ADVERTISEMENT
Monica Bellucci, thou art more lovely than any other late-'90s-early-2000s Euro babe. Let us count the ways: the ultimate bella figura, our generation's answer to Sophia Loren, and a living, breathing, Caravaggio painting made flesh (in a D&G fishtail dress, of course). A woman who could make a napkin look like couture obviously has our unending devotion, which is why we've devoted an entire slideshow to her.
Born in 1964 in Umbria, Italy, Bellucci began her career as a model in 1988 when she moved to Milan and signed with Elite. She's been name-checked in men's mags' hottest-women-in-the-world polls more than we can count, and she made history as the oldest Bond girl ever (which is ludicrous, but kudos) in last year's James Bond hit Spectre with Daniel Craig.
Our favorite Monica period, however, has to be 1996 to 2006. Why? Well, she met Vincent Cassel, on the set of their 1996 film The Apartment. They wed in 1999, starred in Irreversible in 2002, and became the globe's sexiest couple to have united, ever. Granted, they've since divorced. But let's not dwell on what we cannot change.
And though time has passed, Monica's goddess-in-Prada style is just as fawned over as ever. Ahead, find our insufficient, but very heartfelt, ode to all things Bellucci.
ADVERTISEMENT