"Peace," "hello," and "goodbye." With the name Shalom, she's got all of the bases covered—her name means all three in Hebrew.

Shalom Harlow was born on December 5, 1973, and raised in Oshawa, Ontario. The daughter of David Harlow and Sandi Herbert, Shalom was brought up in a bohemian environment with her two younger brothers, Chris and Nathan. As a child, Shalom took jazz, ballet, and tap dancing, but aspired to be an astronaut.

Shalom's life took a different turn when, at 16, she was approached by modeling scout Anne Sutherland at a Cure concert in Toronto. In addition to dance classes, Shalom was suddenly taking modeling lessons too, at the request of the agent. The start of her career was marked by a trip to Montreal for a photo shoot for Elle’s Quebec edition. Shalom saved money from modeling so that she could head to Paris to accelerate her career. Her next destination was New York City, and she still resides in the East Village.

Donna Karan, John Galliano, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co., Nautica, Chloé, Isaac Mizrahi, Versace, Jil Sander, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, and Christian Dior are among the many designers she has worked for. At one time, Shalom was the face of Chanel's Coco perfume, and she also has a Nars lip gloss named after her.

Shalom’s face has graced countless international covers, including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, W, Time, Harper’s Bazaar, Dazed & Confused, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Mademoiselle, and New York magazine, and was featured as the only model in a digital catwalk for Viktor & Rolf’s Spring/Summer 2009 show.

Shalom's greatest fashion moment was arguably the Alexander McQueen Spring 1999 show. She appeared in a white full-skirted dress and high heels on a rotating platform, flanked by two robotic arms that spray-painted her dress, leaving the crowd and international fashion press stunned and enthralled. And Shalom sashayed around, enjoying every minute of it.

Shalom was VH1’s Model of the Year in 1995 and consistently ranks on Forbes' list of the world's top-earning supermodels (in 2000, her net worth was $10.5 million). Shalom cohosted MTV's House of Style, along with fellow supermodel and best friend Amber Valletta, from 1996 to 1997.

Shalom's acting career began with an appearance in Isaac Mizrahi’s fashion documentary, Unzipped. And she's had small roles in movies like Cherry, Head Over Heels, Vanilla Sky, and The Salton Sea, plus a major role Happy Here and Now.

Drama, Shalom says, is what drew her to fashion in the first place. "When John Galliano just really used to go for it, that was so much fun. At the very first show that I did for him, somehow I'd gotten mixed messages and someone told me that I'd been released. I was so sad, but I went home, and then I got this manic message from my agent, like, 'The show started—where are you?' So I rushed over and they slammed some makeup on me and threw me in a dress, and John handed me a parasol and said, 'You're dying of malaria,' and pushed me onto the stage. I love that heightened reality—or unreality, I suppose is what it is.”

Shalom’s work as a model with the world’s top designers has continued comfortably into her thirties—a rare occurrence. "I feel wise in that world," she says of modeling. "It feels good to have a total handle on that part of my life, but it feels good to be excited and bushy-tailed in another." That other part is acting. "I don’t really separate the two fields," Shalom continues. "Both are about taking something that's going on in here and projecting it out. In fashion, the clothes are like the script."

Never mind "goodbye"—we plan to be saying "hello" to Shalom for some time to come.