly duckling as a child to a supermodel on top of the world today. The Los Angeles born nymph has been a breakthru model for the African American community. Tyra was the first black female to appear solo on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. Tyra hadn't always had dreams of becoming a supermodel, as a child Tyra was made fun of by her schoolmates and as she says in a recent interview "They knew I was sensitive and they'd tease me all the time. I'd go home crying to my mom. But I got the last laugh. Now I say, 'Is that really me?' " The issue of being 'really me' also is being brought into question with Tyra. Several have said Banks has had a nose job and breast implants, and if true one could hardly argue with the results. learn more

3. Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook (original name Kelly Parsons) is from Rochester Kent, and has a stunning 34E 24 34 figure. After being discovered by the Daily Star, then appearing in various UK men's magazines, she appeared in a TV ad for Sure deodorant with Jonathan Ross, where she played the game show hostress "Nicky with the Ticky". Her career really took off. learn more

4. Kim Smith
Kim Smith was born on March 2, 1983 in Texas, where Kim now attends a renowned high school and is currently in her third year. Kim's high school is well known for its athletic programs, especially football. As a freshman, Kim earned the right to be a member on the varsity golf team, where she's been a major contributor. Last year she got a hole in one on a par three hole. Kim also serves on the National Junior Honor Society, and was voted most popular by her peers. About a year ago, Kim went to a Model Search America contest in Dallas with a friend. She was pulled aside by David Mogul, president of the organization, and asked why her nametag was lableled "guest". She then went from a visitor to a competitor, and after 12 callbacks she signed a contract with Clipse management and Ty Kilinic of Dallas. For more on Kim Smith, see what the Press has to say about her. learn more

5. Caprice Bourret
Caprice Bourret was born in Southern California on October 24th 1979 where she grew up. However; here the story begins to change as she eventually moved to the United Kingdom where she achieved her celebrity stardom as the Wonderbra model who charmed and bedazzled all the Englishmen and caused the English women to go out and arm themselves with like undergarments. She has also achieved recognition in many Pantene shampoo ads and also European ads for Porsce automobiles. learn more

6. Anna Nicole Smith
Selected to represent GUESS in its numerous ad campaigns begining in 1992. A native Texan, she is certainly more the '50s starlet than the typical '90s model. Anna's voluptuos 5'11" (39-27-39) proportions put her in a league with Jayne Mansfield and Jane Russell. Anna's rise to fame is a true Cinderalla story. At 24, she entered and won the Playboy Magazine. learn more

7. Niki Taylor
Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Miami on March 5, 1975, Niki Taylor was always extremely close to sisters Joelle and Krissy, and parents Ken and Barbera. An aspiring marine biologist, Niki's career plans took a different route after her mother sent photos of the then 13-year old beauty to a Florida modeling agency. An agency signed her, and it didn't take long for Niki's beautiful face to appear on the pages of French catalogues and magazines such as Seventeen, when she was thirteen years old. learn more

8. Kate Moss
Kate Moss was discovered by Sarah Doukas of Storm Agency at JFK Airport when she was fourteen. After being featured in the British magazine The Face, she caught the eye of Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis who featured her in the September 1992 relaunch issue. Calvin Klein then signed Kate, and through his media saturation landed her image on every magazine, bus stop, and billboard in North America. This seemingly overnight success has not come without criticism, however. learn more

9. Elle MacPherson
Referred to tellingly as "The Body" in her native Australia, Elle Macpherson's formidable six-foot frame has graced enough covers of Sports Illustrated to make the auburn-haired model-turned-actress synonymous with the words "Swimsuit Issue." Despite a youthful passion for ballet, Macpherson claims she was a classic tree-climbing tomboy as a young girl growing up Down Under. The eldest of four children of a well-off Sydney family, she witnessed her parents divorce at fourteen (born Eleanor Gow, Elle adopted the surname of Macpherson when her mother remarried soon after). Macpherson enrolled in Sydney University's pre-law program (no doubt on the encouragement of her barrister stepfather), but her future in law was cut short after a single year of study when she discovered she had a ready talent for promoting an athletic-yet-voluptuous new standard for print models. learn more

10. Cindy Crawford
Cindy is the second of three girls and four children. Her parents, John and Jennifer, now divorced. Brother Jeff was four years younger than Cindy, died of leukemia at when he was age 4 and Cindy was 8. Older sister, Chris, has always lived in the Chicago area as a teacher. Younger sister Danielle has worked in the peace Corp and worked most recently as production assistant on Cindy's film 'Fair Game'. She also appears in the film as a waitress. She now works on a dude ranch in Colorado. Before becoming a megamodel, Cindy detasselled corn, won a chemical engineering scholarship, and scored perfectly on her college calculus exams. Cindy attended Northwestern University but never graduated. Graduated Valedictorian of DeKalb High with a 4.0 avg. Cindy Crawford's life is the classic rags to riches tale. learn more