Lindsey Wixson
Encyclopedia
Lindsey Wixson is an American
fashion
model
. She is known for her unique looks, defined in part by her "bee-stung lips", "rosebud pout" and gapped front teeth. John Galliano
, Versace Vanitas
, Miu Miu
, Jill Stuart and Alexander McQueen
have all booked her for campaigns.
As of June 2011, Wixson currently ranks 16th on the Top 50 Models Women list by MODELS.com
, Kansas
on April 11, 1994 to Thomas, who works installing satellite dishes, and Michele, a school bus
driver
. She has a sister, Kirsten. Wixson inherited her gapped teeth from her dad. As a young girl she wanted to be either a chef
or a lawyer
.
In middle school
, she got teased by a group of girls who were always trying to beat her up. They called her gap
a "parking lot," making Lindsey self-conscious about her looks. At 12 years old, and 5-feet, 7-inches tall, strangers would come up to her to tell her she could be a model, so she started researching it as a possible career. Around the same time, she was inspired by an article in the Reader’s Digest about Bill Gates
and other millionaires. “It was talking about how they took the chance and they took their opportunities and they took it to a whole other level,” she says. So at 12, Wixson decided to become a model. She studied old copies of Vogue
, looking into Gisele
, Christy
and Kate
's modeling route, as a same possibility for herself. Wixson first signed with a local agent in Kansas, but it was a situation where she'd email them and they'd get back to her three months later so her parents made the decision to take out a loan
and drive down to Los Angeles.
. In June she went to New York where she was rejected by IMG Models
and several other agencies because casting directors thought her looks would not translate well on and off the runway
, except for one: Marilyn Agency
. At just 15, she was hand-selected by Steven Meisel
after finding a video of her on Models.com and booked her for Vogue
Italia, her first job. Her runway debut was at the Spring 2010 New York Fashion Week
walking for Cynthia Steffe. Wixson then went to Milan
where she opened the spring 2010 Prada
show and then closed for Miu Miu
in Paris
, both as exclusives, thus making her one of the most successful newcomers that season. By September, W editor Stefano Tonchi
ran a full-page close-up of her lips and the gap in her teeth, her two most arresting features, in his first issue of W
magazine. She then became the face of Miu Miu
's Spring 2010 campaign shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. A press release about the campaign called her the "embodiment of a free-spirit on the cusp of womanhood" (she would stay with the brand for a two-season run). But, Wixson has her limits in what she models, during a W
editorial shoot titled "Run of Show" shot by Craig McDean
she requested a bra because her top was see-through, W notes that a lot of models wouldn't have done that. LIFE magazine photographed Wixson as she worked at New York Fashion Week
. The story chronicles the life of how a 15-year-old teen model navigates her way through fittings, hair, makeup and the runway. She ended the season with the fall/winter campaigns for Miu Miu
, Jill Stuart Beauty, Barney's
, Versace
Vanitas Fragrance, and Galliano
. She also walked in a combined 44 shows in New York
, Paris
and Milan
in the fall. And booked her first major magazine cover, for the i-D
fall 2010 issue.
, Barney's
, Alexander McQueen
, Jill Stuart, Jill Stuart's Night Jewels Fragrance, Jill Stuart Beauty, and Versace
Vanitas Fragrance. As well as modeled for Chanel
’s spring makeup collection. She did her first editorial
work for Vogue, a two-model shoot with Coco Rocha
. Her agent
, Cheri Bowen at Marilyn Agency, said that Wixson is more interested in quality than quantity, "She’s incredibly intelligent about the business. She’s not about selling out." Wixson made her national television appearance on CNN
, being introduced a "teen supermodel
" at 17, as the cameras and reporter Alina Cho
followed her home to Wichita to film her prom experience. Wixson has walked for a number of key labels this season, from Rodarte
in New York
to Zac Posen
and Gaultier
in Paris
, but due to an allergic reaction to the make-up she had to cut her stint short at Paris Fashion Week, missing out on a number of the city's big shows.
, writing, and reading. Her model friends include Rasa Zukauskaite, Samantha Gradoville, Siri Tollerød
, and Frida Gustavsson
. Wixson is currently working on getting her GED
. Wixson expressed that modelling really helped build her confidence and is inspired by Kate Moss
's fashion style. In 2011 her prom
dress was designed especially for her by Jason Wu
, the same designer who designed Michelle Obama
's dress for the inauguration.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. She is known for her unique looks, defined in part by her "bee-stung lips", "rosebud pout" and gapped front teeth. John Galliano
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano CBE, RDI is a Gibraltan-born British fashion designer who was best known as head designer of French haute couture houses Givenchy and Christian Dior , and his own self titled fashion house.-Family:He was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father, Juan Galliano, and a...
