Irina Lăzăreanu

Early life

At age 5, Lazareanu immigrated to Canada from Romania, settling into the Montreal suburb of Saint-Hubert, Quebec with her Romanian parents. At the age of 13, she moved to London to study ballet until she was derailed by a broken knee. She met Pete Doherty at the age of 15 whom she later dated briefly and was engaged to in 2007.

Modeling career

At age 17 Lazareanu attended an open call and signed with Giovanni modelling agency in Montreal with the hopes that it would help pay rent. From then on she did the usual rounds of London and Paris, occasionally appearing in Barcelona, Australia and Madrid fashion weeks. She was chosen by acquaintance Kate Moss to model for the December/January 2005/2006 issue of Vogue: Paris, which Moss guest edited. Immediately after, she also appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia's January 2006 issue, photographed by Steven Meisel. Lazareanu has since become an increasingly popular fashion model, breaking the record for most runway work in one season.

She has modelled for many top designers, including Chanel, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Lanvin, Versace, and many more. She is affiliated with the modeling agencies The Society Management in New York City, Elite Model Management in Paris, Why Not Models in Milan, and Select Model Management in London. In March 2007, Lazareanu was chosen by Kate Moss as the model for her new Topshop clothing range.

Personal style

Lazareanu is known for her quirky, vintage-inspired style – which has arguably contributed to the rise of her modelling career. When asked about her style, Lazareanu says: "I’m very influenced by the whole 1960s–1970s London era, not only in terms of my clothes but also in terms of the music I listen to, the movies I watch, the writers I read. Those influences probably translates into my personal style in an unconscious way."

Michelle McCool of Cosmopolitan magazine writes that "(Irina) has a great rock'n'roll vibe. It's all about the hair and her flatness. I love that she has no boobs." Lazareanu is often described as having a distinctive look, as Emmanuelle Alt of Vogue Paris adds; "On the runway, no matter what, she cannot be transformed. She always has her unique look and style." As a result of her striking features and rock'n'roll semblance, Lazareanu has developed the status of 'official muse' to designers Nicolas Ghesquière and Karl Lagerfeld, with whom she shot the Chanel Cruise campaign.

Music career

Lazareanu met musician Pete Doherty then a member of the Libertines, at a party in Shepherd's Bush while she was a ballet student. Doherty and Lazareanu bonded over their shared interest in artists such as Oscar Wilde and Nina Simone. Lazareanu became closely involved with Doherty's band Babyshambles and toured with them in 2004, although she has denied the widespread rumor that she served as their drummer.

Lazareanu reportedly helped Pete Doherty write the song "La Belle et la Bête" which featured Kate Moss on the Babyshambles' Down in Albion album.

She is currently recording a folk album, entitled Some Place Along the Way, on which musician Sean Lennon is a producer and collaborator. They have recorded a duet called "Strange Places", which has not yet been released, however was previewed on a Fashion TV profile, which aired earlier in 2006. Her album was to be released in late 2006 however it has been delayed as a result of her demanding modelling career and is now due to be released in fall 2007. Lazareanu has said that "My music isn't commercial...I just want to learn from people and do the best I can do" and cites Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Joan Baez as her musical influences.

In February 2007 Lazareanu announced that she will collaborate with Sean Lennon and Pete Doherty on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country".

In December 2007, during a special presentation for Chanel in London, Lazareanu debuted four songs off her album, which acted as the soundtrack to the show. Sean Lennon accompanied her on guitar.

In June 2010 Lazareanu organized a benefit concert in NYC and was set to perform with Doherty, Lennon, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and Adam Green. Doherty was, however, refused entry into the United States – despite having a visa. The band played without him.

Personal life

Lazareanu has twice been briefly engaged to musician Pete Doherty, first for a period in 2004 following the break-up of his band The Libertines and then for the second time in October 2007. In 2012 she began dating contemporary dancer Keir Knight and they were engaged to be married in August 2013. The wedding took place at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's house in Woodstock.