After a four-year hiatus from the runway, 90s supermodel Shalom Harlow made headlines when she took to the catwalk again for Alexander Wang’s Fall 2012 show. Now, in a candid video for Alexander Wang’s new Confessional series, Harlow dishes on what it was like to get back on the horse–or in this case, the catwalk–after all those years.

“[On the runway this time] I do feel some nerves and I do feel the height of those shoes,” she says. “I hope I don’t slip was the next thought.”

Harlow also talks about what it was like growing up with hippie parents–and how it affected her rise as an up-and-coming model. “I had never even seen a fashion magazine. I grew up without a television,” she says. “I had no reference point for anything and I was suddenly in Paris on catwalks for designers that I could barely even pronounce their name.”

As for what modeling was like back in the heyday of supermodels, Harlow says: “It was about personality then. It was about what you did on the runway.” Draw any conclusions you like about what that means about modeling today…

Harlow also admits there was some healthy competition going on: “Sometimes it would be about one-upping each other [on the runway.]”

Shalom Harlow Bio

Shalom Harlow was born December 5, 1973, in Oshawa, Ontario, a town just outside of Toronto. The daughter of hippie parents David Harlow and Sandi Herbert, Shalom was raised in a bohemian environment; a far cry from the supermodel lifestyle she is accustomed to today.

Instead of the D&G and Versace threads she wears today while strutting down the catwalk, Shalom wore sweaters that her mother knitted as a child, and it's this wholesome upbringing that she reverts to when she's not working. As a pastime, Shalom took jazz, ballet and tap-dancing, and aspired to be an astronaut as a child.

When Shalom was 16 years old she was scouted by a Model Scout at a Cure concert in Toronto. The start of her career was marked by a trip to Montreal for a photo shoot for Elle Magazine.

After having saved enough money from local modeling, Shalom headed to Paris to accelerate her career. It was clear that Shalom had what it takes to be a model -- she officially became what is commonly referred to as "the new breed of supermodels."

Shalom then headed off to New York City, where she now lives. The Big Apple had a lot to offer Shalom, most notably a job as co-host of MTV's House of Style along with fellow supermodel and best friend, Amber Valletta, after Cindy Crawford quit from her hosting duties.

Shalom has modeled for the industry's most prestigious designers including Donna Karan, John Galliano, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, Versace, Jil Sander, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara, and Christian Dior. She is also the face of Chanel's Coco perfume.

Shalom, which means "Peace," "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Hebrew, has a Nars lip-gloss named after her.

In addition to being one of today's top supermodels (in 2000, her net worth stood at $10.5 million), Shalom has successfully made the transition from catwalk to film set, with a blossoming career as an actress. After an appearance in Isaac Mizrahi's fashion documentary, Unzipped, Shalom had a small but memorable role in the 1997 comedy, In & Out.

1995's VH1 Model of the Year is a vegetarian, enjoys scuba diving in her spare time, and still has a passion for astronomy. One thing's for sure: Shalom is here to stay! And we're glad about that.

Shalom is represented by DNA Models, New York

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Author - Vanessa Helmer