Fernanda Tavares was born September 22, 1980, in Rio Grande Do Norte, Brazil. It was clear early on that the budding brown-eyed brunette would become a certified beauty, and by the age of 9, she was doing smaller gigs in her hometown.
Apparently, she won the Elite Look of the Year contest at 13, and was invited by agents to go to Sao Paulo to pursue modeling a year later. Suffice it to say, she hasn’t stopped working since. Signed with Marilyn in New York and Paris, Fernanda has posed for editorials in a slew of magazines on an international level, including Marie Claire US, Italy and Brazil; Elle France, Brazil and UK; Vogue US, France, Germany, and Italy; L’Officiel France; Cosmopolitan US and Brazil; Capricho Brazil; Harper’s Bazaar US; and Allure US. In brief, Fernanda has surely been seen in one of the top fashion magazines around the world.
And you didn’t have to open certain magazines to see her, as Fernanda has graced the covers of L’Officiel, Vogue, Marie Claire, Capricho, Compolitan, Elle, and Biba, equally on the international editions of the magazines. After all her posing, Fernanda can say that her favorite photographer is Mario Testino.
Fernanda has been walking down catwalks since 1998 for the world’s biggest designers, including Chanel, Emanuel Ungaro, Herve Leger, Gianni Versace, Blumarine, Chloe, Christian Lacroix, Missoni, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Valentino, John Galliano, Sonia Rykiel, Kenzo, and Yohji Yamamoto.
What would a model be without her work in advertising campaigns? Fernanda has helped promote brands like Atelier Versace, Chloe, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Mano, Nine West, Elite, Zoomp (Brazilian), and she was a big figure in the Ralph Lauren Spring 2000 collection, as well as the infectious, colorful Gap Jeans ads, also in the spring of 2000.
Fernanda’s sheer beauty was signed to represent the fragrance Guerlain, for which she was paid one million dollars to pose nude for the ad. And she was chosen as the face of Beauty Jungle, which has since ceased operations.
But no other ad campaign could elevate her like Victoria’s Secret did. Fernanda was selected to be a Victoria’s Secret model, and was one of the models at the renowned 2000 fashion show in Cannes, along with fellow Brazilian models Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen (Fernanda’s best friend), and models Carmen Kass and Angela Lindvall. She also modeled for the company’s Swimsuit Edition catalogue in 2000.
Although her job takes her all around the world and back, Fernanda has been with the same lucky man for the past 4 years, and when she’s not striking a pose or two, she enjoys swimming, jogging and doing what all young Brazilian women do.