Model Muses of FASHION Through the Decades

Marley Crosby on the cover of our Summer 1979 issue.
“What a great model, and what a pro. We probably worked with Marley more than with any other model from the late ’70s and well into the ’80s. She had a natural elegance and grace that made everything she wore look terrific. In a way I think we were kind of hypnotized by those beautiful eyes, that strong, bold expression,” notes former FASHION art director, Brad MacIver. “She was lovely to work with and she was always engaged.”

Marley Crosby on the cover of our Winter 1981 issue.
“Marley was the first New York model that I worked with here in Toronto. She brought a totally new and different flavour and approach to the work we were doing,” says model agent Elmer Olsen. “She took everything that one step further. She gave as much as she could to the camera and to the client. You could do a full day’s worth of shooting with Marley in a half day because she was so amazing in front of the camera.”

Marley Crosby on the cover of our Holiday 1981 issue.

Marley Crosby on the cover of our Winter 1983 issue.
“I was so nervous shooting with Marley Crosby because she had worked internationally with famed European photographers, which made me feel provincial,” confesses photographer Walter Chin. “We were shooting on top of a high rise apartment building with the evening light diminishing faster than I could think. It was really scary and challenging, but Marley was such a professional. I got the picture within a few minutes thanks to her.”

Angie Featherstone on the cover of our Holiday 1984 issue.
“Angie is a real beauty, especially her mesmerizing eyes,” remarks Chin. “She was definitely one of my favourite models to work with. Absolutely amazing.”

Angie Featherstone on the cover of our Summer 1985 issue.
“Both covers I photographed with Angie were shot in my studio on Bolton Ave,” says Chin. “These pictures make me smile and think of my friends John MacKay, Brad MacIver, Jane Musett and Nancy Hasting, the original fun seekers. These wonderful souls helped and guided me to become who I am today.”

Angie Featherstone on the cover of our November 1991 issue.
“Angie was a true free spirit and not by any means a typical model type. Shorter than most and not lanky, but full of personality, the kind that registers easily on film, and with marvellously expressive eyes,” says MacIver. “It’s no surprise that she went on to an acting career. She was really fun to work with.”

Tricia Helfer on the cover of our September 1992 issue.
“I had just won the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest, so this was really the start of my career. I remember being extremely happy about getting this cover,” recalls cover star, Tricia Helfer.
“FASHION was one of the leading Canadian magazines and being Canadian, it was not only good for the career (which was one of the exciting aspects of it), but one of the first times I could go to the supermarket and see myself on a cover. My parents could see I was actually working at this. It was validation that I was doing something well and it was a notch on the belt of my career.”

Tricia Helfer on the cover of our September 2000 issue.
“We hadn’t worked with Tricia for a while, so it was great of her to agree to appear on our big September issue, which sported a crisp new design and was a bit of a re-launch,” MacIver remembers. “Tricia had already achieved some success in Hollywood but she was happy to ‘give back’ to the hometown crowd. Couldn’t have been more down to earth and friendly, although in her greatest photos she has a wonderful cool hauteur that we all loved. Also, it wasn’t easy to make that extraordinary dress work in a photo, but she aced it.”

Tricia Helfer on the cover of our June 2006 issue.

Lorca Moore on the cover of our December 1995 issue.
“The first cover I ever shot for FASHION was of this model Lorca Moore, and we subsequently fell in love and got married and had two children and are still together,” says photographer Chris Nicholls. “We had our eyes on each other. This was my first cover and Lorca’s first cover too.”

Lorca Moore on the cover of our April 1996 issue.
“Lorca is an extraordinary, ethereal beauty, and a very funny and clever woman.,” says former art director, Brad MacIver. ” Lorca was a regular on our pages for quite a long stretch. It’s interesting to note that, contrary to standard publishing practice, there were only two cover lines on this one, and a very soft, barely accessorized look. What more do you need with a face like that!”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our Summer 2001 issue.
“I remember when she was going to her prom and had Joeffer Caoc do a dress for her” says Leanne Delap, FASHION’s editor-in-chief from 1999 until 2003. “Her mom would come to the shoots because she was underage. Having somebody of that caliber, you could see it immediately.”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our September 2001 issue.
“Daria was a super smart girl. I remember making her do crazy things for shoots. She worked very hard from the beginning,” remarks photographer George Whiteside.

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our October 2001 issue.
“This is when we knew Daria was going to be somebody,” remembers former fashion director, Susie Sheffman. “We rented an old car and drove it to a parking lot down at Jarvis and Front streets. It was a gorgeous little black dress story.

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our Winter 2001 issue.
“I remember Daria coming in for a fitting for a shoot and she was showing us polaroids from her prom. She was like a kid,” says former editor-in-chief Ceri Marsh. “She was just beginning to do international work then. We were all like, ‘Awww, cute.’ You really felt like you were part of some important beginnings.”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our October 2004 issue.
“Daria, like a true supermodel, can transform before your eyes. That face!” comments former fashion director, Susie Sheffman. “She could go from outdoorsy sporty girl to glamorous fashion icon. She was always shockingly beautiful.”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our February 2007 issue.
“Daria has always been a strong-willed, no-nonsense woman,” remarks Nicholls. “I remember Daria pulling me aside on a commercial shoot years ago and telling me she was going to ‘punch the art director’s lights out’. It never came to that, luckily.”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our September 2008 issue.

