“The most mysterious and private of all the supermodels” says Shalom Harlow, “Tatjana was as untabmable as the wilderness and creatures she adored. She possessed an ineffable quality of grace and poise that was central to her beauty. Looking into her eyes was like staring into something raw and eternal. Only a depth of soul can inform such a stare. Her incomparable gaze created the everlasting allure that made her a muse of the ages.”
“I don’t remember the first time I met Tatjana. It seemed like I always knew her as I remember seeing images of her modelling years before I met her, she also had a very familiar way about her” echoes Amber Valletta, “We always talked about real-life stuff. We both had sons and we shared about them. We spoke about deep, meaningful things, she was a very interesting person. Tatjana had a rebellious and kind spirit. She had depth but also wit. She cared deeply for the world around her, especially animals. She was truly an original who carved her own path. I loved that she lived her life the way she wanted, raising her son, saving animals and being on her land. She really was a special soul.”
Born in Hamburg and raised in Sweden, Patitz’s career took off when she was just 17, after having been a finalist at Elite Models’ “Look of the Year” contest in 1983, where she caught the eye of founder John Casablancas. But a move to Paris and a now legendary shoot with her soon-to-be 30-year-long collaborator Peter Lindbergh is what would mark her ascension to international fame. Captured for French Vogue in 1985, Patitz was pictured at a table outside Paris’s legendary Cafè de Flore in head-to-toe houndstooth. Cigarette poised and gaze centred. One of the first supermodels was born.
“Tatjana will be remembered for her sincere kindness, inner beauty and outstanding intelligence. Peter Lindbergh’s work is profoundly associated to her image. A unique combination of subtle strength and natural elegance that inspired my father throughout his career,” says Benjamin Lindbergh, president of the Peter Lindbergh Foundation. “Many of Peter’s most emblematic images feature Tatjana whom he had continuously photographed since the 1980s. Vogue Italia’s 2016 cover story, entitled 'Walking with Lindbergh’ and done under Franca Sozzani’s editorship, remained among Peter’s all-time favorites."
Patitz’s career was unique. Cutting her teeth during the buoyant maximalism of the eighties, and skyrocketing to fame at the juncture of sleek nineties minimalism, she earned the moniker of being one of “The Big Five”—alongside her contemporaries Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell—Patitz was one of the first supermodels in history.
Naomi herself, in a post on Instagram, remembers her: “Earth angel, kind, generous, shy, lover of animals sometimes more than people. When I met you at 16 at the Alaia show, I remember just saying “wow!!” Your presence and stature. Your eyes and nervous shy smile, goddess energy that we were all drawn to…My first time in LA I got to experience it with you, showing me the sites and beaches, driving around in your red Volkswagen convertible. Blaring the Sign of the Times… It was that trip where you introduced me to Herb Ritts, who called you Tatski. I’ll forever be grateful and cherish the beautiful memories”.
Edward Enninful OBE, European Editorial Director di Vogue, recalls the first time he met her backstage at a Helmut Lang show in Paris. “Backstage is always crazy; models’ limbs darting everywhere, makeup brushes flying and noise to rival jet planes. But the first thing I noticed about Tatjana was how effortlessly she surrounded herself with stillness. She had an aura that was sheer elegance, and possessed a poise that marked her out as something special, like a classic European movie star. I was struck by the depth of her eyes, and how grown up she seemed to us all, as we bundled through that crazy world at a thousand miles per hour. We both adored animals and connected over our love of the natural world. I still remember how softly spoken she was, how perfectly chic. She never cared about where she was spotted, or being in the hottest clubs. She had the ability to remove herself from it all; fly away from the noise and find peace with her animals. I know she will be greatly missed not just by the fashion world, but by the universe, which felt her presence so strongly”.
