Tatjana Patitz: The Supermodel Who Redefined Beauty
Tatjana Patitz (25 May 1966 – 11 January 2023) was a German supermodel. She achieved international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, representing fashion designers on runways and in magazines including Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue, and was one of the “Big 5” supermodels featured in George Michael’s 1990 music video “Freedom! ’90.”
Early Life and Education
Patitz was born in Hamburg, West Germany, on 25 May 1966. Her father was a German travel writer and her mother an Estonian dancer. She grew up primarily in Skanör, Sweden, and learned to ride horses at age seven, a passion that would define her life. She spent summers at her family’s vacation home on Mallorca, Spain, where she participated in horse camps.
Career and Achievements
At seventeen, Patitz entered the Elite Model Look contest in 1983 and placed third, earning a contract with Elite Model Management founder John Casablancas. She moved to Paris to begin her modeling career, though initial success came slowly. By 1985, she was working regularly and modeled for the cover of British Vogue, marking her first major cover.
That same year, Patitz began collaborating with photographer Peter Lindbergh, initiating a 30-year professional relationship that contributed to launching the supermodel era. Her European success, including an editorial in the September 1985 issue of French Vogue shot by Horst P. Horst, led her to New York City, where she worked with American Vogue and photographers including Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, and Wayne Maser. She also worked with Gilles Bensimon at Elle and Francesco Scavullo at Cosmopolitan.
In 1987, Richard Avedon photographed Patitz for her first American Vogue cover in May, an image regarded as one of the definitive covers of the 1980s. That year she also appeared on the cover of Tiffany’s 150th anniversary special issue alongside ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and was named model discovery of the year. During this period, Patitz met Los Angeles-based photographer Herb Ritts, with whom she developed another significant collaboration spanning fashion, fine art, and commercial work.
Beyond her runway and editorial work, Patitz appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, photographed by Bruce Weber, and for Revlon’s “The Most Unforgettable Women in the World” campaign by Richard Avedon. The December 1985 Vogue issue featured Irving Penn’s photograph “Colored Contact Lenses,” showing Patitz wearing contact lenses over closed eyelids—an image later featured in the 1992 book On The Edge: Images from 100 Years of Vogue as iconic to the era.
Notable Events and Milestones
Patitz appeared in George Michael’s 1990 music video “Freedom! ’90” as one of the “Big 5” supermodels, a cultural moment that cemented her status in popular consciousness. The image of her by Herb Ritts titled Tatjana Veiled Head (Tight View), Joshua Tree 1988, became one of his most celebrated works. Vogue began regularly crediting Patitz’s name in fashion editorials by 1987, familiarizing readers with both her face and personality.
Awards and Honors
In 1987, Patitz was named model discovery of the year by Tiffany’s for her gleaming and radiant looks. Grace Coddington, Vogue creative director, called Patitz one of the original supermodels and a must in photographs and on the catwalk in her 2012 memoir. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stated that Patitz had always been one of her favorite models. Author Nigel Barker noted in Models of Influence: 50 Women Who Reset The Course of Fashion that Patitz possessed an exoticism and broad emotional range that set her apart from her peers.
Additional Resources
Patitz remained an avid horsewoman throughout her life and campaigned for ecological causes and animal rights. Her design aesthetic for residential architecture and home design in California was recognized internationally. More detailed information about her career, collaborations with photographers, and cultural impact is available through Wikipedia and fashion history archives.
Observer Voice is the one stop site for National, International news, Sports, Editor’s Choice, Art/culture contents, Quotes and much more. We also cover historical contents. Historical contents includes World History, Indian History, and what happened today. The website also covers Entertainment across the India and World.
Follow Us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, & LinkedIn
