models who made a comeback
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Gemma Ward
Gemma was a face you could not escape in the early aughts. The Australian model was absolutely everywhere thanks to her doll-like looks. Vogue Paris even named her one of the top 30 models in 2009. In 2008, around the age of 21, she took a break from modeling to pursue acting, appearing in The Strangers and later in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Just recently, she made a return to the runway, walking in Prada's Spring 2015 show. The now 27-year-old also inked a deal with Aussie brand Country Road, appearing in a campaign alongside her infant daughter.
Image: Imaxtree
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Kristen McMenamy
Kristen was a 90s staple, posing for Versace, Prada, Chanel, Calvin Klein and several others. She left the scene for a while to focus on her family, but returned to the industry at age 38, according to New York magazine, opening and closing Prada's Spring 2004 show. She steadily began to nab more jobs which included turns on the Givenchy runway and an editorial in Vogue. Before long, she was back in the thick of fashion, walking for Chanel and appearing in campaigns for Jean Paul Gaultier and Versace.
Image: Getty
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Kiara Kabukuru
After over 10 years away, Kiara returned to fashion with a feature in W magazine. She thought her modeling career was over in 2000 when she collided with an 18-wheeler, which almost killed her. After years of physical therapy and facial reconstruction, she re-emerged in 2013 at age 37, just as beautiful as before and stronger than ever.
Image: Getty
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Bettie Page
Bettie's modeling career took off in the 50s after she was discovered by amateur photographer Jerry Tibbs on Coney Island beach. She proved to have a natural talent for the trade, and was quickly recruited by other photographers and camera clubs for different projects, many of which were for pinup magazines, which eventually made her famous. Bettie took a lot of photos for the bondage community, which had a hand in ending her career when the authorities got hold of the images, which at the time violated the law and started an investigation by the United States Senate. She stopped modeling after that and fell off the radar until her vintage photos regained popularity in the 80s, which sparked a Bettie Page revival of sorts. Bettie experienced a comeback – in her 60s – without really having to make an effort.
Image: Getty
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Kirsty Hume
For 10 years, Kirsty was working the fashion game, appearing on covers for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, ELLE and several others. After taking a break from modeling when she had her daughter at 27, Kirsty completed a few jobs here and there. Now, the 38-year-old Scottish beauty is preparing for a comeback. She's the face of Helmut Lang's Pre-Fall 2014 collection and appeared in the Peter Som for Kohl's campaign earlier this year. And she's only just starting. She made public her intention to come back to the industry to British Vogue, adding that in addition to the modeling work that she's been doing, she's very interested in starting a line of sustainable knits.
Image: WENN
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Andreja Pejic
Stepping onto the fashion scene as the seamlessly androgynous Andrej, the model took some time away from the industry only to come back as her true self, coming out as a transgendered woman this summer. Andreja's comeback is unique because she'll be navigating the industry as a woman as opposed to just another model looking to get back in the game.
Image: Getty
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Carla Bruni
Carla was one of the most in-demand models of the 90s, appearing on Business Age's list of the 20 highest paid models in 1998. Counted among the 90s supermodels, she worked with design houses like Chanel, Versace, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier and more. She even appeared in Guess ads, which at the time really meant you'd made it as a model. Carla left the fashion world in 1997 to pursue a career in music (and later married French president Nicolas Sarkozy), but re-emerged in 2013 at 45 years old to appear in a Bulgari campaign.
Image: WENN
