Eugenia Silva

By SARA TEMPLETON

With an uncle who ran for the Spanish presidency and family who was involved in politics, you'd think that Eugenia Silva would have become a barrister, or a parliamentarian.

Though she did attend Law School, Eugenia hasn't sought a partnership or government role just yet.

But at the end of the day, getting free shoes, free clothes, free handbags, free makeup and front-row invites to all the best A-list events must be some consolation.

And probably a whole lot more inspiring that sitting in a stuffy court room all day, listening to claim and counterclaim...

Born in Madrid, Spain, on the 13th of January, 1976, Eugenia grew up in a place called Toledo where, at the young age of 15, she entered the Elite Look of the Year contest. And won.

Her natural beauty was inescapably obvious even at an early age, and before long Eugenia was gracing the covers of domestic editions of magazines such as Bazaar and Vogue.

After touring the international circuit, displaying an admirable work ethic, Eugenia was head hunted by Oscar de la Renta - also a Spaniard - and was signed on as the face of 'So', the company's new fragrance at the time.

Following this and a string of other high-profile advertising campaigns, Eugenia's reputation grew, and before long it was she who was choosing from the influx of modeling offers.

By the time she had conquered Europe, Eugenia decided it would be a great idea to enrol at law school, and so she did. She signed up at the Spanish Colegio Universitario Cardenal Cisneros and, despite not harbouring plans to engage in a legal career, you can bet that she's a dab-hand at dealing with overzealous police officers.

Having opened her own fashion boutique in Madrid and performing on runways across the globe for the likes of Givenchy, Chanel, Issey Miyake, Carolina Herrera, Guy Laroche and Christian Dior, Eugenia eventually moved to New York to bring her closer to one of her major employers, the American lingerie powerhouse Victoria's Secret.