Supermodel Eva Herzigová is transformed into ‘The Duchess’ for our March issue cover, wearing a regal look by Fendi, in the shoot styled by Tatler’s fashion director Sophie Pera.
Known for being one of the original supermodels of the 1990s alongside Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford, she first captured the world’s attention as the face of Wonderbra, reportedly causing traffic accidents with her ‘Hello Boys’ adverts.
It was a campaign that she defended against accusations of sexism, something that ties in with the current #MeToo climate. 'What women are saying now is "I am who I am. Take it or leave it,'" she tells Chloe Fox in our cover interview. 'We are finally saying "no" to being objectified, we are trusting in the impact of just being ourselves.'
Scouted by a model agent aged 16 – she was plucked out of her native Czechoslovakia and transplanted to Paris – which meant putting her education on hold. So does she have any regrets? 'On the one hand modelling has taught me so much I would never have learnt in school – I speak five languages fluently [Czech, English, Italian, French, Russian], I’ve travelled the world and I’ve built up a huge visual library of knowledge through my work,' she says. 'But a little part of me wonders what I could have done if I had worked with my mind, not just my body.'
Elsewhere in the interview, Herzigová talks about her views on marriage now, having been through a divorce in 1998 from Tico Torres. Would she consider making it official with her current partner – Italian businessman Gregorio Marsiaj – with whom she has three children? 'I find traditional weddings such a cliché,' winces Herzigová. 'They are so impersonal and always the same. The white dress, the bridesmaids, the big party where everyone gets drunk and you’ve spent a fortune. Marriage is such an intimate thing, but it’s become such a soulless template.'
Read the full interview in the March issue of Tatler, on newsstands on Thursday 31 January.
