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Katherine Moss, (born 16 January 1974) is an English supermodel who is most famous for her waifish figure, high profile relationships and iconic advertising campaigns. She has graced over 300 magazine covers to date.^[1]

Biography

Moss was born in Addiscombe, London Borough of Croydon, England. Kate attended Ridgeway Primary School, then Riddlesdown High School but she was not noted for her academic success. According to Vermorel's book "Addicted to Love: Kate Moss" she gained one C (in Science) and all the rest were Ds, Es, and Us at GCSE level. However, she did excel at sports. 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. Corinne Day shot black and white photographs of Kate for The Face magazine when she was 15. Moss then went on to become the anti-supermodel of the 1990s in contrast to the supermodels at the time, such as Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell. This began with her first big cover and photoshoot in British magazine, The Face.

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 her height and has modelled for such elite houses as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry, Chanel, Missoni, and David Yurman. Now in her 30s, Moss is still working and has become a "supermodel" in her own right.

She has a daughter, Lila Grace, born on 29 September 2002, with Dazed & Confused editor Jefferson Hack.

Campaigns

Moss has had campaigns with major Italian, French, American, and British designers including Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry, Rimmel, and Bulgari. 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.

Music involvements

Moss has appeared in music videos like "Kowalski" by Primal Scream, "I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself" by the White Stripes and "Delia's Gone" by Johnny Cash. She also provided vocals for songs by Primal Scream (the 2003 version of "Some Velvet Morning") and Babyshambles. She has worked with various artists and sculptors including artist and photographer Chuck Close.

In March 2003, Moss did a lengthy interview with website Showstudio. She replied to the topic of the media singling her out on the debate on body image with: "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'?"^[2]

In February 2005, a nude portrait by Lucian Freud of Moss while she was pregnant sold for £3.93 million. Moss planned and posed for the portrait as her version of the Madonna as a full frontal nude.^[3]

In 2006, Sphinx, a sculpture of Moss in a complicated yoga position was unveiled by controversial British sculptor Marc Quinn. The pose itself was modelled by a more experienced woman, though the body, hands, and feet are cast in Moss' exact measurements. Quinn's representation of Moss is meant to show "a mirror of ourselves, a knotted Venus of our age."

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

Moss has led ads by Roberto Cavalli; and in the February issue of W is a 20 page main fashion shoot depicting her as Greek goddess shot in St. Barts while on vacation. She is the cover of the 6 March edition of W and in a 15 page fashion shoot as Marilyn Monroe in the April issue of W.

In March 2006, the women's lifestyle magazine Female First reported Kate Moss as adopting Buddhism after briefly reading about its philosophy during rehab to get through an alleged drug addiction. According to Britain's Grazia Magazine, she is contemplating on doing charity or volunteer work to achieve good karma.

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

Troubles and scandals

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, most likely because she never gives interviews. 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. It was also alleged by the media in September 2005 that Moss has had a long-standing lesbian affair with best friend Sadie Frost. Further allegations have been made that she has had sex with both Sadie and Sadie's then husband Jude Law several times, and that she has also been involved in lesbian threesomes with Sadie Frost and British TV star Davinia Taylor.

In May 2006, it was reported in the tabloid The Daily Mail, that Moss had a visible bruise on her cheek after she invited supposedly then ex-boyfriend Pete Doherty into her home claiming that "he needed a shower". Afterwards Moss left her home wearing oversized sunglasses which failed to significantly hide the bruise^[4]

Cocaine scandal

British tabloids, particularly the Daily Mirror, have long alleged 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 vacuum up five lines in 40 minutes.^[5] Her partner at the time, Pete Doherty, is the band's singer and chief songwriter. It has been alleged by Doherty that James Mullord, his former manager, sold the photos to the newspaper for more than £150,000.^[6] 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.^[7] A day later, Chanel announced that it would not be renewing its contract with Moss, which was set to expire in 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 apologize to all of the people I have let down because of my behavior 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 program 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.” ^[8]

Comeback

Moss made a comeback just months after the cocaine scandal broke. Her current contracts (for the Autumn(Fall)/Winter 2006 season) 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, Burberry and Topshop.

On 5 January 2006, the Metropolitan Police asked Moss to return from the US to Britain to answer questions about the incident.^[9] 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. ^[10] Ultimately Moss was cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence, by which time she had resumed her modelling career.

Today Kate Moss makes more money than before the scandal. Her 2006 earnings add up to £30 million.^[11]

Style

In addition to being known for her modeling work, Kate Moss is also an international fashion icon. She has garnered many awards over her life for her style including a CFDA award and a place on the Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list. She even appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's September 2006 style issue. Kate's style draws inspiration from many places, but tends be more rock and roll. Because of her reputation for being stylish, Kate has started many trends and she has the ability to make almost anything popular. In recent years Kate has been seen wearing skinny jeans and pants, ankle boots, vests, mini-dresses and hot-pants long before they were fashionable.

Trivia

• She appeared in the comedy Blackadder, as Maid Marian in the episode Back and Forth, a Comic Relief special, in 2000. This episode also starred Hugh Laurie, Colin Firth and Stephen Fry.

References

1. ^ Kate Moss|Us Weekly Online
2. ^ In Camera Kate Moss
3. ^ "Gallery Going", DavidCohen artcritical.com August 28, 2003
4. ^ Moss bruise fears
5. ^ Kate Moss The ironies of her downfall
6. ^ Kate Moss to escape cocaine charges
7. ^ "Kate Moss Ads Scrapped by H&M After Cocaine Pictures" Chantal Britt, Bloomberg September 20, 2005
8. ^ "Pete: Drugs, Kate & me" James Clench, The Sun Online May 29, 2006
9. ^ "Police urge Kate Moss to return" BBC News 5 January 2006
10. ^ "Prosecutors blow the case against Moss" Herald Wire Service, Boston Herald.Com June 16, 2006
11. ^ MOSS GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Books

• 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

External links

• Kate Moss at the Internet Movie Database
• Kate Fan Popular Kate Moss webpage