Versace, Chanel, Jil Sander, Valentino, Albetta Ferretti, Helmut Lang, Calvin Klein and Vivienne Westwood are just some of the runways and campaigns Patitz starred in, but despite the speed and velocity of her ascent, her love of nature, animals, activism, and a slower pace of life landed her in California, where she relocated to centre in on writing, meditating and a move into acting. In Linda Siversten’s book ‘Lives Charmed: Intimate Conversations with Extraordinary People’, the author refers to Patitz as being “greatly responsible for helping to establish the acceptance of statuesque beauty in an industry once dominated by a standard of extreme thinness” going on to add, “Tatjana’s home exhibits her love of nature and deeply grounded mature personality. A description of her would not be complete without mentioning the uncommonly serene environment she has created for herself, her loved ones and her animals. I have never visited a home that so fully merges the essence of the spiritual with the natural beauty of the physical world as does Tatjana’s dreamlike retreat.”
In one iconic photo taken by Richard Avedon for the September 1990 issue of Egoïste, Patitz is captured doing what she loved best: swimming in the ocean with wild dolphins. In a statement released by the Avedon Foundation, it’s said that it was “among her favourites”. So much so that she reached out to the foundation a few years ago to enquire about it “because it expressed her true self, with no makeup, no hairstyle, no fashion. Just herself in nature, sharing a magical moment with a dolphin in Hawaii.”
“I had the pleasure of working with Tatjana on many occasions,” says Claudia Schiffer, “She had a formidable presence yet she was quiet, reserved and true to herself.” Recounting the ‘Wild at Heart’ story they worked on in 1991 for American Vogue, shot by Peter Lindbergh and styled by Grace Coddington on location near the Brooklyn Bridge, she says “We wore Schott biker leathers and Chanel, fashioned as a tough girl gang that spoke to and still speaks to the power of the independent female spirit. Tatjana was a joy to work with, possessing extraordinary beauty and character, yet always remaining grounded. She will be greatly missed and I send my sincere condolences to all her family and friends."
The last time Helena Christensen saw Patitz, it was on a Peter Lindbergh shoot “not long before he passed away” she says, “Tatjana was so proud of him, he is very talented at drawing. We had a really lovely day, chatted about our sons and dogs and laughed a lot. Since then we texted back and forth, always via DM on Instagram. She would write lovely things about the pictures I showed in my stories, and she always sent little hearts whenever I posted photos of animals or nature. We wrote a lot about our beloved dogs and I would often comment on how gifted her son is. Tatjana had a very graceful and lovely vibe about her. She seemed a bit like she was in another world, as if she was somewhere else in her mind. Her eyes had a sparkle to them and she always had a smile on her face, a Mona Lisa kind of smile. There was something ethereal, mysterious and otherworldly about her. Her beauty was undeniable but it was her inner spirit that captured everyone around her.”
Kristen McMenamy met Patitz in New York City in the late 1980s and was “taken aback by her presence” she says, “In the world I grew up in,I had not known such beauty and poise could exist. Tatjana had this way of carrying herself, she was tall but stood tall, and her gaze was mesmerizing. We walked down the street and I was conscious that everyone was drawn to her . She was somehow otherworldy. The last time I saw her was when we were shooting with Peter Lindbergh. It was such a beautiful reunion, she had become a true earth woman and looked so content. We talked about her ranch, her horses, her son and her other animals and I left with such a sense of joy, peace and happiness knowing that she had evolved and found her place in life. She was the sweetest and dreamy. I never ever once saw her upset. She would just look at me with those dreamy eyes and smile. I will miss her”.
Even Alice Gentilucci, the historic fashion editor of Vogue Italia who has immortalized Patitz in numerous editorials, confirms that her presence had a magical quality. “I remember our first shoot, in Los Angeles, with Ellen von Unwerth and many supermodels. If Stephanie, Christy and Naomi chatted with each other, she showed a more reserved personality. But as soon as she arrived on set, without great indication, she gave us the perfect photo. She was at ease, naturally elegant and real even when she was posing half naked. Our second shoot together was in Cannes, with Steve Hiett: during the train journey to the Côte d'Azur, all heads were turned towards her. But our most beautiful photo was the one taken by Paolo Roversi in Paris, in the studio, in 2008: she was still incredibly beautiful, a Venus. It is no coincidence that the title of the article published in Vogue Italia would have been Magnetic.” Gentilucci concludes with a more recent memory. "I last saw her at the Life Ball in 2012. She spoke to me lovingly about her son Jonah and his life with animals on the ranch in California. Far from fashion, she was present in her own world of timeless affections”.
