“So cool!” That’s how French Vogue’s fashion director described Irina Lazareanu when she first saw her. Irina has the rock ’n’ roll thing in spades, and seems to capture the spirit of the moment with her twitchy blend of bohemian chic and little-girl innocence.

Irina, born on June 8, 1982, emigrated with her parents to Canada from Romania when she was just 5. They settled into the Montreal suburb of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, but she left her adopted hometown in 1995 to study ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London. However, a broken knee at the age of 13 derailed her dance career.

Back in Montreal, Irina attended an open call and signed with Giovanni Modeling Agency when she was 17, hoping that it would help pay the rent. Her big break came when Irina was back in the U.K. and her pal Kate Moss was guest editor at French Vogue in December 2005. Kate cast Irina in the fashion editorial “Extravagance de plumes....” The job offers started pouring in and propelled Irina into the modeling elite. Steven Meisel shot 70 pages of Irina for Italian Vogue. Runway shows and photo shoots in Milan, New York, London, and Paris soon became a part of her nonstop schedule. In 2007, Irina broke a record by strutting down the most catwalks in one season, earning her the nickname “the fashion tornado.” 

Karl Lagerfeld has shot Irina for Chanel and calls her “the Juliette Gréco of our time,” referring to the French singer/actress who embodied the chicness of bohemian intellectuals in postwar France. But it’s Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière who has made her his muse. He says Irina’s personal style is a source of inspiration for him. “He asks me what I think of the cuts and colors,” she says. “He gives me the feeling that I have a say in what I wear on the runway. For a model, there’s nothing more affirming.” In addition to Chanel and Balenciaga, Irina has done high-profile campaigns for Burberry, Anna Molinari, Just Cavalli, Kate Moss’ line for Topshop, and Hugo by Hugo Boss. She recently scored the Spring/Summer 2009 Tiffany & Co. campaign, alongside Eugenia Silva and Karen Elson, to be photographed by Michael Thompson.

Irina’s rangy physique, luminous eyes, small oval face, delicate yet unsmiling mouth, and mod hair all contribute to her distinctive style. Michelle McCool of Cosmopolitan writes that she “has a great rock ’n’ roll vibe. It’s all about the hair and her flatness. I love that she has no boobs.” Emmanuelle Alt of French Vogue adds, “On the runway, no matter what, she cannot be transformed. She always has her unique look and style.” 

Although Irina loves modeling, her passion is her music. Citing such influences as Dante, Turgenev, William Blake, and Oscar Wilde, Irina says that she keeps a notebook close at hand at all times to capture song ideas. Irina has said, “My music isn’t commercial...I just want to learn from people and do the best I can do.” Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Joan Baez are other musical influences.

Irina met musician Pete Doherty, then a member of the Libertines and now the lead singer of the Babyshambles, at a party in Shepherd’s Bush while she was studying ballet in England, and they bonded over their shared interest in artists such as Wilde and Nina Simone. Irina became closely involved with Pete’s band Babyshambles and toured with them in 2004. “He is a brilliant and sensitive person who taught me how to make lyrics fit melodies.” She reportedly helped him write the song “La Belle et la Bête,” which featured Kate Moss and appeared on the Babyshambles’ Down in Albion album.

In February 2007, Irina announced that she would collaborate with Sean Lennon and Pete on a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country.” In December 2007, during a special presentation for Chanel in London, Irina debuted four songs off her album Some Place Along the Way, which was the soundtrack to the show. Sean  accompanied her on guitar, and they have also collaborated on a duet called “Strange Places,” which has not yet been released.

“I’ve always loved the ’60s and ’70s—the music and fashion, the beat poets, Stanley Kubrick films, Andy Warhol’s Factory,” she says. “I love the risks that artists took and their freedom of thought.”