35 Facts About Tatjana Patitz

Tatjana Patitz achieved international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s representing fashion designers on runways and in magazines such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue.

Tatjana Patitz was an avid horsewoman who continued her lifelong passion for animals and the environment by campaigning for ecological causes and animal rights.

Tatjana Patitz's self-described eclectic and bohemian design aesthetic for residential architecture and home design in her adoptive home state of California was recognised internationally.

Tatjana Patitz was born in Hamburg, West Germany, and raised in Skanor, Sweden.

Tatjana Patitz's father was German and his job as a travel journalist allowed his family to travel and live in different countries.

Tatjana Patitz's mother was an Estonian dancer who performed at Le Lido in Paris.

Tatjana Patitz's parents met at a wine tasting in a bodega in Spain where her mother was a student travelling with a modern dance company; Tatjana Patitz said that her parents' romance was a case of two people falling in love and spending the rest of their lives together.

In 1983 at the age of 17, Tatjana Patitz entered and became a finalist in the Elite Model Look, and based on a Polaroid, she was placed third by Elite Model Management founder John Casablancas.

Tatjana Patitz won a contract and moved to Paris to begin working as a model.

Tatjana Patitz worked with Gilles Bensimon at Elle and Francesco Scavullo at Cosmopolitan.

The December 1985 issue of Vogue featured Irving Penn's photograph, "Colored Contact Lenses", showing Tatjana Patitz wearing contact lenses over closed eyelids.

Tatjana Patitz appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein photographed by Bruce Weber, and in 1987 for Revlon's "The Most Unforgettable Women in the World" campaign photographed by Richard Avedon.

When Tiffany's celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1987, Tatjana Patitz appeared on the cover of their magazine's special issue with ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and she was named the model discovery of the year for her gleaming and radiant looks.

At just shy of six feet tall, Teutonically self-composed, and dominating any room she cared to walk into [sic], Tatjana Patitz was the biggest beast in the seething jungle; Vogue amplified the comparison by fixating on her lynx-like eyes, impossibly blue and curved around the temples like a cat's.

At this point, being in such demand required constant travel for Tatjana Patitz, who flew 40 flights in one month alone.

Tatjana Patitz relocated to California and made Los Angeles her homebase.

The move afforded Tatjana Patitz, who had always searched for creative and spiritual growth, the time and space to develop other aspects of her life.

Tatjana Patitz shared the British Vogue cover with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington; the portrait of the five women is regarded as the cover that sparked the supermodel phenomenon of the 1990s, helping each woman attain global appeal.

Tatjana Patitz worked with Ritts, Lindbergh, and Maser but was sought after by the industry's leading female photographers such as Peggy Sirota, Ellen Von Unwerth, Pamela Hanson, and Sheila Metzner as well as new photographers such as Mario Sorrenti and Juergen Teller.

Also in 1992, it was announced that Tatjana Patitz had won an exclusive cosmetics contract with Germaine Monteil makeup and perfumes.

Tatjana Patitz began the new millennium continuing to work with top photographers at major fashion magazines such as the 2000 editorial in Vogue Italia titled, "Magnetic" by Paolo Roversi.

Tatjana Patitz joined Chinese supermodel and actress Qu Ying at an exhibition in Beijing for Longines, a brand Tatjana Patitz would represent throughout the decade.

Tatjana Patitz returned to the cover of Harper's Bazaar for its Chinese edition.

Tatjana Patitz continued to be an advocate for animal rights by filming a PSA in 2007 for Orangutan Outreach and appealing for the protection of orangutans in the rain forests of Borneo, Indonesia.

In 2011 and now in her 40s, Tatjana Patitz made industry headlines when she was chosen as the spokesmodel to front the cosmetics campaign for the global brand Shiseido.

In 2014, Tatjana Patitz starred in an international advertising campaign with actress Jane Fonda and model Doutzen Kroes for L'Oreal Age Perfect that celebrated three generations of timeless women.

For Vogue Italias September 2015 issue, Tatjana Patitz was reunited with Peter Lindbergh for a new group editorial commissioned by editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani.

Tatjana Patitz appeared on the catwalk for the last time in 2019, after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Tatjana Patitz's first show was in Paris for Azzedine Alaia in 1984, according to Elle magazine.

Thereafter, Tatjana Patitz appeared in many seminal fashion collections of each decade, including Helmet Lang's Fall 1994 latex and lace collection as well as Lang's March 1998 collection which was the first fashion show to ever be shown online and on the internet.

Tatjana Patitz then starred in Chanel's 2010 Resort Collection as the picture-hatted Edwardian mother in "Death in Venice", walking the finale with designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Tatjana Patitz was a mainstay in Lagerfeld's fashion shows including Chanel, Chloe, Fendi, as well as his own collections.

Tatjana Patitz appeared in international television commercials for Cartier, Revlon, Levis, DuPont Luxura, Pantene, Dockers, Ralph Lauren, and the Vauxhall Corsa commercial directed by Tarsem Singh and starring supermodels Campbell, Turlington, Evangelista, and Kate Moss.

Tatjana Patitz was married to businessman Jason Randall Johnson and in 2004, gave birth to her son, Jonah Johnson, who joined his mother on many editorial shoots including "The Great Escape" for American Vogues August 2012 issue and "Family Matters" in the December 2019 issue.

On January 11,2023, Tatjana Patitz died of metastatic breast cancer in Santa Barbara, California, at age 56.