Vanessa Lorenzo
By Sara Templeton
 Top
models everywhere know exactly of their role model status
to young women all around the world, and perhaps that's why
we don't see so much of the 'spoilt brat' behaviour that typified
a number of prominent models, particularly in the 1990s.
At the same token - and call me cynical, call me jaded -
but when some models reel out comments like "This job
can be very superficial. It is very important to keep your
friends, your family, your roots..." all I see is a clever
agent doing what they do best, and not letting their clients
fall into bad publicity traps.
For some strange reason, I'm inclined to believe Vanessa
Lorenzo's abovementioned comments, partly because she's Spanish,
and partly because she has an incredibly earnest demeanour.
And I totally agree with other comments she has made in the
past that "More is learned working than studying".
Though it could be the clever agent again...
Born of Andalusian parents (Andalusia is a southern area
of Spain on the Mediterranean, that includes regions such
as Seville, Granada, and Córdoba) - Vanessa came into
the world on December 7, 1976, in Barcelona, and it's interesting
to note that the Sagittarian was keen purveyor of fashion
from an early age.
At the tender age of 10, it is said that Vanessa's dad became
so tired of hearing his young daughter always talking about
modeling, that he caved in and rang up a modeling agency.
See, nagging does work!
Vanessa was signed relatively quickly with the Group Agency
in Spain and following her signing her life became incredibly
busy. In addition to attending ballet class most weekdays
she was also going to school, and of course any gaps in her
tutelage were devoted to modeling auditions and the like.
While some may consider this too much for a child to accomplish,
one wonders how her parents coped with such a schedule. Nevertheless,
by the time she was 15 years old, Vanessa was adamant that
her future would be inextricably linked to modeling.
In the following year, Vanessa's modeling commitments consumed
so much of her time that her parents agreed to let her drop
out of high school, and she even placed second in an Elite
Look of the Year competition, which have since proven to be
the foot-in-the-door events that have launched so many other
top models around the world.
After becoming the runner-up in the Elite competition, Vanessa
packed up her belongings and journeyed north to Paris, one
of the world's indisputable epicentres of fashion.
Living on her own in a new country didn't faze her, and the
17-year-old scored her first major gig incredibly quickly,
and despite note speaking French or English.
The Pepe Jeans campaign was her first taste of the big time,
and after spending three years in France working on her portfolio,
the now 20-year-old had also dabbled in acting, appearing
in a handful of European (mainly Italian) movies. She then
moved to New York city, where she joined the IMG agency (International
Management Group), and a whole host of potential new campaigns
were ripe for the taking.
Vanessa Lorenzo modelled in advertisements for the well-established
fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent, Escada, Ralph Lauren,
Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani, while the mainstream lingerie
giant Victoria's Secret also paid for her talents, as did
cosmetics companies Pantene and L'Oreal.
As far as her glossy magazine sojourns were concerned, Vanessa
can't be accused of not 'working the room', appearing in numerous
editions of Marie Claire, Elle and Vogue, not to mention gracing
the cover pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan and again Vogue magazine.
She also appeared in the 2002 issue of the Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Edition.
Not your atypical model by a long shot, Vanessa's photogenic
visage is nonetheless a dazzling example of smooth symmetry,
and these days Vanessa still leads a busy life attending shoots
and working on campaigns. And though no one in this world
is perfect - far from it - sometimes we all throw tanties,
but it appears as though the days of the chair-smashing Prada
model look to be well and truly to be over.
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