Carmen Kass was born in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia (formerly in the Soviet Union). After the fall of the USSR she began modelling in Italy as a teenager and eventually reached international stardom. Like Gisele Bundchen before her, Kass was named the VH1/Vogue model of the year (in 2000) and has posed for Victoria's Secret. She has appeared in high-profile campaigns for The Gap and Christian Dior, among other fashion lines. (One popular Dior ad featured Kass starred wading through a pool of golden water.) Kass stands 5'11" and is sometimes considered part of the "big model" movement which followed the popularity of waiflike models such as Kate Moss and James King.