The Style of Helena Christensen

Helena Christensen is a supermodel from Denmark who rose to fame as an original “Victoria’s Secret Angel.”  Because of her success as a beauty queen, the industry professionals got aware of her. In 1986, she was crowned “Miss Denmark,” and she competed in “Miss Universe the following year.”

She met with numerous agents and eventually relocated to Paris to advance her modeling career. Christensen appeared on several magazine covers and billboards throughout the world, including in Times Square, before and after the famed Victoria’s Secret promotion. She became a spokeswoman for Revlon and appeared in Chris Isaak’s music video for “Wicked Game,” which was ranked number 13 on VH1’s best music video countdown in 1990.

She became the creative director of Nylon, pop culture and fashion magazine, in 1999. She’s shot for ELLE and Marie Claire, among other publications. She had taken an interest in photography since she was a child, and she’s had a lot of success with it, creating galleries like “Far From, Close” and “A Quiet Story.”

She has now created a fashion brand that sells vintage-style items and has advocated for breast cancer fundraising.

Helena Christensen at the beach, sea

Childhood and Adolescence

Helena was born in 1968 to a Peruvian mother and a Danish father. She has stated that growing up in Denmark, having a South American mother was a formative experience.

She is multilingual, having grown up speaking Danish, English, and Spanish. Despite being teased in school for it, she’s grateful for the opportunities these skills have provided her with.

Career

She joined a beauty pageant by mistake in 1983, thinking it was a charity fashion show. She won it when she was 16 years old.

In 1986, at 18, she was crowned Miss Denmark. This prompted her to compete in the “Miss Universe” pageant held in Panama the same year.

Christensen was featured on the cover of the British Vogue magazine issue in March 1990. This would be her first of six cover appearances.

She was a founding member of the “Victoria’s Secret Angels,” alongside Tyra Banks, Karen Mulder, Stephanie Seymour, and Daniela Pestova. Throughout the 1990s, she worked with this company in advertising, print, and on the catwalk.

She co-starred in Chris Isaak’s music video for “Wicked Game” in 1991. The video was a smash hit, placing fourth on MTV’s “Sexiest Video of All Time” and thirteenth on VH1’s “100 Greatest Videos.”

She also became the spokesmodel for Revlon and its makeup line a year later, in 1992. She worked on campaigns for Hermes, Prada, Chanel, Versace, and other high-fashion companies during the same timeframe in the early to mid-90s.

In 1999, Marvin Scott Jarrett launched Nylon and requested Christensen to be the creative director. Her photographs were published in the publication.

In 2005, she created the second “Fashion Target Breast Cancer” campaign to raise breast cancer awareness. The proceeds from the T-shirt sales are used to assist breast cancer patients.

She took a break from modeling in 2006 to pursue a career behind the camera. Jim Cook produced her first photography gallery, “A Quiet Story,” premiered in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

In 2008, Christensen and her lifelong friend Leif Sigersen founded Christensen &Sigersen.  They had previously owned and operated a shop in the West Village called Butik and were successful business partners. They began designing vintage-inspired clothing for the new company, which they sold in Denmark.

In 2008-2009, she created her second photography exhibition, “Far From, Close,” to raise money for the educational initiative “Chernobyl Children’s Project International.”

In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2009, she stated that she would continue to divide her time between modeling and shooting.

Helena Christensen in a black dress carrying a bag, white van, trees

Helena Christensen’s Style Over The Years

April 1992

Christensen wore a lovely floral number to Vogue’s 100th Anniversary dinner and looked elegant.

April 1997

Yes, that is the Versace multi-colored outfit that Kim Kardashian and Naomi Campbell have been seen wearing. The Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert was a breeze for the Danish model.

1997

Photographed in a taxi in London, Christensen’s wide-leg white slacks and brilliant yellow flat sandals offer a trendy boho feel that’s excellent for battling the heat in a dressed-down summer style.

Her feminine draped wrap is the ideal cover-up and a simple complement to the rest of her relaxed ensemble.

August 2000

Christensen’s full-length gown took center stage on the red carpet of Vanity Fair’s Oscar celebration, but it was the subtle style elements like a focal cover-up and glossy makeup that genuinely made the look sing.

The design was finished with a smooth glossy mane and a stunning side-swept fringe, ensuring maximum style points.

September 2003

The model looked smart and buttoned up at the 6th annual GQ Men of the Year Awards in a simple black day dress and kitten heels.

February 2005

Christensen won the Style Icon Awards at Elle’s 3rd annual gathering on February 15, 2005, wearing a backless jumpsuit.

September 2008

The brunette beauty wore shorts and sandals to the Marc Jacobs Spring 2008 show, displaying her long limbs in style.

Helena Christensen in street style, man in a shirt at the back, big potted plants, brick building

April 2012

The former Victoria’s Secret model looked stunning in white at the Vanity Fair Tribeca Film Festival gala, wearing the finest eyelet dress.

October 2012

The Danish model showcased a little edginess in an all-leather ensemble that was trés chic for the H&M worldwide debut.

November 2013

At the (RED) Auction, the former Revlon spokesperson looked sultry and elegant in a black pantsuit featuring a see-through lace top and a black bandeau underneath.

May 2014

At the Solving Kids’ Cancer Spring Celebration, Christensen wowed in a jacket over a revealing lace top, maintaining the same sensual class.

September 2014

Even her street style is laid-back and laid-back – look at this t-shirt and denim skirt combo!

September 2017

She showed off her long legs in this sequined minidress she donned to a Tom Ford show during New York Fashion Week.

At the Take Home a Nude art party on October 11, 2017, Christensen flaunted her toned arms in a colorful feather-embellished frock.

April 2019

The 50-year-old model shined in a lace bodice and flared trousers at Gigi Hadid’s denim-themed birthday celebration.

On Colors and Secondhand Clothing

Helena Christensen hugging Gigi Hadid

Her Peruvian ancestors instilled in Christensen a passion for color. She spent plenty of her time in Peru as a child (where her mother is from). Her memory was forever engraved with the vibrant fabrics and colors of Cusco’s indigenous inhabitants.

She dressed up as a gigantic Easter egg for her first communion when she was 14, wearing a complete Peruvian outfit. The model photographer was a sight to behold with permed hair, frosted pink lipstick, and blue mascara.

Christensen’s life revolves around secondhand clothing. In Copenhagen, where she grew up, her mother ran a vintage clothing business. It’s an honor for her to adopt another woman’s past and go on new adventures with it. She has at least 100 secondhand jumpers because she can’t resist them when she sees them at a flea market.

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