Showing posts with label biography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biography. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Julia Alexandratou

Julia Alexandratou is a beautiful and highly sought-after Greek model, actress, and pop singer. She was born on 24 November 1986 to a Kefalonian father, an engineer, and an English mother, a model.

First Name: Julia
Last Name: Alexandratou
Nationality: Greek
Ethnicity: Greek/English
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Date of Birth: November 24 1985
Place of Birth: Glyfada, Greece
Height: 5'9" ; 175cm
Measurements: (US) 34-23-35.5 ; (EU) 86-59-90
Dress Size: (US) 6 ; (EU) 36
Shoe Size: (US) 8 ; (EU) 39

Childhood

Julia Alexandratou was born on November 24, 1986 to a father who hails from Kefalonia, named Zisimos Alexandratos and a mother who hails from London, England, named Allison Hunt-Alexandratou. Her father is a highly-educated mechanical engineer, while her mother is a former model. She also has a sister three years her senior, Artemis Alexandratou.

From a very young age, Julia's beauty and talent were revealed. Along with her mother, she modeled in numerous magazines and children's fashion ads. She has modelled since the age of 4 and has also participated and won in countless pageants. At age 7, she was enrolled in ballet lessons, and later on in vocal and acting training, and she exhibited great potential. Julia entered the Miss Young pageant in 2002, and conquered the first prize, at the age of only 15. During times where there were familial problems, Julia lived in London with her mother for a couple of years. After these times Julia pulled back from her artistic training.
Career

In 2006, Julia returned to the entertainment industry with her participation in the 17th Miss Star Hellas pageant which took place on April 9,2006 (semi-final), and April 11, 2006 (finals). Julia was considered to be the favorite to win the competition, as the judges had all given her all perfect 10 points in all four rounds of the competition, a first ever in the entire history of the pageant, and still to date. Julia also made history on the night of the semi-finals, where she was awarded both of the 'special awards': a crown for 'Miss Diva', and then another prixe of a pearl necklace for 'Miss Lux'. One contestant being the recipient of both titles had never occurred before. However, at the end of the semi-finals Julia seemed to be uncomfortable with some of the arrangements, and had mad a facial gesture after receiving both titles. One the night of the finals, she remained the favourite and maintained perfect scores, but in the time period where the judges had given their opinions, actor Kostas Sommer had responded I think it's obvious that number 9 [Julia Alexandratou], has definitely been distinguished from the rest of the ladies, except for certain behavioral issues. Sommer's comment was later castigated by the Greek media, as soon after, Julia lost the first title to Olympia Hopsonidou winning Miss B' Star Hellas. Soon after the event, the Greek network Antenna that had held it, and its producers received much harsh criticism for 'robbing' Alexandratou of the title, and it was often thought to be a publicity stunt by the network.

After the competition, Alexandratou had exclaimed I've worn a lot of crowns in my life. I really didn't need another one. Many people took this as ego, but Julia had later expressed that what she meant was that I like the work of a model but I am not crazy about it, and that she was eager to pusrue other things. Julia was to participate in the Miss International pageant in Tokyo, Japan, but she did not, supposedly due to budget cuts, or her own will.

Julia made her first appearance after the competition on a live show of Fame Story4, and was a guest singer the Greek song titled "Mono Yia Sena" ("Only For You") by former Fame Story3 contestant Andreas Constantinidis, which was featured as the first single on his debut album and she also appeared in the video clip. The song became one of the biggest hits of the whole year and also had great success on the video charts, ringtones, and download charts. After her participation, she was frequently questioned if she was going to pursue a career in music. A few months later, Julia was a co-host to the hit show Megalicious Chart Live! alongside Mad TV presenter Themis Georgandas. She did many television appearances, and in the course of one year, did over 10 magazine covers on magazines such as Nitro, Diva, and Celebrity. Losing the pageant seemed to have sky-rocketed her fame, and the publicity seemed to never end for the youg artist. Her subsequent fame and popularity, led to her hosting her own show, called Music Bee, with her friend Stathis Aitiatoglou. Originally, the show was highly-anticipated and had an informative theme of music news in Greece and abroad. Unfortunately, the ratings soon dropped, but this was rumored to be because of conflicts with her network on payroll, as well as Antenna trying to change her public image and conflicts in her personal life, and it was speculated that she herself had left the network.

