How Kate Upton Transformed From Swimsuit Model To 'Vogue' Cover Girl
Upton hit the modeling scene in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. She was featured in body paint.
The next year, she appeared on the magazine's cover. Her spread was seen as instantly iconic.
She also walked the runway for a swimwear line. It seemed Upton had found her calling as a swimsuit model.
But she confessed to Vogue that she wanted more. It was her dream to walk runways and do a big fashion campaign.
Yet, Upton was snubbed at Fashion Week and didn't walk a single major runway.
The Victoria's Secret casting director snubbed her, saying that she had "that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy" and that she'd never walk in the brand's runway show.
But Upton took the upper hand, telling New York Mag that "fashion shows were just never part of my goals."
Shortly after she made those comments, she began making major breakthroughs in the industry.
She appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia. She is portrayed as a bombshell with ample cleavage.
But when she appeared on the cover of British Vogue, she was covered up and modeling high fashion.
She's in a swimsuit for her American Vogue cover, but it's relatively demure compared with her Sports Illustrated ones.
Her accomplishment was impressive. "It's very rare for a girl to move from one area of the business to the other, largely due to the fact that fashion models are almost without curves, whereas swimwear girls are celebrated for them," explained U.K. Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman in an editor's note.
Upton also starred in a campaign for Sam Edelman shoes.
Even Victoria's Secret came around, using images of Upton in a recent catalog.
She also replaced Gisele as the spokesmodel for high-end jewelry line David Yurman.
Her Vogue covers and high-end endorsement deals have legitimized her as more than a swimsuit model.
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