Elle Macpherson

Eleanor Nancy Macpherson (; née Gow; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress.

She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading to her nickname "The Body", coined by ''Time'' in 1989. She is the founder, primary model, and creative director for a series of business ventures, including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and The Body, a line of skin care products. She has been the host and executive producer of '' Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model'' from 2010 to 2013. She is an executive producer of NBC's ''Fashion Star'' and was the host for the first season.

As an actress, Macpherson appeared in supporting roles in ''Sirens'' (1994), ''The Mirror Has Two Faces'' (1996) and as Julie Madison in '' Batman and Robin'' (1997) as well as lead roles in ''The Edge'' (1997) and ''South Kensington'' (2001). She had a recurring role on '' Friends'' and hosted an episode of ''Saturday Night Live''.

Early life

Macpherson was born Eleanor Nancy Gow in Killara, New South Wales, on March 29, 1964, the daughter of entrepreneur and sound engineer Peter Gow, a former president of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, a Sydney rugby league team, and Frances Gow, a nurse. She is of Scottish descent. Macpherson's parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and she moved with her mother and two siblings. Her mother later remarried, and a clerical mistake in registering at her new school meant that her surname was changed from Gow to Macpherson (her stepfather's surname).''Above'' Magazine (Fall 2008). "Body Talk with Elle Macpherson", pp. 16–31

Macpherson grew up in East Lindfield, a suburb in Sydney's North Shore, and attended Killara High School, completing her Higher School Certificate in 1981. She briefly studied law for one year at the University of Sydney. Her sister is businesswoman and environmentalist Mimi Macpherson, born Miriam Frances Gow.

Career

Rise to fame as model

Macpherson enrolled to study law at Sydney University. Before beginning her university studies, she visited the United States to spend one year doing modelling work to earn money to pay for her law books. She travelled to New York City, where she initially signed up with Click Model Management. Her modelling career began in 1982 with a television commercial for Tab which established her as a "girl next door" figure in Australia.

During the 1980s, Macpherson's profile quickly rose and she appeared on the cover and in the pages of major magazines including ''Elle'', '' Harper's Bazaar'', '' Marie Claire'', ''Vogue'', ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Tatler'', '' GQ'', '' Allure, Mademoiselle'', '' Glamour'', ''Time'', ''L'Officiel'', ''Flare'', ''Maxim'' and ''New York''. She cemented her high-profile image through frequent appearances in ''Elle''; she was featured on numerous covers and appeared in every issue for six straight years. During that time, at the age of 21, she married Gilles Bensimon, the creative director of ''Elle''.''Evening Standard'', 23 April 2004, pp. 30–33: "Before starting college, Elle went on a skiing trip to Aspen, Colorado. On the way home, she was persuaded by her Australian modelling booker to stop off in New York City to see if she could get some work. She stayed for 20 years, marrying the photographer Gilles Bensimon at 21. She was his muse, but the age difference ... proved to be too great, and they divorced six years later (1989)." In 1985, Macpherson became the longtime face of luxury French skin care company Biotherm.

Eventually she garnered more exposure through ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine's annual Swimsuit Issue. She appeared on the cover a record five times: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, and 2006.

She has walked the runways for Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Azzedine Alaïa, Donna Karan, Christian Dior, Thierry Mugler, Nicole Miller, Michael Kors, Perry Ellis, Kenzo, Todd Oldham, Calvin Klein, John Galliano, and Valentino.

She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Christian Dior, Escada, Enrico Coveri, Azzedine Alaïa, Guy Laroche, Ralph Lauren, Victorio & Lucchino, Omega, Pinko, H&M, Victoria's Secret, ModelCo and Revlon. She also appeared in non-fashion advertising campaigns for Diet Coke, Chrysler, Miller Lite, Impulse, Budweiser, Tab, KFC, Garuda Airlines, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

After appearing nude in the 1994 film ''Sirens'', Macpherson learned that the media had begun searching for nude photos of her, including contacting her ex-boyfriends. To address this, Macpherson appeared in a nude pictorial in the May 1994 issue of ''Playboy'' magazine, shot by Herb Ritts, to produce nude photos "on her own terms". In 1999, the twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda honoured Macpherson by using her face on a series of postage stamps, the first model to appear on legal tender. Macpherson appeared among other Australian icons during the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, her elaborate float resembling a camera lens and featuring a runway. Along with Naomi Campbell, she co-hosted the Miss Universe 2001 pageant. Her popularity had reached such a level that Australian government offered her a position on its tourist commission as an unofficial ambassador.

During her career, Macpherson has worked with fashion photographers including Francesco Scavullo, Mario Testino, Mert and Marcus, Ellen von Unwerth and Steven Meisel. Portraits of Macpherson, shot by Bob Carlos Clarke, were among those donated to the National Portrait Gallery, London by his family following his death. Macpherson received the Style Icon award at the 2006 Elle Style Awards presented by fashion magazine ''Elle''. In March 2008, she signed a three-year deal with Revlon Cosmetics, which named her a Global Brand Ambassador. She has since been featured in print and advertising campaigns for the company. She returned to the runway in 2010 to close the fall Louis Vuitton show for Marc Jacobs in Paris.

Business career

In the 1980s, together with Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Pavlína Pořízková, and Cindy Crawford, Macpherson became part of the new generation of supermodels. In 1989, she was given the nickname Elle "The Body" Macpherson by ''Time'' magazine after she appeared on their cover. She went on to use the name in a number of business ventures. In 1996, Frank DeCaro of ''The New York Times'' cited Macpherson, along with Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer as "The Magnificent Seven". DeCaro reflected, "Known by their first names to legions of fans, they are the legends of the modern catwalk, the girl next door pretty underneath all the paint".

In 1994, she left her agency, Ford Models, to form her own company, Elle Macpherson Inc., which would serve as the financial organizational base for her later endeavours. She soon went on to produce her own series of calendars, each of which was accompanied by a "making of" television program in 1992, 1993, and 1994. She used this as a springboard to create the "Your Personal Best – The Body" series of workout videos.

She later diversified her portfolio of businesses, and in 1990 launched her lingerie collection 'Elle Macpherson Intimates' in partnership with Bendon Limited Apparel. Intimates became the single best-selling lingerie line in both Great Britain and Australia.

The partnership was among the first instances of a crossover between a model and a fashion label. In 1989, when she was first approached by Bendon to promote their lingerie in Australia, Macpherson saw an opportunity to reverse their strategy and suggested a licensing arrangement, with products bearing her name and designs created in partnership with Bendon's team. Though commonplace now, the idea was unorthodox at the time.

Macpherson took a significant role in the development and management of the company, serving as chief marketing officer and later Creative Director. In January 2010, Macpherson expanded the line, launching Obsidian as a sub-brand. While nursing her second child, she spearheaded the development of a signature maternity bra line.''The Wall Street Journal Europe'', Style Journal, Winter 2006 Edition, pp. 36–42: "And so, Macpherson made the transition from model, to designer and chief marketing officer for the growing product line. The company credits her with the ideas for many products, including its successful maternity-bra line, which Macpherson designed while nursing her second child." Intimates has retained a high brand recognition into the 2000s, appearing as a featured brand on ''America's Next Top Model''; last year, the brand celebrated 10 years of being stocked at Selfridges.

Macpherson has also created her own line of beauty products: "Elle Macpherson – The Body". The line was carried at Boots, and Australian suncare brand Invisible Zinc. She spent a year on the board of directors at Hot Tuna Clothing, advising on product development, brand positioning and sales strategy.

In 2007, the BBC
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