Alves studied civil engineering, not an easy course by any means, and was considered one of her class's top students: the tall green-eyed brunette and self confessed "nerd" consistently achieved top marks.

Despite a promising future in engineering, Alves was not convinced university was for her, saying "Although I won top awards in my class at the university, I didn't want to be there. I wanted to travel and make my own money while I was still young."

And it wasn't long before model talent scouts told Alves that she had been blessed with the right aesthetic to make it in the fashion world. And you know what? She took the opportunity, partly because she wanted to be a model, and partly because it would satisfy her dream moving to Sao Paulo (which was in the grip of gangster-related riots that killed hundreds, mostly police, in May '06, just for the record).

Fluent in Portuguese, Italian, French and English, Michelle was a perfect candidate for the global travel associated with modeling - and was quick to cement her place in the South American modeling scene, well on her way to following in the footsteps of fellow Brazilian models Adriana Lima, Ana Beatriz Barros, and Gisele Bundchen, to whom she has a passing resemblance, don't you think..?

Michelle Alves' visage bombarded the United States of America in early 2002. And in a big way.

Within a year she had appeared in Elle, Glamour and Vogue magazine several times over and then filled one of 16 highly sought-after remaining spots at the 2002 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which happens to be one of the most watched television events in the world. Within weeks of the the taping, Michelle signed on as an official Victoria's Secret model, joining some of the biggest names in the biz and solidifying her standing as a successful model in America - not to mention within my partner's brain.

In just 12 month's time time, Michelle Alves had gone from being a little known magazine model to one of the industry's most recognizable faces, and in 2003, Michelle appeared in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue, a job she repeated in 2005. She has also strolled the runways for Versace, John Galliano and Stella McCartney to name but a few and became the coveted spokesmodel for Valentino and Christian Dior.

And what of love? Well, it seems her frequent public modeling appearances led her to meet Maverick Records CEO Guy Oseary, the gratuitously rich head of Madonna's music label. The two became an item with their frequent public outings making for quality tabloid fodder.

A person with brains is intriguing to say the least, and when combined with great physical assets, such as in Alves' case, it can be difficult to resist. I think it's fair to say that a girl with beauty and brains drives everyone wild: enter Michelle Alves, a gorgeous, worldly-wise model whose brain power is almost as developed as her looks.

God help the rest of us, but as Michelle - in her near-infinite wisdom - would say "If I was to give a tip to any girl starting out [modeling] it would be to not compare yourself to anyone else. Once you start comparing, you are always going to think someone else looks better than you." Sound advice from a dead set legend of the catwalk.

by Ines Mendoza