To be completely honest, I wasn’t crazy about supermodel Kate Upton at first like the rest of the world has been; however, after seeing the beyond-amazing spread in the June 2013 issue of Vogue– the model’s first major American fashion magazine cover- I was won over! She channels a modern-day Marilyn Monroe with classic all-American style, bombshell curves, & old-fashioned ambition to break away from the typical supermodel mold. The shoot was photographed by the ever-legendary Mario Testino, which includes looks & pieces from Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Rochas, Ray-Ban, Donna Karan New York, Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Max Mara, Jason Wu, Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, Tom Ford, Hermès, & Matthew Williamson.

While Kate looks more voluptuous than most models walking the catwalk, she’s a healthy size 4 & responds to nay-sayers about her shape with the following: “The things that they’re rejecting are things that I can’t change. I can’t change  my bra size. They’re natural! I can work out and I can stay healthy and  motivated, but I can’t change some things.” The Sports Illustrated beauty is breath-taking in sleek separates looks, flirty swimwear shots, & evening couture.

In a behind-the-scenes look at the model strutting her stuff in Uruguay, Kate shares her tips for having the ultimately stylish summer, including how having the right sunglasses & some comfy sandals can make or break your vacation! The resemblance to Marilyn Monroe in uncanny, but it’s really gorgeous to see the celebrated hairstyles of vintage Hollywood starlets like Monroe teased in contrast to contemporary fashion.

What do you think of Kate’s Vogue shoot? Do you think she’s worth all the fashionable fuss? Which is your favorite look from the cover story? For more stylish posts, check out Christina Hendricks for Lucky‘s June issue, Rooney Mara’s latest ad campaign with Calvin Klein, Diane Kruger’s short film for Jaeger Le-Coultre, the latest red carpet looks from Jennifer Aniston & Kerry Washington, & 3.1 Phillip Lim’s designer collaboration with Target!