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Kristen McMenamy
Kristen McMenamy (born December 13, 1964) is an American model known for her unconventional and androgynous appearance. Originally a long-haired redhead, she reinvented her look in the early 1990s by having her hair cut short and dyed black, and her eyebrows shaved off. Her career was boosted by the advent of the grunge fashion trend.
McMenamy was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1964. She also spent part of her youth in Buffalo, New York. She was the third of seven children in an Irish-American Catholic family.
McMenamy attended Notre Dame High School in Easton, where she reportedly received excellent grades but was often teased by her classmates, who called her "Skeleton" due to her lanky body. While in college, she decided to drop out of school to pursue a career in modeling.
Following high school, McMenamy moved from Easton to New York City to pursue a career as a model. She was initially rejected by various agencies. In 2012, she recounted, "I got rejected by everyone. But I was obsessed! It was the only thing I wanted to do and I wanted it so badly. I was like a bulldog, hanging on by my teeth."
She met modeling agent Eileen Ford, who advised her to get plastic surgery. Despite not undergoing plastic surgery, she was signed by a modeling agency that sent her to work in Paris. A few years later, she was signed by Elite Model Management, and subsequently by Ford Models.
McMenamy's modeling career mainly spanned the years 1985 to 1998, when she worked for several of the world's top designers and international fashion houses, including Versace, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Todd Oldham, Christian Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferré, Lanvin, Isaac Mizrahi, Yohji Yamamoto, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Chloé, and Moschino.[citation needed]
During the beginning of her modeling career, McMenamy met photographer Peter Lindbergh, with whom she worked extensively, and Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld, who helped mentor her. One of her first fashion campaigns was for Chanel's Spring/Summer 1985 haute couture collection. The same year, she was photographed by Lindbergh for a Jil Sander ad campaign, and she also starred in an ad campaign for the Byblos fashion house. In 1986, she was featured in the book A Day in the Life of America, photographed by Sante D'Orazio, and also appeared in advertisements for Gerard Darel and Alberta Ferretti.
She worked with several fashion photographers, including Albert Watson, Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth, Arthur Elgort, Paolo Roversi, Patrick Demarchelier, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Tim Walker, David Sims, Max Vadukul, and Juergen Teller. Teller described her as "the best model I have ever worked with".
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Kristen McMenamy
Kristen McMenamy (born December 13, 1964) is an American model known for her unconventional and androgynous appearance. Originally a long-haired redhead, she reinvented her look in the early 1990s by having her hair cut short and dyed black, and her eyebrows shaved off. Her career was boosted by the advent of the grunge fashion trend.
McMenamy was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1964. She also spent part of her youth in Buffalo, New York. She was the third of seven children in an Irish-American Catholic family.
McMenamy attended Notre Dame High School in Easton, where she reportedly received excellent grades but was often teased by her classmates, who called her "Skeleton" due to her lanky body. While in college, she decided to drop out of school to pursue a career in modeling.
Following high school, McMenamy moved from Easton to New York City to pursue a career as a model. She was initially rejected by various agencies. In 2012, she recounted, "I got rejected by everyone. But I was obsessed! It was the only thing I wanted to do and I wanted it so badly. I was like a bulldog, hanging on by my teeth."
She met modeling agent Eileen Ford, who advised her to get plastic surgery. Despite not undergoing plastic surgery, she was signed by a modeling agency that sent her to work in Paris. A few years later, she was signed by Elite Model Management, and subsequently by Ford Models.
McMenamy's modeling career mainly spanned the years 1985 to 1998, when she worked for several of the world's top designers and international fashion houses, including Versace, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Todd Oldham, Christian Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferré, Lanvin, Isaac Mizrahi, Yohji Yamamoto, Thierry Mugler, Comme des Garçons, Chloé, and Moschino.[citation needed]
During the beginning of her modeling career, McMenamy met photographer Peter Lindbergh, with whom she worked extensively, and Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld, who helped mentor her. One of her first fashion campaigns was for Chanel's Spring/Summer 1985 haute couture collection. The same year, she was photographed by Lindbergh for a Jil Sander ad campaign, and she also starred in an ad campaign for the Byblos fashion house. In 1986, she was featured in the book A Day in the Life of America, photographed by Sante D'Orazio, and also appeared in advertisements for Gerard Darel and Alberta Ferretti.
She worked with several fashion photographers, including Albert Watson, Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth, Arthur Elgort, Paolo Roversi, Patrick Demarchelier, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Tim Walker, David Sims, Max Vadukul, and Juergen Teller. Teller described her as "the best model I have ever worked with".