Paulina Porizkova took Rome by storm when she strutted her stuff in Fendi’s runway show on Thursday, looking every inch the star supermodel in a high-collared white suit and matching pants.
The 56-year-old appeared alongside a host of famous fashion faces during the event, which saw models like Amber Valetta and Kate Moss strutting their stuff through an intricate maze of archways, before coming to a stop on a large leveled structure – a picture perfect spot for a final photo of all the looks together.
Ahead of her appearance in the show, Paulina – who traveled to the Italian capital ten days ago – teased her involvement, sharing a behind-the-scenes snap of herself with her hair and makeup done.
‘Backstage getting ready for… stay tuned,’ she wrote alongside the image, which showed her with her long blonde tresses pulled up into a slicked-back bun that was tied with a piece of lilac tulle in a ballerina-esque style.
Fashion favorite: Paulina Porizkova took Rome by storm when she strutted her stuff in Fendi’s runway show on Thursday
Superstar: The 56-year-old shared video of herself walking in the fashion show, which took place in a theater in the Italian capital
Strike a pose: In the clip, she can be seen walking towards an archway while staring down the camera, modeling a beautiful white coat and matching pants
Minutes later, she announced her surprise news before going on to share several images and videos from her runway appearance.
One clip from the show captured Paulina staring down the camera while confidently walking up to an archway with the hands in the pockets of her long white trench coat, which was embellished with a stunning brocade design.
She joked that the few seconds she was caught on camera served as her ‘big input’ into the show, before offering a much more sincere thanks to the brand and its designer Kim Jones for asking her to be involved.
‘Here my big input into the Fendi show. It was short but oh so sweet,’ she wrote.
‘But I also got to walk the streets of Rome; I got to stay in a fabulous hotel, I got to work in the famous Cinecitta and take in the set of Ancient Rome, and I got to chat with Amber Valletta another amazing woman and Kate moss, whom I’ve never met before in person.
‘This whole experience has been the best. Thank you @Fendi @MrKimJones.’
Backstage, Paulina whiled away the time before her runway debut by snapping a few candid images – including a selfie with fellow supermodel Christy Turlington, 52, who appeared alongside her in the show.
Both fashion stars are seen smiling happily at the camera, while showing off matching updos.
Cast: The supermodel (seen front left) appeared in the show alongside a host of famous faces including Amber Valetta, Kate Moss, and Christy Turlington
Emotional: Paulina described the runway show as ‘the best’ experience
Fashion friends: Backstage, Paulina whiled away the hours leading up to the show by snapping candid photos, including a selfie with Christy, 52
Tick tock: Joking that much of a model’s life is spent waiting, Paulina also found time to teach Fendi’s jewelry designer how to knit
In her caption, Paulina paid tribute to Christy’s ‘authentic’ nature, writing: ‘One of the best things about doing a show is getting to meet old and new friends. I have always loved Christy; no one is more good and authentic than her.’
She then thanked both Christy and Fendi designer Kim Jones, adding: ‘Thank you @mrkimjones for this amazing event. Thank you @cturlington for being you.’
The mother-of-two also happily offered insight into the less glamorous side of fashion, posting a photo of herself knitting backstage – while revealing that much of a model’s time at a runway show is spent ‘waiting’ for the few moments that they will spend on the catwalk.
‘Being backstage is mostly waiting. The first day – a ten hour wait for me. So I had more than time to show my new buddy and Fendi jewelry designer @giothehedgehog how to knit,’ she shared.
Paulina’s appearance in the show comes just days after she caused a serious stir on Instagram by posting a nude mirror selfie that she had snapped in the bathroom of her Italian hotel.
The mother-of-two’s risque snap captured her enviable figure reflected from all angles, courtesy of the many mirrors in her bathroom.
Paulina shot her photo while standing in her empty bathtub, flashing her derriere in the mirror behind her, while ensuring that the front-facing shot revealed nothing from the waist down.
She then used her arms to cover her breasts, and kept one leg in front of the other to protect her modesty in one of the other mirror reflections.
If you’ve got it… Paulina showed off her incredible figure in a nude selfie that was posted to her Instagram on Tuesday, joking that she snapped it because she was ‘bored
In her caption, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alum joked that her saucy selfie was the result of ‘boredom’ after a day of work in Rome and a ‘leisurely bath’, before poking fun at herself by referring to the naked photo as a ‘celebration of narcissism’.
‘My hotel Eden in Rome, has, besides a beautiful room I’m staying in, this pretty happening bathroom,’ she wrote.
‘After work and a leisurely bath, I was bored, which led to this celebration of narcissism, the naked selfie. What else was there to do? I mean, besides things like reading a good book or watching Italian TV.’
