Kate Moss

By Sara Templeton

The indomitable Kate Moss: she gets slandered, she gets criticised - and sometimes for valid reasons - but you can't keep a good model down.

Like Gisele and Petra, Kate is one of the more notorious über models out there, one who made her reputation not only on her beautiful nymphette looks, but perhaps also by smashing things in childlike fits of petty jealously.

Best known for her saucy Calvin Klein ads, liver problems and drug addictions, Kate Moss is believed to be on the straight and narrow, much to the chagrin of gossip magazines everywhere.

Born in England in the county of Surrey, on the 16th of January 1974, not a whole lot is known about Kate Moss's childhood.\

Fast-forward to the year 1988 -- when big hair was hip and synth was the only way to create popular music -- and Kate was spotted by an employee of the British arm of Storm Agency at JFK airport in the US.

Kate and her family were on their way back from a holiday in the lovely Bahamas when the 14-year old was spotted, and right there and then, her life was to change forever. After signing on with the agency, her first gig was a photography job, where she made a topless appearance on the cover of the popular UK youth-culture magazine, The Face.

Not a bad way to get noticed, but perhaps not the most conservative first appearance either.

Still, the British brunette went on to become one of the most sought-after models of the 1990s, making millions of dollars, and quite a few tabloid headlines in the process.

While she appeared in just about every glossy magazine you can think of, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle et al, she was also well-known for her waif-like figure; some of her critics were very vocal about her 'unrealistic' figure (is that an oxymoron?), and the fact that she was allegedly a heavy smoker can't have helped.

She was later admitted to Priory Clinic in East Sussex in the UK and, if the rumours are to be believed, she was there to battle drug and alcohol addictions.

And while there have been dark times, there have also been light times, and Kate Moss has cat-walked down fashion runways for the likes of Versace, Chanel and of course her pet favourite Calvin Klein.

She's participated in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein fragrances like CK Be, Obsession and CK One, not to mention Dolce and Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, L'Oreal and Gianni Versace.

Having dated photographer Mario Sorrenti - not to mention Johnny Depp for a good four years! - Kate Moss will be fondly remembered for her impressive portfolio, which won her the VH1 award for Model of the Year in 1996.

Kate Moss continued to appear in various modeling campaigns into the new millennium, keeping her profile fresh, scoring big dollar contracts with companies such as Rimmel Cosmetics and H&M.

But then, in September of 2005, she was photographed in a national British newspaper allegedly snorting cocaine with her boyfriend Pete Doherty, which tarnished her reputation considerably and became headline news instantly.

Having passed the "30 summers on this planet" mark some time ago, the English model is still rumoured to be earning in excess of £2 million a year, and right after the incident hit the headlines across the globe, H&M decided to pull the pin on its contract with the striking model, which was for its autumn clothing collection, designed by Stella McCartney.

Following the cocaine allegations, fashion houses Burberry, Chanel and Gloria Vanderbilt - with which Kate Moss had contracts - also decided to sever ties, cutting short the contracts. With all the monetary loses the incident has involved, we could end up seeing a tell-all book published in the near future, sure to win back some lost earnings for the now-struggling top model.

The 'cocaine' black cloud continued to dog Ms Moss through 2006 until British police finally dropped the charges they had hoped would convict the top model, and she resumed her modelling career in earnest. Cleared of the narcotics charges, Kate Moss has had a resurgent career in the fashion industry through 2006 and 2007, which some commentators say is evidence of the cultural and moral decay that is plaguing Western culture.

I would have thought that's she hot and sexy, and people and want to take photos of her because of that. But hey, I'm no social commentator. Maybe it is the notoriety?

As the now-defunct Kate-Site.com so eloquently put it, Kate Moss is "imperfect perfection".