Lindsay Ellingson was born on November 19, 1986, in San Diego, California. Discovered at a ProScout event she attended in Orange County, California, Lindsay made her debut on the Paris runways for the Spring 2005 collections. Her lack of experience at the time was inconsequential—her first steps as a model had her opening for Christian Dior, John Galliano, and Lanvin. Since then she has walked for numerous ready-to-wear collections, as well as  couture for designers like Valentino, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Armani Privé, and Elie Saab. In 2007, she landed a spot in one of the most infamous of fashion shows: Victoria's Secret, making her second appearance a year later in 2008.

Lindsay has held spots in high-profile ad campaigns for Charles David, Moschino, DKNY, Peter Jensen, and D&G. She was also photographed in 2006 by Steven Meisel—a huge honor in the industry—for Dolce & Gabbana and in 2008 became the sole face for Tommy Hilfiger.
 
Campaigns and runways aside, Lindsay's editorial work has had her collaborating with some of the best photographers in the business. Her spread in British Vogue was shot by the legendary Mario Testino; Patrick Demarchelier photographed her for Vogue; she worked with Terry Tsiolis for photos featured in V Magazine; and Dan Martensen captured her impersonating L'avventura's Monica Vitti for Italian Flair's August 2008 issue. Plus, she has also graced the covers of Japanese Marie Claire and Vogue Portugal.
 
But even though she's worked with so many big names and has had some serious exposure, Lindsay remains a down-to-earth California girl who takes her work seriously: "Normally I'm getting home at 11 or 12, so I just eat a really quick dinner and go to sleep." Her favorite part about her job? "The best part is definitely traveling. I've seen some really, really cool places. Places that I never would have gone if I wasn't modeling…. I love Italy especially because of the food."