Paulina – who is currently thought to be dating Oscar-winning director Aaron Sorkin – went on to pose a philosophical question, asking whether a man would have done the same thing had he been given a camera and left in the same room with some time to kill.
‘…It made me wonder what would happen if you gave a man a mirror and a camera and lots of spare time, versus a woman,’ she wrote.
The model then warned off any trolls who are tempted to criticize her for posting the nude snap, writing: ‘And for all of you who have a rough time with nudity, this thread will not be a safe place for you. Godspeed.’
Unsurprisingly, the photo caused quite the stir in the comments section, with tens of thousands of users rushing to compliment her figure – and her photography skills.
Fashion photographer Nigel Barker was one of the first to praise Paulina’s use of ‘angles’, while fellow model Carolyn Murphy simply wrote: ‘Damn,’ alongside several fire emoji.
La dolce vita: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alum took the snap in the bathroom of her hotel in Rome, having traveled to the Italian city ten days ago for the Fendi show
Roman holiday: Paulina has shared several photos and videos of herself since arriving in the Italian capital, although none have sparked quite the same frenzy as her nude selfie
Living the life! The mother-of-two has found time to visit several tourist spots during her trip, including the Spanish Steps and the set of HBO show Rome
Former America’s Next Top Model coach and judge Miss J. Alexander added that Paulina was ‘serving a reflection of a positive Body moment’, while supermodel Helena Christensen chimed in: ‘The butt cheek lower left corner is my favorite.’
The fashion star’s latest post is certainly not the first body-baring image that she has shared – quite the opposite in fact.
In April, Paulina posed nearly-naked on the cover of Vogue CZ, which featured a series of beautiful unretouched photos of the supermodel, which were taken in her apartment in New York City.
The cover photo itself saw the mother-of-two modeling a sheer black bodysuit while leaning against her mantel, while another snap featured Paulina posing topless, wearing nothing but a pair of lacy green panties and some high heels.
At the time, Paulina spoke out to praise the publication for showing her ‘wrinkles’ and ‘all the details of her age’ in the unretouched images, explaining that she was thrilled to see that the shoot showed her ‘at her best’ without the need for any airbrushing or Photoshop.
‘I love this photo of me,’ she said while sharing one close-up snap from the shoot. ‘All the details of my age are here, the neck, the wrinkles, and I think I look great.’
With her latest selfie, Paulina tried to hammer home a point that she has openly discussed on a number of occasions – that ‘sexy has no expiration date’.
In April, weeks before she made her public debut with new filmmaker beau Aaron, Paulina opened up about dating in her 50s following the death of her ex-husband, The Cars rocker Ric Ocasek, who passed away in September 2019.
Strike a pose: Last month, Paulina once again put her fabulous figure on show while modeling her ‘favorite string bikini’ on vacation
She admitted to Yahoo Life that she wasn’t sure what she wanted in a long-term partner, but noted that she had been happy to discover that ‘sex gets better with age’.
‘I don’t know what I want because my husband was my soulmate for such a long time, and what he provided me at that time is no longer what I need,’ she said. ‘I need something else now because I’m way more fabulous now than I was at 19. I need a guy that can withstand my awesomeness.’
Paulina was only 19 when she met Ric on the set of the music video for The Cars’ hit ‘Drive’ in 1984. They wed five years later after they met, when she was 24 and he was 45. They went on to have two sons, Jonathan and Oliver.
Relationship: Paulina made her public debut with new beau Aaron Sorkin at the Oscars on April 25
In 2017, Paulina and Ric quietly separated after nearly 30 years of marriage, and she noted that the end of their relationship ‘came as a shock’ to her because she ‘never conceived’ not being married to him. They were planning on getting a divorce when he died in September 2019 at age 75.
‘And now being out there dating again, what I’m realizing is that I’m not very good at it,’ she said. ‘I keep being this weird teenager when it comes to dating because the last time I dated, I was a teenager.’
‘One thing that I’ve recognized now, after going out on dates with some men who have normal jobs and are wonderful guys, is that I find talent sexy — and talented men are generally way more complicated than non-talented ones,’ she explained.
‘I know better than to say “never,” but certainly a rock musician is about the last thing on my dating calendar.’
Paulina said her sons Jonathan, 27, and Oliver, 22, have been supportive of her dating, but she noted that she won’t introduce them to anyone unless the relationship is serious.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit star also discussed how ‘sex gets better with age,’ which surprised her after hearing ‘horror stories’ about women losing their sex drives after going through menopause.
‘And it turns out that it only gets better because I know my body so much better. Whatever confidence and wisdom that you acquire with age, it’s kind of paying off in your 50s,’ she said.
‘Now I take my pleasure where I know that I had it or where I can. I’m not there to please the guy; I’m there to be pleased.’