The Daria Files: Daria

Birthdate: November 19th 1983
Birthplace: Krakow, Powland
Raised in: Missisauga, Ontario
Place of Residence: New York City
Height: 5'11"
Measurements: 32-24-33.5
Eyes: Blue-Grey
Hair: Light Brown
Agencies: IMG (New York, Milan, Paris, London, Australia), Elmer Olsen Model Management (Toronto)

Daria's Tattoos

Fun Facts:

Daria has a brother, Orest Werbowy, who was featured along with her in the Vogue US editorial "Ticket to Paradise", and an older sister Oksana
Daria's last name is pronounced Ver-bo-ee, like David Bowie and it means "willow tree" in Ukranian
During her infamous Helmut Newton shoot with the grass and the bed of nails, Daria had the flu so Helmut kept a ten-foot distance from her! It was also Helmut's last shoot before he died in a car accident.
Her favourite past time is sailing, and her lifelong goal is to sail across the world
In the summer of 2008 she sailed the Atlantic for three months with her family and ended up unknowingly breaking her foot ... so she had to wear a cast to the Canadian Walk of Fame
Daria was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame on September 6th 2008
She is the second model, after Linda Evangelista, to be inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame
Most embarrasing runway moment? Walking into the wall during a Burberry show, and almost passing out backstage!
She has a winding tattoo of waves on her foot (a symbol of her love for sailing), and another one on her neck, the meaning which she won't disclose and two more on her feet
She has been romantically linked to Josh Hartnett and Nick Valensi
Daria has three cats
Daria's vice is chocolate, especially white chocolate
Daria holds the record for opening and closing the most runway shows in one season (12 in Spring 2004)
She is an Industry Icon on models.com and is ranked #6 on their Money Girls list
She spent most of the end of 2012 traveling India
Daria has a home in West Cork, Ireland
Daria has an instagram dotwillow, but does not have a public facebook or twitter
Daria has an interest in photography and has a shot published in V Man Winter 2009 "Taking Charge". You can see her photography below

Childhood Photos
Daria Werbowy in different candids from her youth. Daria grew up in Missisauga, Canada playing both basketball and volleyball. She was also a sailing instructor during her 2002 break from modeling!

Childhood

Teen Years

Daria's Photography

Kenny Jossick in V Man Winter 2009 "Taking Charge" and Cass Bird photographed by Daria Werbowy

Daria's Artwork

1983 Daria Werbowy was born in Krakow, Poland on November 19 1983 to a Ukrainian family, her father an engineer and her mother a school teacher. At the young age of three her family, including older sister Oksana and brother Orest, relocated to Mississauga, Ontario. She grew up in an active household playing "basketball, rugby, beach volleyball and ice hockey. As soon as there was snow I went snowboarding, but most of the time I was sailing.” [Annabelle, October 2008]. Her father taught her how to sail which grew into a life long passion. Daria also attended Cawthra Park Secondary School in Mississauga which spurred her interest in the arts.

1998 At age 14, Daria was a gigantic 5′11″, slim with narrow hips and sporting braces. She had never seriously considered modeling, but entered in a modeling competition and ended up winning. She found herself launched into the business after being discovered by a schoolmate’s mother who headed Toronto’s Susan J. Model & Talent Management. After a year working with Susan J. however, Daria thought she could be doing more with another agency and moved on.

2001 After switching over to Elite Models, Daria began landing several prominent bookings in Canada, but still wasn’t meeting with much international success. She traveled throughout Milan and Paris visiting designer after designer, but met no success. In a Vogue Paris February 2004 interview she was quoted as saying “ … It was hard. People would tell me I would never be a model or walk on the runway, despite my best efforts.” Her efforts were also deterred by the September 11^th 2001 bombings, in her first runway season.

2002 Daria returned to Canada, where she caught up on much needed rest, and abandoned her modeling efforts for a while. She spent her time working as a sailing instructor at Port Credit Yacht Club.

2003 Daria was quoted as saying “In 2003, I changed; I was stronger and I was more sure of myself. I wanted to work again, above all to finance my art studies. I called IMG and returned to New York. Three days later, I did Marc Jacobs' fashion show and a week later I worked for Steven Meisel for Prada.” With her new outlook on life, Daria decided to give modeling another shot and snagged a spot in the fall 2003 Marc Jacobs fashion show. She quickly nabbed her first of many Prada campaigns (Fall 2003) and a close relation to Steven Meisel catapulted her career.

2003 was the beginning of something big, as Daria appeared on five Vogue Italia covers , and later on V 24. She opens the spring Jil Sander, Prada, Alessandro Dell’acqua, Nina Ricci, and Chloé shows in Milan and Paris and closes Marni in Milan. 2003 also marked her first Vogue US editorial appearance in the November issue (at left) along with Eugenia Volodina. Editors and designers began to take notice ...

2004 It was the year of Daria as she renewed her contract with Prada and replaced Hana Soukapova in the Spring 2004 Gucci campaign. She established a now infamous relationship with photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin when she was captured for an appearance in the February 2004 issue of French Vogue. She appears on thecover of Italian Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel for the fifth and last time. Appears inVogue editorial with Jake Gyllenhaal, and BritishVogue editorial, photographed by Corrine Day in the May 2004 issue of Vogue US and goes on to star in 24 editorials in the fashion bible. She also steals the cover of Vogue US September 2004, along with Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward and Karen Elson.

2005 This year cements Daria as one of the top earning models in the world as she becomes the face of Missoni and Chanel and signs a contract with David Yurman which would go on to last for four years. She appears on the cover of British Vogue, photographed by Nick Knight as well as the March issue of Vogue Paris. She also graces V and Numero later in the year. 2005 marks one of Daria's most lucrative contracts yet - she signs on as a Lancome spokesperson (the holy grail of modeling) and becomes the face of perfume Lancome Hypnose, one of many perfume and makeup campaigns to come.

2006 It was not quite the busiest year of modeling, like the past three had been, as Daria took some time off in 2006, making the rare public appearance for Lancome events. However, this year did see the return of Daria to the runways as she walked her last full season in New York, Paris and Milan, making appearnces at Fendi, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney. Despite Daria's reclusiveness, this year Lancome tries to push the supermodel angle with their new spokesmodel and more and more interviews pop up in lieu of editorials. Daria covers (and is interviewed by) Elle to Flare to GQ. However, Lancome's efforts are mostly for waste as Daria maintains a low profile from the press after 2006's press blitz.

2007
[to be continued ...]

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