Miss Universe NZ winner Abby Sturgin speaks to Ryan Bridge on her double life as a dedicated frontline police officer and pageant model. Video / Herald NOW
Kiwi supermodel Kylie Bax has been turning back the pages, revisiting highlights from her illustrious modelling career.
Bax, who turned 50 in January, has just returned from a trip to London. Whilein the English capital, she shared a picture of herself holding a copy of Vogue Italia’sJuly1996 issue, in which she posed for the cover.
“Flipping the pages of Vogue and taking a wonderful walk back in time when fashion was art & models were an art form," Bax captioned the Instagram post she published on July 26.
Commenters on the post struggled to believe the cover shot was taken almost three decades ago. “You still look exactly the same. Gorgeous,” wrote follower Lisa Pile.
The nostalgic post brought back memories for Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius, who commented: “Wow! I bought Clinique’s Happy because of you!”
It also prompted warm words from makeup artist Kristofer Buckle, who told Bax: “You were one of the very first kind people I encountered when I first started.”
The snap was taken in London at the studio of Mariano Vivanco, a Peruvian-born photographer who moved to New Zealand with his family when he was 10. He is a close friend of Bax’s.
In 2000, Vivanco moved to London to pursue a career in fashion photography and has become a very successful editorial photographer known for his work with celebrities including Cindy Crawford, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Emma Watson and Lana Del Rey.
Bax also posted a selfie with Vivanco, captioned: “Two kiwis in London ... nothing sweeter than to see you.”
In April, Bax shared a picture of her November 1994 cover of British fashion magazine Frank, which she said was “one of my favourite covers!”
In March, she posted two Vogue España covers from 1997 and 1998, saying the images made her remember the creative teams behind them.
“Every detail is manicured to perfection. Lighting, makeup, clothes and of course the hair, which was a very important part of my self image back in those years. The hair, movement & of course the all-important big smile.”
Born in Thames, Bax competed in beauty pageants as a teen and was crowned Miss NZ in 1992. After being scouted in a shopping mall by an agent from Clyne Model Management, Bax moved to New York aged 20 to pursue a modelling career.
Over the course of her career, Bax appeared on catwalks for fashion houses including Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Christian Dior, Valentino, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Ralph Lauren, Prada and Miu Miu. She also modelled on the cover of magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.
Bax became a muse for American fashion photographer Steven Meisel, and appeared as the face of Clinique perfume Happy in a campaign shot by Meisel.
Lito, Kylie, Dione and Danae Bax at the launch of Kylie Bax's documentary. Photo / Neil Gussey
Earlier this year, Kiwi fashion photographer Neil Gussey produced a documentary called Bax and Beyondthat documents Bax’scareer and rise to fashion fame.
Promoting the film, Gussey told New Zealand Woman’s Weekly he thought Bax’s star power is often misunderstand at home. “She was incredibly successful. She’s the one that every top designer wanted on their campaign. She was extremely good at what she did and she’s the hardest worker I’ve seen. She never stopped.”
