Hot Girl Summer Is Never Over: the Top Models From Dallas-Fort Worth

It’s summer in Texas, which means we all have all things hot on our minds. But thanks to Megan Thee Stallion and her notion of the “hot girl summer,” we can take a breather from being hyper-aware of the sweat stains on our clothes and admire (and aspire to be) hot people living their best lives.

Luckily, Dallas is one of the hot-people capitals of the world. It’s a city famed for its looks — from big hair and Neiman Marcus to Deep Ellum and punk — in a state with one of the highest numbers of plastic surgeons per capita. Unsurprisingly, some of these hot people become models, and some of those models move on to become movers and shakers around the world.

Let’s make the best of the heat and admire some of the most successful models from North Texas. (Some boys allowed.)

Chasity Samone

Oak Cliff native; seventh of 11 children; Army veteran; Playmate of the Month (in February 2020): These are merely a few of the ways you could describe Chasity Samone, the Playboy model who plans to run for Dallas City Council. Her platform? Ending redlining and increasing access to higher education. Samone, who was born and raised in Oak Cliff and attended David W. Carter High School, got into modeling after deciding not to reenlist in the Army. She modeled as a “Muse of the Week” for Playboy in 2016 and graced the centerfold of the magazine’s inaugural “Equality Issue.” She’s also starred in music videos for Lil Yachty and WizKid. She also graced the cover of our 2022 Best of Dallas issue, a high honor in our somewhat biased opinion.

Ann Ward

Born in Dallas and raised in Prosper, Ward won Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model and is easily one of the most formidable contestants in the show’s history. She had six photos declared the best of the week over the season, five of them in a row, and won the hearts of viewers by declaring that her ideal man was a 60-year-old wizard. Since winning ANTM, she’s been featured in Vogue Italia and has walked in runway shows worldwide, but has since pivoted to working in art and animation. Looks like the girl from Prosper lived up to her hometown’s name.

Jerry Hall

Born in Gonzales and raised in Mesquite, North Mesquite High School graduate and former Eastfield College student Jerry Hall is Texas-bred through and through. She’s also a supermodel who’s graced the covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan, gave birth to four of Mick Jagger's children (including models Lizzie and Georgia May Jagger), married Rupert Murdoch and served as a muse and model for Lucian Freud and Andy Warhol. In 2019, Harper’s Bazaar covered Hall's efforts alongside Paris Hilton, Reese Witherspoon and Alyssa Milano to help pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Her legacy is complicated and controversial enough to earn Salon columns even now. Through it all, Hall’s a Dallasite loud and proud.

Brooke Burns

Model, actress and game show host Brooke Burns is a multifaceted fashion model. According to CW33 and Wide Open Country, the Dallas native wanted to be a professional ballet dancer but started modeling after she tore a ligament in her leg while skiing. Burns starred in Baywatch and in films such as Shallow Hal, guest-starred in CSI: Miami and hosted the Emmy award-nominated game show The Chase, for which she was also nominated for an Emmy herself. She also dated Bruce Wills and that makes her a legend.

Angie Harmon

Another model slash actress slash Baywatch star, Highland Park High School graduate Angie Harmon began modeling at age 15 after winning a contest hosted by Seventeen and appearing on the cover of the magazine. According to CW33, Harmon — who has also appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire — was a runway model for Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. Harmon later played Jane Rizzoli on the show Rizzoli & Isles and Abbie Carmichael on the Emmy award-winning series Law & Order. She has three kids and killer eyebrows.

Greg Vaughan

Born James Gregory Vaughan Jr., in Dallas, according to IMDB, Vaughan was raised in North Texas and Fredericksburg and graduated from Mesquite High School in 1991. Before graduating, he began his modeling career after finishing as a finalist in a back-to-school modeling competition. After graduating, he went to Milan, Italy, where he worked with Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Giorgio Armani and Versace. Vaughan has acted in Malibu Shores, Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch and Days of Our Lives; for the latter performance, he won a Daytime Emmy award. He was named one of the "Sexiest Men Alive” by People magazine in 2002.

Chandra North

Famous for wearing a grass bikini in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Chandra North was born in Dallas and attended Southern Methodist University, where she was spotted and approached by a male model over summer break. After signing with the Kim Dawson Agency, North started modeling, then moved to New York to audition for the New York City Ballet company, but continued modeling. According to Fashion Model Directory, North has appeared on the cover of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar, among many other magazines. She’s walked the runway for Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci, Hermès, Oscar de la Renta and Ralph Lauren, among other design giants. Queen of cool Vivienne Westwood even picked her as the face of her Boudoir fragrance.

Le’Nard “Nardi” Meyers

Le’Nard Meyers is so much more than a model. The former wide receiver at Tarleton State University, where he graduated with a degree in business management and administration in 2015, hoped to become an NFL player. But with a microfracture and torn meniscus in his right knee, which failed to heal after surgery and rehab, he became an entrepreneur instead. He’s now a celebrity barber — which means he travels to clients instead of working in a barber shop — and is the CEO of Energy Check, a designer clothing company. He also graces the runway for DFW’s best brands and has appeared in Zales commercials.

Erin Wasson

Irving-born Erin Wasson is perhaps Dallas’ most interesting model. She lived in a Dallas artist collective helmed by sculptor, curator and tastemaker David Quadrini. She met her French restaurateur husband, Barth Tassy, at a gay bar in Venice, California. She won the Fashion!Dallas/Kim Dawson Model Search in 1997 and acted in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in 2012. She is one of the highest-paid models in the industry and has said she is inspired by “homeless people and their style.” Wasson has worked with famed photographer Nan Goldin, appeared on the covers of Esquire, Vogue, Elle, Allure and Harper’s Bazaar, been the face of Michael Kors and designed boots for Texas-based luxury boot brand Lucchese.

Kellie Stewart

Kellie Stewart’s modeling career began when she won Miss Texas Teen in 2014. The Fort Worth native went on to model for hair, makeup and dress companies before ending up at GUESS. She’s appeared in InStyle and Cosmopolitan and has also appeared on Fifth Avenue in New York, buses in London and billboards in Los Angeles. She’s also been dubbed “GUESS’s Next ‘It’ Model.”

Roxy Lynece

A self-described “astral visionary” and “muse mama," Roxy Pryor — aka Roxy Lynece — is certainly a multitalented fashion figure. Signed to One Management Los Angeles, she’s been modeling for more than eight years, gracing everything from tropical-inspired swimsuits to cowboy hats — as well as participating (almost) in America’s Next Top Model, making it almost to the top 14. Originally from Chicago but now based in Dallas, she’s also a professional photographer with a stunning portfolio. Lynece's self-portraits, especially, represent a provocative collision of model and photographer, two professions normally kept separate.

Sara Grace Wallerstedt

In 2017, Bedford native Wallerstedt told D Magazine that she was “kind of a nerd” who knew nothing about fashion prior to modeling. She has since graced the cover of Vogue Italia and was included in an American Vogue editorial about her hometown. She’s also walked in over 300 fashion shows for the likes of Chanel, Tom Ford, Fendi and Louis Vuitton. If she’s a nerd, we all want to be nerds too.

Honorable Mention: Bella Hadid

The supermodel is new to North Texas, having just moved to Fort Worth this past May. She’s an exciting new resident, for sure, but calling her a native North Texan would obviously be a stretch. However, the DFW media elite called an emergency meeting to convene on the matter and after a landslide vote, we’ve decided to go ahead and claim her anyway. What can we say? She dazzled us with her equestrian skills.