By Phebe Wahl By Phebe Wahl | September 1, 2021 | Lifestyle, Feature,
Supermodel and BVLGARI brand ambassador Lily Aldridge adds sparkle to the season's must-have jewelry with the best accessory—sublimely stunning skin.
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The old adage that beauty comes from within certainly applies to supermodel Lily Aldridge. Her seemingly lit-from-within glow radiates a peaceful ease and grounded happiness. The Santa Monica, Calif.-born beauty now calls Nashville home, where she is raising an equally beautiful brood with her husband, Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill.
Their story is the stuff of boho dreams. They met at Coachella; the sunset San Ysidro Ranch wedding and two adorable children followed; and the family settled into life blissfully off the grid—or at least away from the flashing lights of L.A.
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Aldridge and the kids travel with Followill often, as they will this summer while he is on tour. “We’re so excited,” she shares of their upcoming adventure on the road. “We’re going to West Palm Beach when they first kick off the tour. It will be really exciting. I told my husband ‘You’re never getting rid of me,’” she says, laughing. “Other band members are bringing their children too, so it’s like a big family,” she shares.
Aldridge works around the tour schedule and her own hectic schedule to always make time for family and friends. “I always love going to Los Angeles because that’s where I’m from and my family will be there,” she says. “In the spring they’re touring Australia so I’m really hoping we’ll get to go there. I love traveling, and I love taking my children around the world with us to all these amazing places.”
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There is no doubt Aldridge seems to have an innate knack for navigating fame and juggling an intense career in front of the camera, which clearly seems to run in the family. The daughter of an artist and model, Aldridge counts a pack of siblings who look like the talent page at a top agency. Her half sister, Saffron Aldridge, was a face of Ralph Lauren in the 1990s; half brother Miles Aldridge is a fashion photographer (once married to model Kristen McMenamy); and sister Ruby Aldridge was the face of Marc by Marc Jacobs. Aldridge got her own start modeling at the mere age of 16 for Abercrombie & Fitch. She walked in her first Victoria’s Secret show by 2009 and has appeared in countless campaigns since. Most recently she appears in both a Ralph Lauren campaign and in BVLGARI’s Magnifica Collection campaign. “There’s so much stuff happening,” she says, teasing there is big news to come in the fall. “As my career evolves, I love opening more doors and being more on the business side of my career,” she says. “That’s all very exciting.”
Despite a flurry of projects and living life with a rock star, Aldridge balances motherhood beautifully. “Motherhood is the most magical thing and it changes everything,” she says. “It changes your priorities. I do have to be more selective when needed about what job I take… and I love that it’s a beautiful balance. I’m so lucky to work with companies that really support me as a working mom.” Aldridge notes that many brands, like Ralph Lauren, have been partners for over six years. “I’m super fortunate to get to work with these companies for years and I love them so much,” she says. “So I really prioritize the people who believe in me. They all know that I’m a mother and help me prioritize being able to work around my schedule.”
The inner glow is clearly the key, but Aldridge also takes the business of beauty seriously. “I love skincare, and health and wellness is such a big part of my life,” she says. “I think this year, more than ever, I focused a lot on just being more present. I think everybody kind of slowed down. I love meditation, and I finally got the time to focus on that and prioritize that, which has been really wonderful. Also, I’ve been journaling a lot, which I find is really beneficial. I know that’s not a beauty thing, but I feel like it is for my soul. I feel like that’s what I am prioritizing more— things that make me feel happy… and things that make me feel calm and centered. Meditation and journaling... brought on a lot of creativity and opened new doors for me creatively, which I think wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t started journaling, so that has been really rewarding.”
As for that famous figure? “I don’t really have, like, a ‘diet diet,’” Aldridge says. “Everything is in moderation and I’m a huge foodie. I love exploring food and being Goldbelly’s No. 1 client,” she says, laughing. “But I also really love Sakara and I get their meal delivery service all the time. And my husband is a really wonderful cook. I’m super, super lucky. He loves cooking.”
Photography by: Photos by David Roemer/Trunk Archive; Styled by Carla Aguilar; All jewelry by BVLGARI; Hair by Harry Josh at Statement Artists; Makeup by Carolina Gonzalez at A-Frame Agency; Manicure by Kana Kishita