Liu Wen

It has been almost four years since her dimples won over the fashion world. Liu Wen's slender form and mischievous smile have allowed her to win over the critics and become the first Asian model to pose for Estée Lauder and walk for Victoria's Secret.

For the young Chinese Wen (originally from Yongzhou in the Hunan province), modeling was not a childhood dream. Working as a tourist guide while in school, Wen gave more thought to how she might earn enough to buy a laptop then walking on the catwalks. It was this same need for money, however, that pushed her to participate in the New Silk Road Model Look China 2005 competition, whose first prize would easily allow her to buy herself a laptop.

Clearly taller and more svelte than most of her competitors, Liu Wen won first place in the regional selection, but did not win the national. She did succeed, however, in drawing the attention of Chinese agencies and shortly after, began her modeling career.

She quickly became a bankable model in her own country, posing for the Chinese editions of magazines such as Marie Claire, FHM, Vogue, and even Harper's Bazaar. Her dizzying climb to the top of the Middle Empire attracted the attention of the Western world, particularly that of the Parisian agency, Marilyn, who offered her a contract in 2008.

At 20, Wen began the fashion week catwalk part of her career. While continuing to pose for Vogue China et al, she also began to enter into the circle of international top models in 2008 by walking for Burberry, Chanel, Hermès, Kenzo and Jean Paul Gaultier.

At the end of 2008, things were going very well for Wen. Style.com named her among the top 10 new girls to follow; she signed a contract with Calvin Klein for his perfume, CK One; she began to appear in western magazines and participated in the famous Vogue Paris calendar, shot by Terry Richardson.

In 2009, Condé Nast opened its doors to their English and Italian editions to her, and she also became one of the faces of the DKNY campaign. The same year, Wen, who was now walking for Chanel as well as for YSL and Prada, made headlines when she became the first Asian model to appear in the very exclusive Victoria's Secret show.

In 2010, her market value continued to skyrocket. She finished her contract with Calvin Klein, closed for Givenchy in March, posed for the magazine W and became the first Chinese face to represent the cosmetics giant, Estée Lauder.

Meanwhile, the discreet Wen moved to New York and adapted to her new life. Her three favorite places are Lincoln Center, the restaurants in Chinatown and... her bed -- understandable, given that her schedule is so full that a good night's sleep seems to be more of a fantasy than a reality.

Constantly running around the globe, she had to quickly learn English, not easy for the timid girl. Her efforts have nevertheless paid off, and she now communicates in fluid English with her friend, Constance Jablonski.

As for fashion, Wen greatly admires Nicolas Ghesquière, so much so that she finds it difficult to take off the Balenciaga's pieces at the end of the show. On a daily basis, she cultivates a relatively eclectic style, which evolves according to her fashion infatuations.