She grew up and went to school in
Koksijde. She was discovered in 1999 when she decided to enter a fashion contest (Miss Mannequin) with a friend of hers. The contest was held in the Belgian town of
Roeselare. She worked with
Steven Meisel extensively throughout her career, landing campaigns for
Prada,
H&M,
Versace,
Armani,
Nina Ricci,
Gianfranco Ferre,
Lacoste,
Eres,
GAP,
Jil Sander,
Ralph Lauren,
Escada,
Pollini, and
Valentino. Crombez also appeared on covers for
W, British, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, German, and Turkish
Vogue, and twice on the cover of French
Elle and six times on the cover of Italian Vogue. She has appeared in editorials for French, Italian, German, Turkish, Mexican, and Japanese
Vogue, British and American
Harpers Bazaar,
W, and
Allure. Crombez has walked in numerous
fashion shows, such as
Christian Dior,
Christian Lacroix,
Galliano,
Karl Lagerfeld,
Louis Vuitton,
Prada,
Versace, and
Viktor & Rolf. She also appeared in the 2006 and 2007
Victoria's Secret fashion shows. Crombez has received criticism for her "aggressively nondescript" image.
The Times named Crombez as one of the "reliable, forgettable girls" it dubbed "Stepford supermodels". Crombez fell at the
Proenza Schouler Spring 2007 runway show, her sky-high heels made her pitch forward, she ended taking off her shoes and walking the rest of the runway barefoot. It took third spot on the "Top Five Runway Falls" list by
New York Magazine. She is signed with DNA Models in New York. She resides in
New York City. == References ==