FASHION

PARTLY PERFECT

While there are more glamorous paths into film and fashion, none is more straightforward than becoming a specialty model, in which a single body part is your ticket to, if not fame, then at least...

by W Magazine

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While there are more glamorous paths into film and fashion, none is more straightforward than becoming a specialty model, in which a single body part is your ticket to, if not fame, then at least a living. Here, the names behind the parts that launched a thousand products.

A onetime high school jock, Mauro worked as a greeter at Abercrombie & Fitch before Armani Exchange made him its signature underwear model in 2007. He’s been booking body jobs ever since. Clients: Dolce & Gabbana, Guess, Joop! Pay: up to $20,000 a day.

During a three-decade career, this former ballet dancer portrayed the private parts of more than 85 actresses, including Kim Basinger, Sandra Bullock, Madonna, and­—most famously—Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Clients: MTV, Touchstone, 20th Century Fox. Pay: up to $2,000 a day.

Dubbed “the Heidi Klum of foot models,” Ambers is always in demand for her exquisite size-8½ feet (taller, more traditional models often have ungainly flippers). Clients: Barneys New York, L’Oréal, Neiman Marcus, Revlon. Pay: up to $3,000 a day.

A rare triple threat, Covington’s mitts have filled in for those of the average mom, the bodacious babe, and even the occasional celebrity, including Charlize Theron and Hilary Swank. Clients: Lysol, Miller Lite, Pillsbury. Pay: up to $3,000 a day.

Although she’s nearly six feet tall, Edberg nevertheless has small feet, which helps give her legwork an elegant appeal that high-end labels love. Clients: Manolo Blahnik, Valentino, and—never the elitist—Dr. Scholl’s shoe inserts. Pay: up to $3,000 a day.

-Tony Dokoupil

Read The Hand That Rocks from the January issue.

Photos: Courtesy of the subjects