In 2007, she released two singles on her own, "Stohos Einai Ta Lefta" ("The Target Is The Money") and "I Vasilissa Tis Pistas" ("The Queen Of The Dance Floor"). She also made her film debut in a comedy by Nikos Perakis, playing a singer named Areti. She starred alongside actors such as Giorgios Kimoulis, and the film premiered in December, with good critiques. Recently, rumors of recording a studio album and a Hollywood film deal have existed. There has also been talk of Julia pursuing an international career, in both film and music.
Magazine Covers:

Greece: 'Nitro' - ? 2006; 'Esquire' - ?; 'Celebrity' - ? 2006; 'Ego' - ? 2006; 'V Men' - January 2007; 'DownTown' - 5-7 July 2007


Source: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc - Fashionmodelsdirectory

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Karolina Kurkova top fashion model biography, photos and images

Karolina Kurkova is top female fashion model biography, photos and images

COUNTRY: Czech model
DATE OF BIRTH: Feb 28, 1984
PLACE OF BIRTH: Decin, Czech Republic
EYES: green
HAIR: blonde
CHEST: 85 cm
WAIST: 59 cm
HIPS: 87 cm
HEIGHT: 180 cm
WEIGHT: 53 kg

Biography :

Born in the town of Decin, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) on February 28th, 1984, Karolina Kurkova had a slight taste of what celebrity would be like, as her father Josef Kurka was a star basketball player. As a child, her height made her relatively awkward and gangly, but that would all change with age. A close friend recognized her beauty and sent photos of Kurkova to an agency in Prague. Kurkova immediately landed a runway appearance, not to mention a commercial and print ad. Still, being a model in the Czech Republic did not expose her to what fashion was really about, so Kurkova took a chance and traveled to Milan to gain some more experience. There, Miuccia Prada (the designer behind the famous brand name) signed her to a contract that proved to be the beginning of her stellar career. On September 7th, 1999, Kurkova's hard work as a 15-year-old model culminated in a meeting with some Vogue editors in New York. She impressed them immediately and the execs began to slowly groom her for success.
A move to the Big Apple and hectic work schedule ensued. It all paid off when Kurkova finally made her presence known in the February 2001 issue of Vogue. One of the youngest models ever to grace its cover, the magazine helped propel her to stardom. She was now recognized at haute couture fashion shows and Victoria's Secret swept her up and chose her to be part of that year's television special, in November. Even fashion houses like Yves Saint Laurent took note of the stunning beauty and proceeded to sign Kurkova to deals. Print campaigns for Tommy, Valentino and others helped expose Karolina Kurkova even more, while she headlined the second Victoria's Secret show the following year. The constant flow of work (she is said to have worked 23 weeks straight) was recognized by Vogue as they honored her with the "Model of the Year" title at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.
The usual contracts with big designers such as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and Balenciaga continued, and a recent tally put Kurkova's magazine cover appearances at 60 and counting. She is revered as much in the fashion world for her personality, which is described as intense and energetic, as for her looks. This attractive attitude leaves little doubt that Kurkova will emerge as a legendary supermodel; even Vogue editor Anna Wintour called her the "next supermodel." Living in New York's TriBeCa district with her longtime boyfriend, Karolina Kurkova is able to separate herself from modeling enough to enjoy courtside basketball games at Madison Square Garden. We only hope that she can keep up this frenetic work pace or realize that sometimes, less is more.

Campaigns:

Celine, Chanel, Christian Dior, eLUXURY.com, Express, Furla, Giuliano Teso, H&M, Hugo Boss fragrance, La Perla, Louis Vuitton, Mango, MOGA, Plein Sud, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Versace, Victoria's Secret, Yves Saint Laurent, Zeki

Covers:


Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Numero, Glamour, Flair, Telva, Marie Claire, Elle, Nova, Photo
Shows:

Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Anne Klein, Antonio Berardi, Calvin Klein, D&G, Dsquared2, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Douglas Hannant, Fendi, Helmut Lang, Hussein Chalayan, Jil Sander, Krizia, MaxMara, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Rocco Barocco, Rochas, Sean John, Sportmax, Strenesse, Viktor & Rolf, Zanella, Chanel, Givenchy, Azzedine Alaia, Behnaz Sarafpour, Custo Barcelona, Lagerfeld Gallery, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Williamson, Narciso Rodriguez, Proenza Schouler, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Lacroix, Elie Saab, Emanuel Ungaro, Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace, Balenciaga, Bill Blass, Carlos Miele, Carolina Herrera, Celine, Chanel, Chloe, John Galliano, Luella Bartley, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Paco Rabanne, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Valentino, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Anna Molinari, Blumarine, Byblos, Chado Ralph Rucci, Costume National, Emilio Pucci, Hussein Chalayan, Marni, Prada, Samsonite BlackLabel, TSE, Vera Wang, Viktor & Rolf, YSL Rive Gauche, Zac Posen

Source :
http://www.karolina-kurkova.info
http://www.top-fashion-models.info