IT has been more than 20 years since that elite group of Amazonian women took the modelling world by storm - by calling the shots and changing the game in terms of salary demands and high-profile projects. But time has surprisingly been on their side.

At 43, Canadian beauty Linda Evangelista recently signed up to be the new face of Prada.

Evangelista, who once famously declared that she did not get out of bed for less than US$10,000 ($14,000) a day, will front the Italian fashion house's autumn/winter collection.

The mother of a 2-year-old boy is not the only original supermodel back in vogue and on the frontline for the big labels.

Starring in the latest Yves Saint Laurent campaign is British diva Naomi Campbell, 38, who takes over from Kate Moss.

PERFECT

Explaining his decision to use her, YSL's creative director Stefano Pilati told The Australian: "Today there are beautiful girls, but they don't have that attitude. Now I realise how perfect Naomi is in my clothes... they hang differently, they move differently, they come to you."

And then there is American beauty Christy Turlington, 39, the poster girl of fashion brand Escada.

Christy Turlington lends her charisma and star appeal in Escada's advertisements

On choosing the mother of two - who is married to actor Edward Burns - over some of the newer supermodels, Escada's CEO Jean-Marc Loubier said in a press statement:"Christy as a classic supermodel is trans-generational and, therefore, meaningful to many women of all ages."

The baby of the group, German blonde Claudia Schiffer, 37, has been modelling for Salvatore Ferragamo for three seasons in a row because of her "inimitable charm", a press release stated.

The mother of two is married to British film producer Matthew Vaughn.

"Time makes them more interesting," Chanel's iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld said of the supermodels. "They are, and stay, irreplaceable," he told Hello! magazine.

Ms Carol White, managing editor of Premiership Model Management, feels that the return of the supermodels may be partly attributed to the need to appeal to those who have more disposable income - generally older women - and the need to have models who are instantly recognisable when there is less cash to splash.

She told The Australian: "In times of financial instability, brands go for top quality; they want to sell dreams. There is much more punch with a girl like Linda than a beautiful face from Ukraine..."

This trend is good news for yesteryear's catwalk queens who have all, at some time or other, slipped off the fashion radar.

Two decades on, Evangelista and company might not command as much as they did, but their fee is only fractionally less.

Ms White said that each could expect at least ?300,000 ($804,000) for a campaign - 300 times more than what an unknown face would receive.

But it would be money well-spent, Mr Lionel Seah said.

German blonde Claudia Schiffer is the poster girl for Salvatore Ferragamo

The editor-in-chief of Style magazine told The New Paper: "I love them because they are larger than life and they really bring a certain cachet, charm and charisma to a fashion brand beyond the clothes and the accessories."

He cites the "appropriate" choice of Campbell for YSL as echoing the late designer's aesthetics, approach and direction to fashion.

"Saint Laurent was one of the first to use black models in his shows and with Naomi fronting the campaign, it is almost a tribute to his vision.

"It also helps that the silhouette for this season's YSL is really a throwback to 1980s shape - very architectural, very Grace Jones with sharp shoulders."

And even though the modelling profession is commonly thought of as being notoriously youth-obsessed and biased towards the hottest, freshest face on the block, it doesn't hold true for the original supermodels who are "like celebrities".

Mr Seah said: "They were the ones who carved careers outside of fashion and became more than mere two-dimensional clothes horses or coat-hangers, unlike newer models today...

"Gossip magazines followed their lives and careers. News about who they went out with and what phone they threw at their assistants were all lapped up by the public.

"They were household names beyond the fashion realm. In that sense, they probably connect better to audiences."

Mr Seah speculated that many of the top designers and photographers - who also belonged to the same era - turned to the older supermodels for reasons of comfort and nostalgia.

Calling it the "good old days syndrome", he added: "Bear in mind also that Steven Meisel - he was behind the current Prada campaign - was the one who discovered Christy, Naomi and Linda and he still is one of the most sought-after fashion lensmen for ad campaigns, so there might be a link there."

Former Singapore supermodel Hanis Hussey, 43, is pleased that the demand for oldies-but-goodies is on the rise.

"It's a great change... And they look even better now!" she said.

Hanis, who has worked with Evangelista and Turlington during her heyday, added: "I believe the supermodels will boost sales because they appeal to the right crowd."

Having recently been in the US for two months, Hanis too, is toying with the idea of returning to the industry - she quit modelling to be a full-time mother - because of the interest shown in her by some agencies over there.

She said: "There is a generous amount of work and even more opportunities now for older models.

"Designers have realised that putting anorexic-looking teenage girls on their campaigns doesn't work because they finally understand their clothes are selling to older women in their 30s, 40s and 50s - which is why they're using womanly models with curves and maturity."

This article was first published in The New Paper on Aug 13, 2008.