The world's sexiest Dutch-ess had braces. In fact, when a gaggle of girlfriends took then 14-year-old Karen Mulder's picture and submitted it for a beauty contest, she was downright gawky.

But the braces were gone by the time she took second place at Elite's "Look of the Year." And in 1989, she left high school to travel with her mother to Italy for a formal photo shoot and then to Paris for modeling school.

By her second year on the runway, she was fronting for Valentino, YSL, Lanvin, Versace, Armani and her favorite: Chanel. She appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia and, before long, landed a contract for Guess? A shot of her dressed in Guess? short-shorts and cowboy boots, her blond hair in ringlets, still adorns many a teenager's bedroom door.

Mulder says her life changed in 1993. She was shuttling from airport to airport with almost no time at home. Then she met real-estate developer Jean Yves in the waiting area of a Paris airport, and it was love at first sight. Today, she sports a large diamond solitaire engagement ring.

Yves manages Mulder's off-the-runway career. In 1995, he collaborated with Hasbro on a Karen Mulder doll; it spurred an entire supermodel line. Then they did an infomercial and video. Her favorite item is a beauty and fashion CD-ROM, in which she gives makeup, beauty and exercise tips. "It's all about balance," says the model.

--E!