Before the boardroom, the White House, or the high-stakes world of New York real estate, there was a teenage girl with 5'10" stature and a famous last name trying to navigate the cutthroat world of 1990s fashion. Honestly, it’s a chapter of her life that feels like a fever dream compared to her current polished persona. Long before she was a senior advisor, Ivanka Trump young model was a fixture on the runways of Paris and New York, but the reality behind the camera was a lot less glamorous than the glossy magazine covers suggested.
Most people see the old photos and assume it was just a hobby for a rich kid. That’s partly true, but it’s also way more complicated. She didn't just walk into a room and get handed a career; she had to negotiate with her parents, stay in boarding school, and deal with a industry that she eventually described as "ruthless."
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The May 1997 Seventeen Cover and the Big Break
If you were a teenager in 1997, you probably saw her face at the grocery store checkout. That May 1997 cover of Seventeen magazine is basically the "Ground Zero" of Ivanka's public life. She was only 15. She looked exactly like what she was: a teenager with a lot of potential and a very famous dad.
But here’s the thing—her parents weren't exactly thrilled about the whole idea. Donald Trump and Ivana Trump (a former model herself) were actually "modestly in favor" at best. Donald told the New York Times back then that he was worried about the "fast life" of the industry. To make it work, Ivanka had to strike a deal. She could model, but only on weekends and holidays. No skipping class at Choate Rosemary Hall. She even had to use the "Olympic skier" precedent—pointing out that the school let athletes travel for training—to get the administration to let her go.
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She signed with Elite Model Management, which was a huge deal. They put her in their celebrity division, but she still had to do the work. By the time she was 16, she was co-hosting the Miss Teen USA 1997 pageant on live TV. It was a whirlwind.
Running the Gauntlet: Versace, Mugler, and the Reality of the Runway
The list of designers who hired her is actually pretty impressive. This wasn't just some local catalog work. We’re talking:
- Thierry Mugler (she walked for him in Paris)
- Versace (a charity event and various shows)
- Vivienne Westwood
- Marc Bouwer
- Jill Stuart
Imagine being a junior in high school and flying to Paris to walk for Mugler. It sounds incredible, right? But Ivanka has been pretty vocal about how much she kinda hated it.
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In her 2009 book The Trump Card, she didn't hold back. She described her fellow models as "pampered teenagers" and called the industry "bitchy." She famously told Marie Claire that the people in fashion were just as "fricking tough" as the ones in real estate. She saw the industry as a means to an end—a way to travel and see the world—rather than a lifelong calling. Basically, she realized early on that she didn't want to be the product; she wanted to be the one selling it.
Why She Actually Quit
By the time she graduated high school, the modeling "bubble" had basically burst for her. She didn't have the passion for it. While some models spend decades trying to land a Vogue spread, Ivanka walked away to go to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
She wasn't interested in being "the girl" in the photo anymore. She wanted the power that came with the business side of things. It’s a transition that’s common now (think Kendall Jenner or Kaia Gerber), but in the late 90s, it was a bit more of a sharp turn.
A Legacy of "Women Who Work"
Looking back at the Ivanka Trump young model years, you can see the seeds of the "Women Who Work" brand she eventually built. She was already practicing the art of the deal at 14, negotiating her way out of boarding school dorms and into Tommy Hilfiger campaigns.
It also explains her comfort in front of a camera. Whether you love her or hate her, you can't deny she knows how to hold a room. That poise didn't come from nowhere; it was forged under the bright lights of Bryant Park and the scrutiny of 90s fashion critics.
Surprising Facts from the 90s Era:
- Height: She’s nearly 6 feet tall, which made her a natural for the "waif" era of the late 90s, though she always had a more athletic build.
- First Gig: Her very first major assignment was a Tommy Hilfiger denim campaign.
- The Media: She was harassed by paparazzi as young as nine years old, with photographers asking her inappropriate questions about her father’s personal life. Modeling was, in a weird way, her taking control of that attention.
If you're researching this era of Ivanka’s life, it’s worth looking at the original 1997 Seventeen interview to see how much her "voice" has changed. You can often find vintage copies on sites like Etsy or eBay. Studying those early runway walk videos on YouTube also gives a lot of insight into the "90s Supermodel" coaching she clearly received.
To get a better handle on how this influenced her later career, read the first three chapters of her book The Trump Card. It’s where she’s most honest about the "mean girls" culture of the fashion world and why she chose real estate over the catwalk.