Kate Moss

Despite her sensual, mysterious image, Kate Moss seems to be a lightening rod for bad attention. Kate Moss, born January 16, 1974 in London became the Guy Fox the press pilloried when it chose to point fingers over a popular series of Calvin Klein ads. After the big hair and big thighs of eighties fashion, the nineties opened with a new look—thin. Kate Moss’s heroin-chic style was riding a wave of changing body ideals that took the mainstream press for a ride. The press had confused Kate Moss’s svelte look as motivation for girls to acquire eating disorders, when in fact any fashion designer will tell you they like working with thin models simply because they make the clothes look better.

Kate Moss hit a patch of bad luck image-wise with the CK fiasco, as the company was also facing criticism for what was described as the sexual depiction of minors (Moss was eighteen when she signed with CK). All of this aside, the fashion industry quickly found a place for her, and soon she was the vanguard of nineties style. Despite her fame, Kate Moss closely guards her image. She remains a consistent, iconic figure even though she has worked on major campaigns for dozens of companies throughout her career. She has represented Dior, Chanel, Versace, and Burberry among many distinguished fashion houses, and has graced the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair several times.

Kate Moss’s discovery at age 14 has given her plenty of time to learn hard lessons about fame and fashion. These days, she does not usually willingly surrender information to the press, and so much of the public record surrounding her is founded on rumor and hearsay. She has fought off allegations regarding drug abuse and her sex life, as well as been forced to shrug off the complaints of some about her cigarette smoking. She has been a muse for such talents as Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty, and through it all has remained Kate Moss.