The press has always called Linda Evangelista a “chameleon,” and rightfully so.

The fashion demi goddess has been shapeshifting since the ‘80s, when her modeling career launched the Canadian’s angular face into being one of the world’s most famous. However, unlike a real chameleon, Evangelista has never tried to blend into her surroundings. Rather, her “boyish” haircut from 1991, followed by dyeing her locks a shade of blond (Or “champagne beige” as she called it), and then again a bright, Jessica Rabbit red later that same year, were all modes of self-expression aimed at helping Evangelista stand out in a crowd of lookalikes.

V recently witnessed Evangelista and the equally iconic Steven Klein reunite for their first photoshoot in over a decade. Our cover story also comes after the supermodel’s nearly five-year hiatus, perhaps the only time she did in fact hide like a chameleon while undergoing health issues, including a much publicized cosmetic procedure that resulted in a lawsuit, which Evangelista won, and two battles with breast cancer.

Recently, on The View, Evangelista said, “I think scars are like trophies;” she feels deservedly triumphant over not just her cancer, but also in overcoming her previous apprehensions around public scrutiny. Now, with a whole new generation of admirers worshiping Evangelista’s downright performance art as a model, as well as inherently candid nature, the true queen of reinvention reminds us of exactly what we’ve been missing since the last time V saw her.

This cover story appears in the pages of V146: now available for purchase!

Photography Steven Klein

Fashion Patti Wilson

Makeup Kabuki

Hair Julien d’Ys (L’Atelier NYC)

Models Linda Evangelista (DNA) / Taras Romanov (Wilhelmina)

Manicure Honey (Exposure NY)

Executive Producer Dana Brockman (Viewfinders)

Production Manager Frank DeCaro (Viewfinders)

Digital Technician Sara Lewis

Lighting Technician Dean Dodos

Photo assistants Dylan Garcia, Alex Johnstone, Tucker Van Der Wyden, Rowan Liebrum

Stylist assistants Emma Oleck, Joseph Reyes, Max Weinstein, Timothy Cheng, Francis Cooney, Natalie Cohen

Makeup assistant Andrew Karrick

Hair assistant Kenta Kouda

Production assistants Marley Pearson, Greta Westcott

Location Highline Stages