, Versace Vanitas
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
, Miu Miu
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is a high fashion brand from the Prada fashion house, opened in 1993 and headed by Miuccia Prada. The name of the collection is taken from Miuccia Prada’s nickname.-Stores:...
, Jill Stuart and Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
have all booked her for campaigns.
As of June 2011, Wixson currently ranks 16th on the Top 50 Models Women list by MODELS.com
Early life
Wixson was born in WichitaWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
on April 11, 1994 to Thomas, who works installing satellite dishes, and Michele, a school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
. She has a sister, Kirsten. Wixson inherited her gapped teeth from her dad. As a young girl she wanted to be either a chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
or a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
In middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, she got teased by a group of girls who were always trying to beat her up. They called her gap
Diastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
a "parking lot," making Lindsey self-conscious about her looks. At 12 years old, and 5-feet, 7-inches tall, strangers would come up to her to tell her she could be a model, so she started researching it as a possible career. Around the same time, she was inspired by an article in the Reader’s Digest about Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
and other millionaires. “It was talking about how they took the chance and they took their opportunities and they took it to a whole other level,” she says. So at 12, Wixson decided to become a model. She studied old copies of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, looking into Gisele
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
, Christy
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
and Kate
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
's modeling route, as a same possibility for herself. Wixson first signed with a local agent in Kansas, but it was a situation where she'd email them and they'd get back to her three months later so her parents made the decision to take out a loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
and drive down to Los Angeles.
Breakthrough, 2009-10
Wixson began her modeling career in 2009 when she signed with Vision Models in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In June she went to New York where she was rejected by IMG Models
IMG Models
IMG Models is one of the major international modeling agencies, currently representing only female models. Its mother office is in New York City, with branches in Paris, London, Milan and Hong Kong. It is a division of New York, NY-based IMG...
and several other agencies because casting directors thought her looks would not translate well on and off the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
, except for one: Marilyn Agency
Marilyn Agency
Marilyn Agency is a modeling agency based in Paris, France. Founder and CEO Marilyn Gauthier brought the agency to New York City in 1998. Marylin has represented Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, as well as models like Caroline Trentini, Alice Burdeu, and Coco Rocha.-Fashion models:The following...
. At just 15, she was hand-selected by Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex...
after finding a video of her on Models.com and booked her for Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
Italia, her first job. Her runway debut was at the Spring 2010 New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
walking for Cynthia Steffe. Wixson then went to Milan
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Milan, Italy Spring/Summer event held in February - March of each year and Autumn/Winter event held in September - October of each year....
where she opened the spring 2010 Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
show and then closed for Miu Miu
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is a high fashion brand from the Prada fashion house, opened in 1993 and headed by Miuccia Prada. The name of the collection is taken from Miuccia Prada’s nickname.-Stores:...
in Paris
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
, both as exclusives, thus making her one of the most successful newcomers that season. By September, W editor Stefano Tonchi
Stefano Tonchi
Stefano Tonchi is the editor of W. He was previously editor of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Having previously worked at Esquire and L'Uomo Vogue, Tonchi's editorial roots are in what he calls "niche" publications, he revealed in a 2007 interview in 032c magazine...
ran a full-page close-up of her lips and the gap in her teeth, her two most arresting features, in his first issue of W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
magazine. She then became the face of Miu Miu
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is a high fashion brand from the Prada fashion house, opened in 1993 and headed by Miuccia Prada. The name of the collection is taken from Miuccia Prada’s nickname.-Stores:...
's Spring 2010 campaign shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. A press release about the campaign called her the "embodiment of a free-spirit on the cusp of womanhood" (she would stay with the brand for a two-season run). But, Wixson has her limits in what she models, during a W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
editorial shoot titled "Run of Show" shot by Craig McDean
Craig McDean
Craig McDean is a British fashion photographer originally from Middlewich near Manchester, but now based in New York City....
she requested a bra because her top was see-through, W notes that a lot of models wouldn't have done that. LIFE magazine photographed Wixson as she worked at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. The story chronicles the life of how a 15-year-old teen model navigates her way through fittings, hair, makeup and the runway. She ended the season with the fall/winter campaigns for Miu Miu
Miu Miu
Miu Miu is a high fashion brand from the Prada fashion house, opened in 1993 and headed by Miuccia Prada. The name of the collection is taken from Miuccia Prada’s nickname.-Stores:...
