Who

A former model and the estranged wife of hip hop godfather Russell Simmons, Kimora is the creative director of the Baby Phat clothing line and a diva of the highest order.

Backstory

The daughter of an African-American father and a Japanese-Korean mother, Kimora left her hometown of St. Louis at 14 and headed to Paris after Karl Lagerfeld picked her to model his Chanel collection. Her 'tude got her into trouble early: Lagerfeld eventually cut ties with her, fed up with the model's diva-like behavior. Kimora returned to the States to continue her modeling career and finish high school, but her first husband came along before she'd turned legal age. She was just 17 when she was walking down the runway at a fashion show and caught the eye of a 36-year-old Russell Simmons. A whirlwind romance followed and in 1998 the couple married on St. Barth's. (Tyra Banks was a bridesmaid and Simmons' brother, Run-DMC's Reverend Run, officiated.) A year after settling down, Kimora launched Baby Phat, her womenswear line for Simmons' urban fashion label Phat Farm.

Of note

Although Kimora remains the creative director and face of Baby Phat, and appears in the label's blinged-out ad campaigns (often accompanied by her exceedingly spoiled daughters), she no longer owns the company. In 2004, Phat Fashions—Phat Farm and Baby Phat's parent company—was sold to Kellwood for an estimated $140 million, earning her a reported $20 million pay day.

But like her estranged husband, Kimora has been busy branching out over the last few years. In addition to her duties at Baby Phat, she has a makeup line called KLS Cosmetics and had a brief stint as a talk show host in 2004. (Apparently, the job wasn't quite right for her: "I'm not used to having a boss. I'm the boss. I don't need the money. I'm filthy fucking rich!") In 2006, she published a book, outlining the KLS approach to life in Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It. More recently she started in a Style network reality show, Life in the Fab Lane.

In person

Simmons is an intimidating presence at 6'4" in her Manolos, and she's reduced more than a few assistants, make-up artists, and stylists to tears with her narcissistic ways. And if you cross her, things might just get physical: During her relationship with Simmons, she said his womanizing reputation was not much of a concern because, as she was fond of reminding people, "I will beat a bitch's ass!" Presumably she'll also beat you down if you get too close to any of her prized possessions. The self-described "queen of conspicuous consumption" reportedly has the largest collection of Louis Vuitton purses in the country and you may very well go blind you if you stare directly at her 30-carat diamond ring. In 2006, she revealed her fondness for "champagne pedicures," which involves Kimora dunking her ginormous feet in $1,300 worth of Perrier-Jouet.

Crime file

Lee was charged with possession of marijuana after she was pulled over near her New Jersey home in 2004. The bad behavior seems to run in the family: Her father was sentenced to 24 years in prison on drug charges, but was released after serving three years.

Personal

Kimora and Russell split in spring 2006, but there seems to be little acrimony—they waited two years to finalize their divorce and are still often seen hanging out with their two daughters, Ming and Aoki. After the split—and after gossips spotted Kimora locking lips with her gal pals at clubs around town—she started dating Djimon Hounsou.

Habitat

Simmons lives in the 49,000-square-foot house in Saddle River, N.J. that she once shared with Russell. (It's now for sale and can be yours for just $23.8 million.) Home to her infamous 2,000-square-foot closet (which contains some of those Vuitton purses), the residence has 20 bathrooms and in-house movie theater modeled after the Loews Pitkin in Brooklyn. (That was Russell's idea.) It also houses her massive collection of Fabergé eggs and Limoges boxes, and the walls are adorned with Russell's collection of paintings by Ross Bleckner, Francisco Clemente, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Kimora's staff consists of five maids, four assistants, two live-in nannies, a chef and two drivers.