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Linda Evangelista, 57, whose botched cosmetic surgery left her 'deformed', returns to runway after 15 years

The supermodel left fans in awe after she participated in the star-studded Fendi show at New York Fashion Week on Friday, September 9

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: It was Linda Evangelista's triumph comeback to the catwalk after a six-year absence due to an unfavorable reaction to a fat-freezing procedure that she claims disfigured her face. The Canadian beauty participated in the star-studded Fendi show on Friday, September 9 at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom marking her first runway appearance in 15 years and the beginning of New York Fashion Week.

The 57-year-old veteran of the catwalk also posed for the picture that was used to promote the brand's iconic Baguette bag's 25th anniversary prior to the major event. The exclusive Italian fashion house unveiled its unexpected partnership with fashion icon Marc Jacobs. Items from the new collections, which brought together two juggernauts of the business: Jacobs and Kim Jones, the artistic director of womenswear at Fendi who has experience working with Louis Vuitton, were unveiled one by one.

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Evangelista took the stage wearing a dramatic cape gown in Tiffany blue that swept the ground as she walked. She radiated the poise and charisma that propelled her to the top of the industry in the years following her debut in 1984 with her dark hair pulled back off her face in a sleek style wearing matching metallic silver elbow-length gloves and a Baguette bag with a silver pattern under her right arm. 

The model has stayed out of the public eye for more than five years after claiming that the popular fat-freezing procedure CoolSculpting left her "permanently deformed." The surgery was intended to reduce her fat cells, but instead, it caused them to enlarge, leading to a condition known as paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, which caused her to develop "bulges" all over her body. Cryolipolysis has a rare side effect called PAH, which has been documented in 0.0051% of the 1.5 million CoolSculpting procedures carried out globally. In an effort to address the issue, she has since had two liposuction procedures, and she declared in February that she was done living in "shame." 

Social media users have immensely praised Evangelista's triumphant comeback to the spotlight. One user on Twitter wrote, "So unbelievably iconic." "Mother Linda Evangelista returns to the runway," wrote another. One user praised her in his tweet, "If we’re being honest, Marc Jacobs is the only reason why this show didn’t fully sink. Marc Jacobs’ looks being the closing 10 of the show truly washed the bitterness from my eyes. Oh, Linda Evangelista’s graceful presence was truly the cherry on top, other than that : painful." Another user tweeted, "linda evangelista is SO deserving of all the love & praise she’s been getting lately from the industry .. a true icon." One user tweeted, "THE ONE AND THE ONLY, THE MOST BELOVED REIGNING QUEEN OF HIGH FASHION SUPERMODEL HERSELF, LINDA EVANGELISTA!!!"

Prior to Friday's walk, Evangelista's last runway appearance occurred in 2007, when she took part in the Christian Dior brand's 60th-anniversary fashion show. Fendi is one of the more than 140 designers whose new collections will ascend on Manhattan over the course of the following six days, through Wednesday, September 14. 

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