Bianca Balti (pronounced [ˈbjaŋka ˈbalti]; born 19 March 1984) is an Italian model.[3] She is known for her Dolce & Gabbana campaigns, after being the face of the brand for 10 years.[4]
Bianca Balti | |
|---|---|
 Balti in 2010 | |
| Born | 19 March 1984 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Spouses | Christian Lucidi
(m. 2006; div. 2010)Matthew McRae (m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [1] |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Agency |
|
Early and personal life
editBalti was born in Lodi, Italy. She is the second child and the only daughter of Bruno Balti and Mariabice Marzani (Maryam Bikya Marzani).[5][6] Her father is ethnically Italian whilst her mother is Azerbaijani.[6]
Balti was married to Italian photographer Christian Lucidi, with whom she had a daughter, Matilde, in 2007. They divorced in 2010. On 14 April 2015, she gave birth to her second daughter Mia McRae with her American boyfriend Matthew McRae,[7] whom she had met while vacationing in Marbella, Spain. They got married at the Fullerton courthouse on 1 August 2016. A year later, she and Matthew McRae renewed their vows in front of family and friends on 1 August 2017.[8]
In 2022, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy surgery after discovering that she carried a variant of the BRCA1 gene. In September 2024, she revealed that she had started chemotherapy for a ovarian cancer.[9]
Career
editBianca Balti was scouted while she was working as a Promo girl for a shampoo company, and began her career at the age of 20.[10] Her career took off when she was part of the S/S 05 Dolce&Gabbana campaign and went on to work 10 more years with the brand.[11]
Balti was first booked for the cover of L'Officiel, shot by Alexi Lubomirski. Her first notable advertisement campaign came for Dolce & Gabbana. She has appeared on the covers of many fashion magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, W, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, as well as men's magazine Playboy. Her campaigns include Roberto Cavalli, Donna Karan, Christian Dior, D&G, Valentino, Armani Jeans, Missoni, Rolex, Guess?, Paco Rabanne, Anna Molinari, Guerlain, Revlon, La Perla, Cesare Paciotti, Mango, and Thierry Mugler.[12][13]
She also appeared in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2005 and in their catalogs.[14]
Since the spring/summer 2005 fashion shows, she has appeared shows for designers such as Shiatzy Chen, Karl Lagerfeld, Gianfranco Ferré, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Zac Posen, Hermès, John Galliano, Gucci, Fendi, Prada, Valentino, Missoni, Chanel, Christian Dior, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, Narciso Rodriguez, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera and Victoria's Secret.[15]
Balti was cast in Abel Ferrara's movie Go Go Tales (2008) as one of the erotic dancers. After the movie and her pregnancy, she returned to the catwalk, became the new face of the Cesare Paciotti international campaign, and replaced Angelina Jolie as one of the faces of the fall St. John campaign, with models Hilary Rhoda and Caroline Winberg.[16][15]
She appears in the 2011 Pirelli Calendar photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. In 2011 she features in Francesco Scognamiglio Spring/Summer 2011 campaign art directed by Akmal Shaukat photographed by Giampaolo Sgura.[17] In 2012 she was chosen as the new face for Dolce & Gabbana together with actress Monica Bellucci. She became the face of their Light Blue fragrance in 2013.[18] She also hosted BeastMasters for Italy.[19]
References
edit- ^ "Bianca Balti - Paris - IMG Models".
- ^ "Bianca Balti - Model".
- ^ Carrera, Martino (15 June 2021). "De Rigo Introduces New House Brand, Taps Supermodels for Campaign". WWD. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Bianca Balti Remains Dolce & Gabbana's Leading Lady". Vogue. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Bianca Balti, la top model icona della bellezza italiana nel mondo". Elle Italia March 2018 (in Italian). 28 August 2017.
- ^ a b "World-famous beauty with Azerbaijani roots [PHOTO]". Azernews.Az. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ "Bianca Balti di nuovo mamma: è nata Mia McRae!". Tu Style. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ Macon, Alexandra (11 August 2017). "Model Bianca Balti's West Coast Wedding Is an Italian-Inspired Dream". Vogue. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
"The couple married at Fullerton Courthouse on August 1, 2016. On the same date a year later, they renewed their vows in front of family and friends."
- ^ "Bianca Balti mostra la cicatrice dopo l'operazione per l'asportazione del tumore". Rai News (in Italian). 13 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ Feiereisen, Sharon (18 April 2017). "21 Questions With... Sports Illustrated Model Bianca Balti". theFashionSpot. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "5 questions with supermodel Bianca Balti". TODAY. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Bianca Balti". Fashion Model Directory.
- ^ Campagne con Bianca Balti. Newemotion.it. Retrieved on 10 September 2015.
- ^ "Lo sapevate che Bianca Balti ha sfilato per Victoria's Secret? | Il tuo stile - In ogni donna c'è uno stile..." 19 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ a b "bianca balti angelina jolie - Risultati di Yahoo Italia Search". it.search.yahoo.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Bianca Balti per Cesare Paciotti Fall Winter 2008 2009". Excite. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ Francesco Scognamiglio S/S11 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. wearona. Retrieved on 10 September 2015.
- ^ Niven, Lisa (22 February 2013). "Bianca Balti For Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue". Vogue (UK). Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ ""Ultimate Beastmaster", siamo volati in California per visitare il set". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). 14 December 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
External links
edit
- Bianca Balti at IMDb
- Bianca Balti photos at Style.com (archived)
- Bianca Balti at Fashion Model Directory
- Bianca Balti at NYmag.com
