League Of Her Own

Supermodel. Supermum. Superwoman. Christy Turlington Burns talks feminism, fashion and the beautiful art of ageing gracefully.

- Eleonore Marchand

It’s been a transformational journey for Christy Turlington Burns, who, at the age of 48, seems to have lived many different lives. She’s appeared on over 500 magazine covers throughout the course of her modelling career, and helped prevent numerous deaths through her nonprofit organisation, Every Mother Counts.

Many remember her appearance in the late George Michael’s cult music video for “Freedom! ’90,” gracefully walking barefoot wrapped in a long white linen sheet, dancing and lip-synching along with Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz. A few months later, at his fall 1991 fashion show in Milan, Gianni Versace sent Turlington, Evangelista, Campbell and Crawford down the runway to that very song, the four of them miming George Michael’s lyrics, making fashion history.

While Versace was key to the rise of the supermodels, and Turlington appeared in some of the most iconic shots of his early ’90s campaigns, she was also the star of numerous other brands: Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, Prada and Calvin Klein— Klein being her first significant contract. Turlington Burns quickly became one of the world’s top-earning models, and her success revolutionised the industry.