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Kate Moss

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Not to be confused with Kate Mosse.
Kate Moss
Moss at a Versace function in Cape Town, December 29, 2005, photo by Deon Maritz
Born
Katherine Moss
Modeling information
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1]
Hair colornaturally brown, currently blonde
Eye colorhazel

Katherine Moss (born January 16, 1974), known as Kate Moss, is an iconic English supermodel who is known for her waifish figure, high-profile relationships, party lifestyle and advertising campaigns. She has appeared on over 300 magazine covers.[4]

Early life

Moss was born in Addiscombe, London Borough of Croydon, England. She attended Ridgeway Primary School, then Riddlesdown High School but she was not noted for her academic success though she did excel at sports. According to Vermorel's book Addicted to Love: Kate Moss she earned one C (in Science) and Ds, Es, and Us in all others at GCSE level.

Modelling career

She was discovered at the age of 14 by Sarah Doukas (the founder of Storm Model Management) in 1988, at JFK Airport in New York City, after a vacation in the Bahamas. Moss's career began when Corinne Day shot black and white photographs of her for British magazine The Face when she was 15, in a photo shoot titled "The Third Summer of Love". Moss then went on to become the anti-supermodel of the 1990s in contrast to the supermodels at the time, such as Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, who were known for their curvaceous and tall figures.

Moss during her waif period

Style

She ushered in the waif look in 1993 (which prompted much speculation over her weight) with a highly publicised campaign for Calvin Klein, including posing nude in ads for its perfume brand, Obsession. Moss charmed the fashion industry despite being unusually short for a runway model, and has worked for many elite fashion lines. Now in her 30s, Moss is still working and has become a supermodel in her own right.

In addition to being known for her modelling work, Kate Moss is also an international fashion icon.[5] She has garnered many awards for her style including Award of Fashion Influence at the Council of Fashion Designers of America's award and a place on the Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list.[6][7] She even appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's September 2006 style issue. Her style mostly draws inspiration from rock and roll. Due to her reputation, she is credited for setting numerous trends. In recent years she has popularised denim cutoff shorts,[8] Ugg boots, skinny jeans especially of the brands Sass & Bide and Siwy, the waistcoat, and the Balenciaga handbag,[9] as well as bringing waist-cinching belts back into popularity.[10]

Campaigns

Moss has had campaigns with major Italian, French, American, and British designers including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry, Chanel, Missoni, Dior, Longchamp, David Yurman, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry, Rimmel, and Bvlgari. She has been featured in fashion spreads in most major fashion magazines including UK, US, and French Vogue magazines (as well as other international versions of Vogue), Another Man, Vanity Fair, the Face, and W. Moss has appeared on the cover of Vogue 23 times and has been featured on the cover of 17 issues of W, including one issue with nine different covers featuring the model. W even names Moss its muse (September 2003 issue). She has worked with the most well-known photographers in the fashion industry today, such as Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, Steven Klein, and Juergen Teller, and is a Peter L "trained" model. She won the prestigious Vogue/CFDA award from the Fashion Designers of America in July 2005 as Fashion Inspiration. The haute couture dress she wore to the award ceremony was from the Christian Dior fall 2005 haute couture designed by John Galliano.

April 2005 saw the launch of the Rimmel London mascara ad featuring a leather-clad Kate Moss riding a motorbike through London.

As of April 2006, camera company Nikon have also signed her to be the face of their new Coolpix S6 digital camera; the photoshoot features Moss posing in a state of undress, with nothing but the camera.

Twelve months after her cocaine scandal Moss made a comeback by bagging 18 top modelling contracts for the Autumn/Winter 2006 season which include: Rimmel, Agent Provocateur, Virgin Mobile, Belstaff, Beymen, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Longchamp, Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Chanel, Nikon, David Yurman, Versace, Mia Shvili, Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry. Moss has also agreed to make her first foray into the design world by designing a collection, in collaboration with Katy England, for Topshop,[11] while it has also been suggested that Moss will launch a fragrance bearing her name in 2007.[12]

According to Forbes.com Moss is making more money than ever. Her 2004-2005 earnings were $5 million[13] and her 2005-2006 earnings were $8 million.[14] She is currently the second highest paid model in the world behind Gisele Bundchen.

In November of 2006, Moss won the Model of the Year prize, the top accolade in British fashion, but the award has divided opinion and stirred fresh controversy.

In the Music Industry

Moss has appeared in music videos such as "Kowalski" by Primal Scream, "I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself" by the White Stripes and "Delia's Gone" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash. She also provided vocals for songs by Primal Scream (the 2003 version of "Some Velvet Morning") and Babyshambles. Her vocals are featured on the Babyshambles' "La Belle et la Bete", singing the lines "Is she more beautiful than me?"

Personal life

Moss has a daughter, Lila Grace, born on 29 September, 2002, with Dazed & Confused editor Jefferson Hack. She is also godmother to the two sons of The Clash member Paul Simonon.

Controversies

One of the first controversies about Kate Moss was surrounding her weight which she replied "It was just the time. It was a swing from more buxom girls like Cindy Crawford and people were shocked to see what they called a 'waif'. What can you say? How many times can you say 'I'm not anorexic'?"[15]

Moss checked herself into a psychiatric centre in 1998, claiming she was suffering from "exhaustion." She later admitted she'd been drinking and getting high before getting on the catwalk, but denied ever indulging in harder substances. Dismissing rumours that her stay was for substance abuse, sources have revealed that she was suffering from depression over her separation from longtime boyfriend, actor Johnny Depp.

