154 // ANGEL FACE
Victoria’s Secret’s longestrunning Angel and Miami resident, supermodel Adriana Lima balances the roles of world’s most beautiful, single mother, spiritual seeker, and independent woman.
Victoria’s Secret’s longest-running Angel and a Miami resident,
Adriana Lima elegantly balances her roles as single mother, spiritual seeker,
independent woman, and the world’s most beautiful model.
Dress, Dolce & Gabbana ($1,845). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-8660503;
dolcegabbana.com
SAY THE NAME ADRIANA LIMA
and connection to the universe.” Extraterrestrials aside, she also has a place (or more like a shrine) in her bedroom for her crystals. “I don’t count, but I have a lot—more than 50.” Amethyst, in case you’re wondering, is her favorite. In other words, Lima is pretty cosmically connected. But she’s grounded, too—even with 9.8 million Instagram followers and the distinction of being the only celebrity to ever star in two Super Bowl commercials in one game, for Kia Motors and the online flower service Teleflora, in 2012. How did she earn such an honor? Simply put, consumers want whatever Lima is wearing—or selling. Case in point: Sales of Kia’s Optima reached their highest point in the company’s history after it received Lima’s stamp of approval. It’s safe to say that anything the bankable beauty touches turns to gold.
So just how does Lima—who has been included in magazine’s Hot 100, Askmen.com’s Most Desirable Women, Models.com’s Top Sexiest Models, Complex.com’s 100 Hottest Supermodels of All Time, and FHM’S Sexiest Women in the World (four times); has won Spike’s Guys Choice award for Hottest Girl on the Planet; and is one of Google’s 50 mostsearched-for women on the Web—stay grounded when she’s Maxim pulling in a reported $10.5 million a year and a regular day at the office (like today) involves shooting at a $30 million manse with Victoria’s Secret photographer and dear friend Russell James? “My meditation is boxing, believe it or not,” she says. “I get so into it that no thoughts come in my mind. It’s my Zen moment.” Of course, a knockout like Lima trains only with the best, and in the ring that’s at the same world-famous Miami Beach gym where Muhammad Ali became the greatest, Angelo Dundee’s 5th St. Gym.
“I try to box every day,” Lima says, “but these past few days I’ve been bad.” By “bad,” she means she’s been trading her gloves for a spoon and molten chocolate cake. “It’s my guilty pleasure. If it were up to me, I would have it three times a day.” She’s not joking, either: In the middle of her Ocean Drive cover shoot, Lima got a hankering for chocolate bars to nibble on between outfits. “I eat everything,” she says, “but at the same time, I’m super healthy.” Healthy is as easy as cake when you have an on-call nutritionist and a personal chef to whip you up whatever your heart desires. “The best restaurant in Miami, I have to say, is my home.”
Home for Lima is where she feels closest to her native
“I’m in love every day. I wake up and have two beautiful girls before me whose happiness is my happiness.”
Brazil. And for the last five years, that’s been the Magic City. “I wanted to find a base where it was always summer, always nice and welcoming, with warm people and a beautiful ocean,” she says. “I just fell in love with Miami. Plus, there are so many Brazilians here, too, so I feel like I’m in Brazil.” If you’re hoping for a supermodel sighting, hit the Arts District. “I love to go walk the streets and Wynwood Walls and look at art.”
Good luck recognizing her, though. “I’m pretty low-key when I’m walking around—i think because people are used to seeing me with makeup and hair and in lingerie.” She laughs, adding, “I usually don’t wear any makeup and [have] my hair up, and I’m always in sports clothes, especially with my kids.” At least when she’s not rocking Victoria’s Secret’s million-dollar Fantasy Bra, an honor she’s had not once but twice.
“It’s a really special thing for an Angel to wear the Fantasy Bra,” Lima says. “It’s the highlight of the fashion show and a surprise. All of us [Angels] are always wondering, Who is it going to be this year?” “Kind of like being named prom queen?” I ask, forgetting that she’s a foreigner. “I’m not sure what a prom queen is, because we don’t have that in Brazil, so maybe you have to wear the Fantasy Bra first before you can say it’s just like that,” she answers, sassily and unapologetically. And in this moment, I grasp who Adriana Lima really is. She’s an independent, second-generation badass single mom who has never let the millions of dollars and accolades she sunbathes in cloud her values or stop her from articulating her religious and spiritual beliefs. She’s simply irresistible while still being innocent yet seductive. And she’s a true role model to her kids, who “understand mommy is a model, but also a businesswoman,” she says—an Angel disguised in lingerie who serves “not just girls [I work with] but the world we live in. I have a lot of energy to expend.”
Where does she get it all from? Girl power runs in her family. “It comes from my mom and my grandmother. Even though my grandmother was married forever—over 50 years!—she was still an independent woman, and seeing how she carried herself made me who I am.” Lucky for us, Lima’s not done passing on her genes: “I always wanted a lot of children. I’m not finished yet.”
In June she’ll be 36, and this December she’ll again walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, maybe even wearing the Fantasy Bra for a third time—that is, unless fate intervenes and makes her Mother Lima for a third time instead.
“If you’re connected with the divine and always have pure intentions with everything you’re doing, you’re protected by the angels.”
Top ($2,990) and skirt ($2,890), Oscar de la Renta. Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins
Ave., 305-868-7986; oscardelarenta.com
ƨʃʃƨƭƣƭƞ Ʃƚơƞ Cropped tank ($295), pants ($465), and rope belt ($395), Sportmax. Miami Design District, 109 NE
39th St., 305-770-6200; maxmara.com. Clogs, Miu Miu ($990). Miami Design District, 190 NE
39th St., 305-341-9342; miumiu.com
Dress, Fendi ($2,650). Miami Design District, 150
NE 40th St., 786-655-5400; fendi.com. Knit panties, Dior ($930). Miami Design District, 162 NE 39th St.,
305-571-3576; dior.com
ƨʃʃƨƭƣƭƞ Ʃƚơƞ Vedette bikini top ($215) and bottom ($195), Eres. The Webster, 1220
Collins Ave., Miami Beach,
305-674-7899; thewebster.us. 14k rose-gold diamond baguette necklace, Michelle Farmer Collaborate ($1,465). michellefarmer.com
Styling by Katherine Lande with Creative Management Hair by Steven Hoeppner at artistsbytimothypriano.com Makeup by Taryll Atkins at artistsbytimothypriano.com Manicure by Isis Antelo at artistsbytimothypriano.com
Shot on location at Casa Clara, 212 W. Dilido Dr., Miami Beach, 305-6734808; elliman.com. Catering provided by Michael Love at Epicure Gourmet Market and Cafe, 1656 Alton Road,miami
Beach, 305-672-1861; epicuremarket.com.
Distinctive design H[HFXWHG IODZOHVVO\ :LWK an uninterrupted view of Biscayne Bay and the downtown Miami skyline, Casa Clara is the perfect place to enjoy the vibrant sunsets. Architecturally significant, this property boasts seven beds, nine baths, two half baths, 11,600 square feet, 120 feet of water frontage, and a full limestone deck. Interiors are integrated with exteriors through large glass doors that disappear when open. Custom Henge furniture, a Boffi kitchen, and Kreon lighting shows the home’s individual palate. Casa Clara is represented by Douglas Elliman Florida agents Eloy Carmenate and Mick Duchon.
“I believe in nature, I believe in energy, I believe in spirits.”