POWER TOPS: Couches and Top Models
It’s not just hair that gets teased by Christy, Naomi, Cindy, and the gang! With the help of a little graphite, Jay Fife, a fantasy illustrator based in the upper Ohio Valley, transports our favorite top models back to the realm of adolescent daydreams: cartoons rated R for violence (heart-breaking) and adult situations. Although their names still bounce around plenty — in the movies, philanthropy, and in and out of tabloid headlines — we prefer to remember our 1990s super-babes as the larger-than-life pin-ups they’ve always been, whose iconic bodies (of work) still make pulses race — and burn up some of the hottest couches from the mid-aughts (and beyond). Like any good “top,” these icons aren’t just about sex appeal, but also that extra something special which always leaves you needing more.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-cindy-crawford-design-aspen-jean-marie-massaud.png)
Cindy lounges on the Aspen, designed by Jean Marie Massaud; Available through Cassina.
Cindy lounges on the Aspen sofa, designed by Jean-Marie Massaud (2005). Available through Cassina.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-naomi-campbell-design-sf03-shiraz-sofa-e15-philipp-mainzer-farah-ebrahimi.png)
Naomi engages the SF03 Shiraz sofa system cushion first; Design by Philipp Mainzer and Farah Ebrahimi; Available through e15.
Naomi engages the SF03 Shiraz sofa system (2006) cushion first. Designed by Farah Ebrahimi and Philipp Mainzer. Available through e15.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-claudia-schiffer-misfits-moroso-ron-arad.png)
Ron Arad's Misfits sofa fits Claudia just fine; Available through Moroso.
Ron Arad’s Misfits sofa (2007) fits Claudia just fine. Available through Moroso.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-linda-evangelista-design-edra-corbeille-francesco-binfare.png)
Linda loves the Corbeille, a couch designed by Francesco Binfaré; Available through Edra.
Linda loves the Corbeille (2006), a couch designed by Francesco Binfaré. Available through Edra.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-christy-turlington-design-vitra-noguchi-isamu-freeform.png)
Christy gets comfy on Isamu Noguchi's Freeform Sofa; Available through Vitra.
Christy gets comfy on Isamu Noguchi’s Freeform Sofa (1946). Available through Vitra.
![](https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/content/2-articles/487-power-tops-artist-jay-fife-illustrates-naomi-campbell-cindy-crawford-top-models-on-couches-sofas/pinup-nadja-auermann-salvador-dali-lips-bd-barcelona-design.png)
Nadja on Dali's iconic Dalilips; available through BD Barcelona.
Nadja dallying on Dali’s iconic Dalilips, a design that dates back to 1972. Available through BD Barcelona.
Illustrations by Jay Fife. Text by Zachary Rose.
Taken from PIN–UP 5, Fall Winter 2008/09.