Stone Cold Fox

Supermodel LARA STONE on body confidence, being a mom, and the best advice she’s ever received.

- Alison Syrett

Lara Stone has petted wild wolves, made out with a mannequin, and hoisted furniture above her head all for the sake of creating a memorable photo. But just don’t ask her to pose underwater.

“I will squeeze my eyes really tight and puff out my cheeks,” the Dutch model says, recounting one particularly intense underwater bondage-themed shoot. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t do this,’ so the crew let me sort of float on top of the pool.”

If anyone has earned the right to negotiate new terms on set, it’s Stone. Scouted as an “awkward, pimply, and lanky” 14-year-old during a family holiday in Paris, she spent eight years doing small catalogue jobs before landing her first high-fashion break: an exclusive spot in Givenchy’s fall 2006 couture show (at the special request of Riccardo Tisci, the brand’s creative director at the time).

Other major houses, like Prada, Versace, and Calvin Klein, were quick to take notice of her icy blond hair, insolent pout, and, of course, signature Botticellian curves. In an era when waifish figures were still dominating the runways, the rising star’s womanly (albeit tall, leggy, and slim) shape was a refreshing change.