Other supermodels of the 1980s and 1990s may tell sordid tales about their time in the limelight, but not Vendela Kirsebom. The leggy Swede known simply by her first name says the work was hard but glamorous and so much fun that she’s still doing it. Spotted in Stockholm by über-agent Eileen Ford when she was just 13, Vendela says her mother kept Ford at bay until she matured. "Every time Eileen was in town she would call and ask the same question: ‘Is she old enough yet?’ " the model says, laughing.

Starting off in Paris and Milan at 17, she landed in New York when she was about 20, one of the few blonde standouts in a sea of brunettes. Her big break came in 1993, with the coveted cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. "I remember stepping off a plane in New York, just after that SI hit newsstands, and it was like every single person in the airport knew who I was," she says. "It was unbelievable and strange, but fantastic."

Today, Vendela, who is divorced from Norwegian politician Olaf Thommessen, with whom she has two preteen daughters, has expanded her career to include TV (she hosted the Norwegian and Swedish versions of Next Top Model), writing (she has published two beauty books and is working on one about the perfume industry) and jewelry designing (for the firm of David-Andersen). She admits hers is a double life, but one she relishes: Most days find her in Oslo, shuttling her kids around, but when work calls, she’s happy to jet off. "When I was younger, a modeling career was over by a certain age," says the 42-year-old. "But now it doesn’t really end, you know?"