Natalia Polevshchikova, better known as Natasha Poly, was born on July 12, 1985, in Perm, Russia. Her deep-set eyes and sculpted cheekbones made her s

Natalia Polevshchikova, better known as Natasha Poly, was born on July 12, 1985, in Perm, Russia. Her deep-set eyes and sculpted cheekbones made her stand out during a model search in Moscow in 2000, but as she was only 15 at the time, she decided to finish her high school education. She modeled a bit locally, but Natasha’s professional career started in 2004, when she made her runway debut at the Emanuel Ungaro show. The year would prove to be her breakout year, and she walked in 54 fashion shows in Milan, Paris, and New York.

Natasha’s distinctive look also led to a plethora of magazine and editorial work, and she has appeared on the covers of Australian Vogue, Russian Vogue, French Vogue, Amica, and Marie Claire. Since her start, Natasha has appeared in many campaigns, among them Gucci, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel, Nine West, and Dolce & Gabbana, and has also walked for notable brands such as Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Gucci, Versace, and Victoria’s Secret. She has appeared on multiple Vogue covers and once even had four consecutive Vogue covers: Russia, July; Russia, August; Nippon, September; and Australia, October. She’s been on the cover of French Vogue five times, and Russian Vogue dedicated its July 2008 issue to her. In May 2009, Vogue named Natasha as one of the Faces of the Moment, along with eight other up-and-coming supermodels.

In 2005, Natasha appeared in over 130 shows—an astounding number for any model. Highlights included shows for Alexander McQueen, Bill Blass, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Kenneth Cole. Natasha also strengthened her mainstream appeal in America that year by making a memorable appearance at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret fashion show. In May 2005, she was featured in Vanity Fair, along with Natalia Vodianova, Carmen Kass, Karolina Kurkova, Eugenia Volodina, Hana Soukupova, Marija Vujovic, Valentina Zelyaeva, and Inguna Butane, in a piece entitled, “Slavs of Fashion, The New Beauties,” shot by Patrick Demarchelier. The piece celebrated fashion’s obsession with models from the Eastern European region.

Natasha had another banner year in 2006, when she continued to assert her dominance on Europe’s most celebrated catwalks. Although she lessened her load by appearing in 10 fewer shows than the year before, she increased her growing portfolio by working with leading haute couture designers, like Christian Lacroix, Elie Saab, Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Valentino. She raised her international profile by appearing in over a dozen big-budget advertisements for products such as Calvin Klein Jeans, Krizia Jeans, and Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti. The Russian beauty was the sole model to show off the Gucci Indy bag. She was named the face of Gucci for fall 2007 and signed the fragrance contract, as well.