Linda Evangelista hits the runway for NYFW, closes Fendi show

Supermodel Linda Evangelista made a triumphant return one year after revealing a fat-freezing procedure left her “permanently deformed”.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista has made a triumphant return to the runway, one year after revealing she’d been left “permanently deformed” due to a fat-freezing procedure.

The 57-year-old made a surprise cameo at Fendi’s 25th anniversary celebration of its famed Baguette handbag, closing the brand’s New York Fashion Week show in a voluminous blue gown.

Evangelista – who hasn’t walked a runway in 15 years – was met with a standing ovation from fellow 90s supermodels Christy Turlington Burns, Shalom Harlow, Amber Valletta and Kate Moss.

Sharing footage of the show to Instagram, the Canadian – who became the face of the Baguette’s 25th anniversary ad campaign in July – said she felt “blessed” to have taken part.

Stream the news you want, when you want with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Linda Evangelista made a triumphant return to the runway for Fendi during New York Fashion Week at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Picture: Andres Kudacki/AFP

The 57-year-old closed the brand’s 25th anniversary celebration for its famed Baguette handbag. Picture: Taylor Hill/Getty Images

“The multidisciplinary and extremely talented Kim Jones created an epic collaborative celebration of Fendi’s craftsmanship, along with Silvia Fendi, Delfina Delettrez, Tiffany and the help of our dear friend Marc Jacobs,” she wrote.

“I was blessed to be part of it and so grateful to be surrounded by lifelong friends and family, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Pat McGrath, Guido Palau, and Ronnie Cooke Newhouse.”

Model Winnie Harlow, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker and Naomi Watts also sat front row at the Fendi show.

LaLa Anthony, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Naomi Watts attend the Fendi 25th Anniversary of the Baguette at Hammerstein Ballroom. Picture: Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Fendi

Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Kate Moss, and Shalom Harlow. Picture: Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Fendi

Winnie Harlow and Kim Kardashian. Picture: Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Fendi

Fendi’s creative director Kim Jones described Evangelista as “the leader of the pack” in the 90s.

“And when I read about the pain she’d been in, I wrote her a letter because I don’t believe that people are disposable,” he added.

“In the end, I got the magical moment of seeing her being shot by (photographer) Steven Meisel for the campaign. It was like a childhood dream come true.”

Karlie Kloss. Picture: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Fendi

Iris and Maude Apatow. Picture: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Fendi

Evangelista revealed last September that the “reason” she had “not been working while my peers’ careers have been thriving” was because she’d developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia (PAH) – a hardening of localised fat – after undergoing a CoolSculpting fat-reducing procedure.

She said the risk of the rare reaction was not something she was made aware of before she had the surgery, prompting her to file a since settled lawsuit against CoolSculpting’s parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc, for $50 million ($A68 million) in damages.

Since sharing the reason she’d been in “hiding” for the past six years, Evangelista has steadily made her return to the spotlight – culminating last month in her appearance on the cover of British Vogue’s September issue.

But, the supermodel told the magazine, it still didn’t mean she was making “a comeback”.

“Am I cured mentally? Absolutely not. But I’m so grateful for the support I got from my friends and from my industry,” Evangelista said.

“You’re not going to see me in a swimsuit, that’s for sure. It’s going to be difficult to find jobs with things protruding from me; without retouching, or squeezing into things, or taping things or compressing or tricking.”

For her Vogue shoot, for example, she stressed that her face, jaw and neck had been taped back.

“That’s not my jaw and neck in real life – and I can’t walk around with tape and elastics everywhere,” she said.

“You know what, I’m trying to love myself as I am, but look, for photos I always think we’re here to create fantasies.

“We’re creating dreams. I think it’s allowed. Also, all my insecurities are taken care of in these pictures, so I got to do what I love to do.”

Originally published as Linda Evangelista hits the runway for NYFW, closes Fendi show