Folks, Ogle At The Classic Beauty Of Yasmine Ghauri

Yasmeen Ghauri is a force to be reckoned with! In modeling and not in your multi-player role-playing world. This woman has everything to make you fantasize about her 24/7.

Yasmeen is just hot beyond words, and if you don’t find her attractive, well, you better have yourself checked. It’s just impossible to look away with this woman’s photo in front of you. I mean, even if she is not wearing a swimsuit, you’d still ogle…

Who is Yasmeen Ghauri

Yasmeen Ghauri is a Canadian former supermodel who strutted her way into fashion history… literally! Her runway walk was so iconic, Tyra Banks dubbed it the “walk of life” (and when Tyra says it, you know it’s a big deal).

As a proud Pakistani, Yasmeen broke barriers as one of the first South Asian women to grace the cover of Vogue, a huge moment for representation in fashion.

She also turned heads working with major designers like Hermès and Lanvin, and her face lit up the pages of Elle and plenty of other top magazines. Basically, Yasmeen didn’t just walk the runway… she owned it.

Yasmeen in 1997, confirming speculations that arose after she stepped out of the Yves Saint Laurent show at the last minute.

Her Early Life

Yasmeen Ghauri was born on March 23, 1971, in Montreal, Quebec, to a German mother and a Pakistani father. Her dad was born in Hyderabad, India, later moved to Karachi, and, according to Yasmeen, her family roots trace all the way back to Ghor, Afghanistan. She’s described herself as “half South and Central Asian,” which is basically the most interesting family tree at any dinner party.

Growing up Muslim in Montreal wasn’t always easy… Yasmeen faced bullying at school because of her Pakistani heritage. But even as a child, she held strong to her identity. At just 12 years old, she performed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with her parents, proof that she was worldly and grounded long before she ever hit a catwalk.

Career Journey

Yasmeen Ghauri’s modeling journey began at 17, when she walked out of a hair salon in Montreal and straight into destiny. Edward Zaccaria, the artistic director of Platine Coiffure, spotted her on the street and saw star power. Her parents weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of modeling, but Yasmeen wasn’t about to let that stop her. She chased her dream anyway, starting on the runways of Milan and Paris before landing in New York City in 1990.

Once in New York, she caught the eye of critics and designers alike. The New York Times famously described her runway walk as having a “ball-bearing swivel of her hips”—basically, poetry in motion. Yasmeen quickly became one of the key faces in what the fashion world would later call the “Canadian Invasion.”

Her first major magazine cover came in 1991 with Elle, and from there, she was unstoppable. She walked for top-tier designers and even did her own makeup backstage—because back then, the industry didn’t have shades that matched her skin tone (Trailblazer much?).

In 1992, she walked in Versace’s now-legendary “Bondage” show, then became the face of Hermès and Lanvin. She also landed a contract with Victoria’s Secret, officially earning her angel wings—and cementing her status as a supermodel icon.

In 1992, Yasmeen Ghauri hit a major stride, becoming the face of Valentino couture and Versace in the same year. That February, she made headlines walking in Gianni Versace’s now-iconic (and very controversial) “Bondage” show in Milan—because if anyone could make leather straps look high fashion, it was Yasmeen.

By 1993, she was also the face of Hermès and Lanvin, and gracing the pages of Elle thanks to photographer Gilles Bensimon. Her star kept rising, and in 1995, she popped up in Isaac Mizrahi’s behind-the-scenes fashion documentary Unzipped, giving fans a peek at the whirlwind world of runway life.

Yasmeen also became a regular in Victoria’s Secret catalogs and those legendary swimsuit issues, which only added more fuel to her supermodel status. And in 1996, she officially took her place on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway… because at that point, it was less “if” and more “when.”

Facts and Trivia

Before she was strutting down runways in couture, Yasmeen Ghauri was flipping burgers at McDonald’s—and doing it exceptionally well. She was even named “Employee of the Month.” Yes, supermodels: they’re just like us (only with better cheekbones).

These days, Yasmeen lives a quieter life in Bedford, New York, with her husband, lawyer Ralph Bernstein. The couple has a daughter and a son, and from all accounts, she’s traded fashion weeks for family weekends—and seems pretty happy about it.

Fun fact: Yasmeen was such a style icon, she inspired the character “Jasmine” in the comic book series Jonathan Steele. She also appeared in Isaac Mizrahi’s 1995 fashion documentary Unzipped, where she proved she looked just as good backstage as she did on the catwalk.