Evangelista later moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model Management there. She then moved to Paris, to further her career. She also appeared in music videos with George Michael
In the late 1980s, she cut all her hair off to brandish a little-boy style haircut and was promptly cancelled from all the important runway shows that season. This was the first of many dramatic hairstyle changes. Within months, she appeared on magazine covers everywhere and many women emulated the hairstyle.
In 2007 she signed a multiple year exclusive contract with the cosmetics company L'Oreal Paris. It was announced in early 2008 that she would be featured in the Prada Fall 2008 campaign seen in magazines internationally.