The British tabloids and paparazzi often target Kate Moss. UK tabloid the Sunday Mirror was sued successfully by Moss for claiming that she had slipped into a coma after taking large amounts of cocaine in Spain years earlier.

"Cocaine scandal"

File:Cocainemagcover.jpg
Daily Mirror front page showing Moss using cocaine.

British tabloids, particularly the Daily Mirror, have long claimed that Moss habitually used cocaine. In interviews Moss dismissed these claims as ridiculous.

On 15 September, 2005, London's Daily Mirror ran front page and inside photos that seemed to show Moss snorting several lines of cocaine at a Babyshambles recording session. Most tabloids have reported that Moss used a £5 note to snort five lines in 40 minutes. It has been alleged by Babyshambles' then singer Pete Doherty that James Mullord, his former manager, sold the photos to the newspaper for more than £150,000.[16] Within a short time of publication, Moss lost major modelling contracts with several international companies. On 20 September, 2005, the Swedish fashion retailer H&M, which intended to feature her in a campaign of their autumn clothes range designed by Moss's good friend Stella McCartney, announced instead that it was dropping Moss after the drug allegations. The contract was reportedly worth £4 million a year.[17] A day later, Chanel announced that it would not be renewing its contract with Moss, which was set to expire in that October, although the company said that its decision had nothing to do with the drug scandal. Burberry also decided to drop Moss's campaign with them. Moss quickly issued an apology though she stopped short of admitting drug use. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them," she said. "I want to apologise to all of the people I have let down because of my behaviour which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business associates and others."

Moss continued to appear in major ad campaigns during this period for Dior. She was on the cover of the November 2005 W and also appeared inside in a multi-page fashion shoot. She was also defended by friends and supporters, including models Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen, French actress Catherine Deneuve, her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp, and designer Alexander McQueen. McQueen's defense was especially notable and during his walk out after a fashion show he wore a t-shirt saying "We love you Kate". Artist Stella Vine also supported her, and paintings of Moss by Vine in this incident were exhibited and reproduced in the press. Pop singer Robbie Williams said of Moss' relationship with Doherty, "I can understand why Kate finds it difficult to leave Pete, he has a certain charisma surrounding him."

Also in November 2005, Moss ended her relationship with Doherty soon after he checked himself out of Meadows Clinic in Arizona, failing to complete a programme for drug rehabilitation. Moss herself underwent successful treatment there in October and had urged Doherty to seek the same treatment himself. Doherty claims that their separation involved other issues, telling the The Sun newspaper that Moss left him because, “I can’t buy her diamonds and my dick is too small.”[18]

On 5 January, 2006, the Metropolitan Police asked Moss to return from the US to Britain to answer questions about the September 2005 cocaine scandal.[19] The following day, the Daily Mirror reported that Moss would return to Britain and face arrest about allegations of cocaine usage. She was interviewed by police in London on 31 January, 2006, with her solicitor present, but reportedly made no admissions, and she was not arrested (photographs of alleged drug-taking are not admissible evidence in British courts). On 16 June 2006, British police finally dropped the charges for lack of evidence.[20] Ultimately Moss was cleared of all charges, and resumed her modelling career.

Further reading

  • Vermorel, Fred - "Addicted To Love: Kate Moss" (Omnibus Press, 2006) ISBN 1-84609-158-6
  • Moss, Kate - "Kate: The Kate Moss Book" (Universe, 15 August 1997) ISBN 0-7893-0101-6
  • Kendall, Katherine - "Kate Moss: Model of Imperfection" (Penguin Group, 2005) ISBN 1-59609-033-2

References

  1. ^ "Kate Moss's height is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)". CelebHeights.com. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  2. ^ "KATE MOSS". New Faces Models and Talent. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  3. ^ "KATE MOSS". New Faces Models and Talent. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  4. ^ "Kate Moss". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  5. ^ "Kate officially a style icon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 June 2005. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  6. ^ Nick Gibbens (9 March 2006). "Kate Moss named top fashion icon". 999 Today. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
  7. ^ "Kate Moss Appears in Vanity Fair as 'Best-Dressed'". FoxNews. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  8. ^ "Celebrity Trend: Denim Mini-Shorts". Rogueconnect. 20 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  9. ^ "Kate Moss receives Fashion Icon award". MSNBC. 21 June 2005. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  10. ^ "Celebrity Trend: Kate Moss in Waist-Cinching Belts". Rogueconnect. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  11. ^ "Kate Moss Confirmed for TopShop". Rogueconnect. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  12. ^ "Kate Moss Fragrance on the Horizon". Rogueconnect. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  13. ^ "Kate Moss". Forbes. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  14. ^ "Kate Moss". Forbes. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  15. ^ "In Camera Kate Moss". SHOWstudio. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  16. ^ "Kate Moss to escape cocaine charges". Daily Mail. 4 April 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  17. ^ Chantal Britt (20 September 2005). "Kate Moss Ads Scrapped by H&M After Cocaine Pictures (Update1)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  18. ^ James Clench. "Pete: Drugs, Kate & me". The Sun. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  19. ^ "Police urge Kate Moss to return". BBC News. 5 January 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
  20. ^ "Prosecutors blow the case against Moss". Boston Herald. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
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