Carol Alt, 64: ‘You can have all the Versaces, but…’— Her surprising health mantra

Carol Alt, one of the highest-booked supermodels of the 1980s, is revealing her secrets to maintaining her youthful glow at 64. Known as 'The Face' for her striking blue eyes, dark hair, and slender figure, Alt credits her ageless appearance to a combination of diet, exercise, and a positive mindset.

"I am the daughter of a New York firefighter, and I've never forgotten who I am," she told DailyMail. "My dad was the most altruistic person I ever met, and I believe in paying it forward."

Diet and fitness regimen

Alt, who has written two books promoting a raw food diet, emphasizes nutrition and wellness as key to her beauty routine. She says she follows an alkaline-based diet, supplements with probiotics, and stays hydrated with alkaline water.

"You can have all the Versaces in the world in your closet, but if you don't have your health, you've got nothing," she said.

Her fitness routine includes yoga, Pilates, and long walks in New York City. However, her favorite workout is riding a stationary bike inside her at-home infrared sauna. "It doesn't get hot, but after 15 or 20 minutes, you are sweating like crazy," she shared. "I gave the more expensive one away because I liked the cheaper one better. I feel great after using that."

Changing perceptions of aging

Despite stepping away from high-fashion runways, Alt continues to model and sees society embracing older women in the industry.

"I love what I do, and I see women like Demi Moore showing you can be beautiful at any age," Alt said. "Today's 60-year-olds are not my mother's era 60-year-olds. Why should age mean anything anyway?"

From runway to businesswoman

Discovered at 18 while waiting tables, Alt's career skyrocketed when she landed the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. She became a household name after appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which was then led by editor Jule Campbell.

"Before, when I was on the cover of a magazine, they didn’t put my name on," she recalled. "But after the Sports Illustrated issue, people would come up to me on the street and ask, 'Are you Carol Alt?'"

Alt credits Campbell for helping models transition into entrepreneurs. "Jule was a woman in a man’s world at the time, and I think she never got the credit she deserved. She really helped so many models become businesswomen."

Cultural impact of Sports Illustrated

Alt’s covers helped launch her career, as well as those of fellow supermodels Elle Macpherson, Kathy Ireland, and Christie Brinkley.

"We'd get stacks and stacks of mail—both good and bad," Alt said of the Sports Illustrated covers. “But I don’t agree that it was exploitative. I was helping build the brands of those swimsuits and promoting tourism. It was really a force for good and part of cultural history.”

Celebrating legacy in film

Alt was recently honored at the 25th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival for her role in Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue, a documentary about Campbell’s impact on the modeling industry.

The festival also featured Bill Murray’s film The Friend and welcomed notable guests, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern and designer Kenneth Cole.