SAM
GOLD

As a lanky brunette growing up in London, Sam Gold had a photo of Coco Chanel icon, Ines de la Fressange taped to her wall, but never considered modeling until a high school friend asked her to pose for photographs and shared them with an agent. Within weeks, the 16-year-old was signed to a major agency, sent to Tokyo, then Milan and eventually Paris, where she became an icon in her own right. With her gamine frame, she could look girlish for Cacharel’s “Anais Anais,” or a groovy teen for Kenzo, or a grand dame for Yves Saint-Laurent, and was shot by Deborah Turbeville, Peter Lindbergh, Fabrizio Ferri, David Bailey and Victor Skrebneski, She moved to New York and turned a side project into a full time sensation, the luxe baby line Alvin & Sparky. A chance encounter led Gold, whose hair prematurely turned silver, to shoot a yearlong fashion editorial on ageless style for The Sunday Times of London. She’s been back in front of the lens since signing with Wilhelmina.