Linda Evangelista made her triumphant return to modelling following a six-year absence due to an adverse reaction to a fat freezing procedure that she claims disfigured her face.
And on Friday, at the kick start of New York Fashion Week, the Canadian stunner made her first runway appearance in 15 years when she took part in the star-studded Fendi show at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Ahead of the grand event, the longtime catwalk queen, 57, also posed for the photo used to promote the 25th anniversary celebration of the brand’s iconic Baguette bag.
Triumphant: Linda Evangelista made her triumphant return to modeling following a six-year absence due to an adverse reaction to a fat freezing procedure that she claims disfigured her face
The luxury Italian fashion house debuted its surprise collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs.
One by one items rolled out from the new collections which brought together two powerhouses of the industry: Jacobs and Kim Jones, Fendi’s artistic director of womenswear who’s resume includes working with Louis Vuitton.
Creating drama as the minutes passed, Evangelista stepped out on to the runway near the end of the show in a Tiffany blue taffeta gown, according to Footwear News.
Promo: Ahead of the grand event, the longtime catwalk queen also posed for the photo used to promote the 25th anniversary celebration of the brand’s iconic Baguette bag
Magical collab: Evangelista’s shining moment came alongside the collections’ two main designers, Marc Jacobs and Kim Jones
With her dark tresses pulled back off her face in a sleek look, she exuded the poise and charm that sent her to the top of the industry in the years after her debut in 1984.
In an added touch of high-class style, Evangelista had a silver-patterned Baguette bag under her right arm and matching metallic silver gloves that went all the up to her elbows.
From the looks and sounds of the reaction from those in attendance and her colleagues on stage, her return to the runway after 15 years was a smashing success.
And for a woman who was literally in seclusion for six years, that has to be a huge boost on confidence.
Storytelling at its best: Creating drama as the minutes passed, Evangelista stepped out on to the runway near the end of the show
She’s back: With her dark tresses pulled back off her face in a slick-back look, she exuded the poise and charm that sent her to the top of the industry in the years after her debut in 1984
In a Vogue video posted on YouTube, the model gave fans a fresh glimpse of herself after a long recovery from an alleged rare reaction to the fat freezing procedure known as CoolSculpting.
The surgery was designed to decrease her fat cells, but instead, it made them become enlarged – resulting in her developing ‘bulges’ all over her body, due to a condition called paradoxical adipose hyperplasia.
PAH is a rare adverse effect of cryolipolysis, which has been reported in of 0.0051 per cent of the 1.5 million CoolSculpting procedures performed worldwide.
She has since undergone two liposuction surgeries in an attempt to fix the problem, and announced back in February that she was done living in ‘shame.’
During the video Evangelista explained that she is still ‘trying to love herself’ after becoming ‘so depressed’ following the faulty procedure.
Accessorizing: Evangelista had a silver-patterned Baguette bag under her right arm and matching metallic silver gloves that went all the up to her elbows
Long road back: Evangelista’s shining return comes after she basically went into seclusion for six years when her face was disfigured by a rare reaction to the fat freezing procedure known as CoolSculpting
Before Friday’s walk, Evangelista’s last runway appearance had been in 2007, when she participated in the 60th anniversary fashion show for the Christian Dior brand.
Along with Evangelista, the so-called Big Six of modeling in the 1990s included Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington.
Fendi is among the more than 140 designers that will ascend on Manhattan over the course of the next six days, through Wednesday, September 14, with new collections.
Welcome back: Before Friday’s walk, Evangelista’s last runway appearance had been in 2007, when she participated in the 60th anniversary fashion show for the Christian Dior brand
Two icons: The Italian fashion house used Evangelista for the promotion photo for the show on Instagram in the days before the rand event
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