, Jill Stuart Beauty, Barney's
Barneys New York
Barneys New York is a chain of luxury department stores headquartered in New York City. The chain owns large stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale, and smaller stores in other locations across the United States.Brands sold include...
, Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
Vanitas Fragrance, and Galliano
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano CBE, RDI is a Gibraltan-born British fashion designer who was best known as head designer of French haute couture houses Givenchy and Christian Dior , and his own self titled fashion house.-Family:He was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father, Juan Galliano, and a...
. She also walked in a combined 44 shows in New York
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
, Paris
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
and Milan
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Milan, Italy Spring/Summer event held in February - March of each year and Autumn/Winter event held in September - October of each year....
in the fall. And booked her first major magazine cover, for the i-D
I-D
i-D is a British magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. i-D was founded by designer and former Vogue art director Terry Jones in 1980. The first issue was published in the form of a hand-stapled fanzine with text produced on a typewriter...
fall 2010 issue.
Rising star, 2011-present
Proclaimed as the modelling world's biggest rising star, Wixson started off the spring/summer 2011 season in campaigns for MulberryMulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
, Barney's
Barneys New York
Barneys New York is a chain of luxury department stores headquartered in New York City. The chain owns large stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale, and smaller stores in other locations across the United States.Brands sold include...
, Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
, Jill Stuart, Jill Stuart's Night Jewels Fragrance, Jill Stuart Beauty, and Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
Vanitas Fragrance. As well as modeled for Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
’s spring makeup collection. She did her first editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
work for Vogue, a two-model shoot with Coco Rocha
Coco Rocha
Coco Rocha is a Canadian fashion model.- Personal life :Rocha was born in Toronto, Ontario, and moved to Richmond and attended McRoberts secondary school, British Columbia at a very young age. Her family is in the airline industry. Her mother, Juanita, is a flight attendant and her father, Trevor...
. Her agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
, Cheri Bowen at Marilyn Agency, said that Wixson is more interested in quality than quantity, "She’s incredibly intelligent about the business. She’s not about selling out." Wixson made her national television appearance on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, being introduced a "teen supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
" at 17, as the cameras and reporter Alina Cho
Alina Cho
Alina Cho is a general assignment correspondent for CNN's New York bureau.-Background:Alina Cho was born in Vancouver, Washington, to parents who were born in Seoul.She revealed on CNN's American Morning that she was a cheerleader at her high school....
followed her home to Wichita to film her prom experience. Wixson has walked for a number of key labels this season, from Rodarte
Rodarte
Rodarte is a brand of clothing and accessories founded by Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The Mulleavy sisters are U.C. Berkeley graduates from Aptos, California, and have received a number of industry awards since the line's inception in 2005...
in New York
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
to Zac Posen
Zac Posen
- Early life :Posen was raised in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan, the son of artist Stephen Posen and corporate lawyer Susan Posen. His interest in fashion design started early, and as a child he would steal yarmulkes from his grandparents' synagogue to make ball dresses for dolls...
and Gaultier
Gaultier
Gaultier can refer to:*Grégory Gaultier , French squash player*Bon Gaultier, British writer*Denis Gaultier , French lutenist and composer*Ennemond Gaultier , French lutenist and composer...
in Paris
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
, but due to an allergic reaction to the make-up she had to cut her stint short at Paris Fashion Week, missing out on a number of the city's big shows.
Personal life
Wixson's hobbies include artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, writing, and reading. Her model friends include Rasa Zukauskaite, Samantha Gradoville, Siri Tollerød
Siri Tollerød
Siri Tollerod, also spelled Tollerød, is a Norwegian model.-Early life:Tollerød started school at 7. She was always active outside of school and enjoyed horseback riding, skiing , European handball, aerobics, and singing...
, and Frida Gustavsson
Frida Gustavsson
- Career :Gustavsson began modeling locally in 2008 and made her way to Japan. Her career took a positive turn when she was signed by IMG in 2009. Soon after, she opened the Fall Valentino haute couture show in Paris....
. Wixson is currently working on getting her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
. Wixson expressed that modelling really helped build her confidence and is inspired by Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
's fashion style. In 2011 her prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
dress was designed especially for her by Jason Wu
Jason Wu
Jason Wu is a Manhattan-based Taiwanese American fashion designer.-Biography:Born in Taiwan, Wu moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at age nine and attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Loomis Chaffee, in Windsor ,Connecticut. He learned how to sew by designing and...
, the same designer who designed Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
's dress for the inauguration.