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our May 2011 issue.
“I have always been very fond of Daria,” says Nicholls. “She has this amazing, simple, raw beauty that is so engaging.”

Daria Werbowy on the cover of our October 2013 issue.
“My favourite shoot of her is this October 2013 Fashion cover shoot (and inside beauty shots), styled by Zeina Esmail,” says Nicholls.

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our March 2002 issue.
“Susie [Sheffman] booked me to do my very first cover ever with Liisa Winkler. That was an incredible moment. I have one of the polaroids from that shoot that Gabor gave me,” remembers hair stylist Tony Masciangelo. “Liisa was at the top of her career and Susie gave me the opportunity to have my own cover.”

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our Winter 2003 issue.
“This was one of my first covers for FASHION and I was kind of new in the fashion world,” recalls model Liisa Winkler. “I was shocked that they wanted me on the cover, and loved that I got to wear jeans!”

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our April 2004 issue.
“I always love working with Gabor and Susie,” gushes Winkler. “They have been such huge supporters over the years and I am so grateful to them for believing in me and for all the fun shoots we did over the years. They are a great team and I love them both as people too!”

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our Winter 2008 issue.
“This was the first time I met and worked with the one-and-only Liisa Winkler and it resulted in one of my all-time favourite covers. When Liisa arrived at the studio, I was immediately struck by her warmth and down-to-earth demeanour,” recalls photographer Miguel Jacob. “On set, she is every fashion photographer’s dream. She not only looks incredible regardless of lighting used, but she is also a fantastic collaborator who gives it her all in order to achieve an amazing photograph. This cover will always hold a special place in my career as it is when I started a long-lasting creative collaboration and close friendship with Liisa that continues to this day.”

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our Winter 2009 issue.
“This cover was one of the first times I got to work with my now good friend Miguel Jacob,” remembers Winkler “I loved how excited and full of energy he was (and still is!) It was contagious and we had a great day.”

Liisa Winkler on the cover of our Winter 2012 issue.

Jessica Stam on the cover of our March 2004 issue.
“Jessica kind of went from the quirky girl, not terribly pretty, to the quirky cool girl, honestly in front of my eyes,” explains former fashion director, Susie Sheffman. “Every season she became more and more beautiful. It was like watching a duckling turn into a swan. A quirky cool girl into a magnificently beautiful, alluring young lady.”

Jessica Stam on the cover of our February 2005 issue.
“It was the first time that someone had approached Jessica in a beautiful, rather than eccentric, way,” says photographer Gabor Jurina.

Jessica Stam on the cover of our September 2005 issue.
“Eccentric” says Jurina when asked to describe Stam’s allure. “I guess she was young and it was the period as well, it was a very eccentric period. Sort of the gamine ingénue sort of thing. She did have that remarkable face. She has those mesmerizing blue eyes. She’s a great model, but when she stares into the camera with those blue eyes, you just get totally lost in her eyes.”

Jessica Stam on the cover of our February 2010 issue.
“Jessica is amazing to work with. When we work together, it’s collaborative and we both – everybody on the team – just wants to get a great picture,” says Jurina. “She’s really good because she’s kind of laid back but she becomes the character. And those eyes. Photographing those big beautiful eyes, you get drawn into her.”

Coco Rocha on the cover of our August 2008 issue.
“I had wanted to work with Coco Rocha for FASHION18, FASHION’s sister magazine, back in 2005, when she was a new face,” recalls Jacob. “You can imagine how excited and honoured I was to be chosen to photograph fashion’s ‘It Girl’. And Coco, who is known in the industry as being one of the world’s premier movers, did not disappoint. She is fearless in front of the camera and gave me an incredible range of movements and expressions that ensured that my cover would be arresting and unique.”

Coco Rocha on the cover of our August 2010 issue.
“As a model who’s worked all over the world for the last 15 years, I always look forward to the jobs that bring me back home,” confesses model Coco Rocha. “To get a cover like FASHION is a huge privilege for any model, but to do so in my home country, and to be able to share that with my friends and family has always been a unique thrill. I’ll always remember having school friends send me photos of themselves at their local magazine stand with my cover. In fact, I still have photos of myself pointing out my cover while at Shoppers Drug Mart!”

Coco Rocha on the cover of our Winter 2013 issue.
“I remember being on set with Coco for this cover shoot and all of a sudden ‘Vogue’ by Madonna came on and she threw down and did a whole choreographed routine,” recalls hair and makeup artist, Greg Wencel. “She danced so hard her wig flew off! Everyone was in shock.”

Coco Rocha on the cover of our April 2017 issue.
“This most recent FASHION cover will go down in record book for me — it was the first shoot I was allowed to post instantly to social media and to shoot live for my fans, who loved it,” says Rocha. “The idea that shoots have to be so secretive and kept under the radar until months later when the magazine is published was proven to be an antiquated concept on this shoot. In fact I use it as a reference on many of my shoots now! Seems the rest of the world is slow to catch up.”