In the career of any famous model there’s a moment which represents the height of success: your image is immediately recognized as a symbol, the icon of an absolute aesthetic canon. Bar Refaeli, an Israeli model, reached this enviable goal in 2009, when she was chosen as the cover girl of the famous Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit Issue.

Statuesque body, blonde hair and blue eyes, she appeared on many tabloids at the time of her love story with Leonardo Di Caprio, but she’s been able to manage her image with intelligence, thus reinforcing her status as one of the most loved top models.

“I come from a town outside of Tel Aviv. I was brought up with animals and horses and a big land of grass. Very small house – we’re four children“, she says. “I grew up climbing on trees, running on the grass, with water.“
She started to work as a model in tv commercials when she was a child; the turning point arrived when she was 15: after removing the braces she had been wearing for three years, she was ready to make her debut in the world of fashion. Many catwalks followed her first fashion show, along with advertising campaigns, covers of important fashion magazines and appearances in popular tv programs, such as MTV House of Style and Germany’s Next Top Model.

She never fails to impress on the red carpet: she loves wearing statement evening dresses, especially if they’re creations by Armani, Pucci, Marchesa and Cavalli. She says her style is “always feminine, classy, not too crazy“; it’s not a coincidence if she sees herself as a “jean-and-t-shirt girl”, like Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Aniston, two of her style icons, along with Kate Moss (“everything she puts always looks amazing but effortless“).

Fashion is her world and Bar appreciates the playful side of it: “It’s a game, it’s a change of attitude, it’s a change of character sometimes.“
Passionate shoe collector (she owns about 100 pairs), she never travels without “a pair of leggings for the travel, because I need to be comfortable; 20 white t-shirts; one little black dress; a pair of high heels; big, big, big scarf for the flight, because it’s always cold. I always carry the Lanvin flats because they go with everything, they’re a very good solution for everything.”

Thanks to her experience in the modeling world – she’s worked with Greg Kadel, Mario Sorrenti, Mario Testino, Mert & Marcus – she has learnt the importance of being “nice to everyone. There’s so much room in the fashion industry for all kinds of girls – more skinny, the less skinny, the more beautiful, the more weird-looking – so there’s room for everyone. I think the ones that really make it are the ones it’s really fun to work with.They treat everyone nicely and always with respect. I think it’s true for every kind of life, but also in modeling.”

She’s convinced that “less is always more” and that feeling comfortable in your own skin is fundamental: “You have to have a smile on your face, a good attitude and feel comfortable with the way you care of yourself, otherwise nothing will look good.”

Video: Vogue.it