Sublime

Brazilian supermodel isabeli fontana, on late nights with donatella, how to spot a model chaser, and life on the International fashion circuit.

- Sarah Horne Grose

CARLYLE IS THE SORT OF NEW YORK HOTEL where society ladies in pearls contemplate a tea menu that’s as thick as a phone book. And yet there she is, fashionably late, chattering away in Portuguese on her cell phone, hair falling in her eyes just so.

Isabeli Fontana has arrived: A Brazilian bombshell in a shrunken Hendrix baseball shirt, impossibly tight black jeans, and biker boots. You can’t miss her in Fergie’s recent viral music video “M.I.L.F.$”, where some of the world’s sexiest celebrity moms get nearly nude—Isabeli included.

The hotel’s tearoom is hushed and elegant, and even a sharp clink of spoon against saucer might raise eyebrows, but Isabeli is not the sort to apologies for taking a phone call (turns out it was her grandmother on the line). “I’m Latin, and my family is originally from Italy, so we’re a loud group,” she explains. “There’s always a lot of food, a lot of talking, a lot of fighting. You can imagine.”

Discovered at age 13 in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, Isabeli has bared nearly all for Victoria’s Secret, stalked the runway for just about every major designer, and fronted campaigns for Balenciaga, Balmain, Hermès and Calvin Klein Underwear. She is used to startling people with her sex appeal. “Brazilians love to seduce, to have fun, to dance, to charm. We like a little bit of attention,” she explains.