About Lara Stone
Lara Catherina Stone (born 20 December 1983) is a Dutch model. In 2012, she came in 8th on the Forbes top-earning models list.
Stone was born in the small Dutch town of Mierlo to a Dutch mother and a British father. She was first discovered in the Paris Metro while on vacation with her family when she was 14 and took part in the Elite Model Look competition in 1999 when she was just 15. Although she did not win, she impressed Elite executives and was signed to Elite Modeling Agency and began to model.
Stone left Elite and signed with IMG Models worldwide in 2006. In January she made her catwalk debut when Riccardo Tisci put her in his Givenchy couture shows in Paris. Later that year she was an exclusive for Calvin Klein. 2007 proved to be more lucky when she had a big Bardot-like spread in March’s Vogue Paris, and then got the cover for their April issue. "Sometimes a girl just touches you," Carine Roitfeld, the magazine’s editor, said. The New York Times' fashion critic Cathy Horyn named her the "anti-model" in her On the Runway blog; describing her as not your typical catwalk android with her gapped front teeth, stunned expression, and Lurch walk, which can be attributed to her small size 7 feet – catwalk shoes are at least a size larger. All the buzz over Stone prompted New York Magazine to rank her No. 2 on their "Top Ten Models to Watch" for in New York Fashion Week.
Stone has opened shows for Giles Deacon, Isabel Marant, Christopher Kane, Fendi, and MaxMara, and closed for Diesel, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, and Balmain. She has also been a prestigious "semi-exclusive" for Prada, meaning she could not walk any other shows during New York fashion week or any shows in Milan before the Prada show.
Her spring/summer 2008 campaigns included Givenchy, Belstaff, Just Cavalli, and H&M. Her campaigns for fall/winter 08 included CK, Givenchy, Belstaff, Hugo Boss Orange, Calvin Klein Cosmetics, and Jil Sander. Stone was one of the models chosen to be in one of the fourteen covers of V magazine September 2008 issue. Shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, each cover boasts a head shot of a famous model, either from the new crop of leading ladies or the supermodel era.
Stone was also photographed alongside Malgosia Bela, Daria Werbowy, Randal Moore, Mariacarla Boscono, Emanuela de Paula, and Isabeli Fontana for the 2009 Pirelli Calendar.
In the February 2009 edition of Vogue Paris, which featured Stone on the cover, she said she does not like the runway and that her unusually small feet for a person her size do not fit in shoes. Stone was featured on the August 2009 cover of W, declaring her "Fashion's It Girl" and why she's the most-wanted face and body in the business. Vogue Paris named her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.Stone made her American Vogue debut on the May 2009 cover alongside Liya Kebede, Anna Jagodzinska, Natalia Vodianova, Caroline Trentini, Jourdan Dunn, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Natasha Poly, Karen Elson, and Isabeli Fontana as one of the "Faces of the Moment". It was also a special issue because the cover featured models instead of celebrities. Though following her great success came an international racial controversy when she appeared in an editorial for French's Vogue October 2009 issue with her face and body blackened.
In 2010, Stone replaced Sasha Pivovarova as the new face for Prada's fragrance, Infusion d’Iris, shot by Steven Meisel. Her other spring/summer campaigns included Louis Vuitton, Versus by Versace Fragrance, Jaeger, and H&M. This same year her look sparked a trend in blonde, gap-toothed, big-lipped models like Georgia May Jagger, Lindsey Wixson, and Ashley Smith. The look even inspired Tyra Banks to have a contestant's tooth gap widened on cycle 15 of America's Next Top Model.
Stone made fashion history signing an exclusive deal with Calvin Klein Inc., making the 26-year-old model the face of Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Jeans for fall 2010. It marks the first time in years the fashion house has chosen to use one model for three of its brands, and Stone will be exclusive to CKI for all apparel advertising and runway appearances for fall. Ending the year she won British Fashion Awards's Model of the year 2010, hoping it would finally give her some public recognition.
Stone is featured in the 2011 Pirelli Calendar photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. Stone is part of history, in what marks Vogue UK's first multi-cover in the publication's 95-years, landing one of the three May 2011 covers in celebration of the Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton. She debut on Forbes' World's Top-Earning Models list ranking No. 7, with estimated earnings of $4.5 million since May of last year (2010–2011).
Stone is again featured in the 2012 Pirelli Calendar photographed by Mario Sorrenti and also as the face of Calvin Klein's 2012 Underwear campaign.
Stone was ranked #1 on models.com's "Top 50 Models" list from Spring 2010 to Summer 2012 before moving to their "Industry Icons" list and she was also ranked the 9th sexiest model on their Top Sexiest Models list.
Stone began dating the British comedian David Walliams in September 2009. They announced their engagement in January 2010. They were married at London's Claridge's hotel on 16 May 2010. In November 2012, the couple announced that Stone is pregnant with their first child and is due mid-2013. It was reported on 4 March 2015 that, following five years of marriage, the pair had decided to try a trial separation, after 'drifting apart'. On 9 September 2015, Walliams filed for divorce from Stone, citing "unreasonable behaviour". The couple were granted a decree nisi the next day, dissolving the marriage six weeks after the date of filing.
In the December 2009 issue of Vogue UK, Stone admitted undergoing inpatient rehabilitation for alcoholism earlier in the year.
As of February 2024, she has amassed 784,000 followers on her Instagram platform.
