Cindy Crawford on aging gracefully: 'I'm holding up'

BY DONNA FREYDKIN

Cindy Crawford's 16-year-old son Presley Gerber drives. Very well. Her daughter Kaia, 14, models, is horrified by her mom's social media antics, and has 190,000 Instagram followers of her own.

Crawford is grappling with impending empty nest syndrome, and what's next for the legendary supermodel, who's 49. And she dug deep into her own past in Becoming, a glossy tome that's part fashion bible, part how-to guide that demystifies the glitzy world of catwalk stars.

She's equally candid about her own looks, saying everything takes work. She doesn't drink wine anymore, and says that her "days of doing shots are over." She doesn't eat soy sauce, opting instead for lemon on her sushi.

"Every year you have to add a little bit more. I still work out. When you exercise, you tend to want to eat better. So that evolves," says Crawford. "I use sunscreen. I wear hats. I don't smoke. The secret is, there's no secret. You just have to do it. I look at my daughter's skin and it's like, 'Awww.' And her hair is so healthy and shiny. But I'm holding up."

Her motto: "I try to be 80 percent good 80 percent of the time."

The model, who during her heyday in the '80s and '90s was among the top faces of her time, along with Christy Turlington, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, was known for her professionalism and her smarts -- she had planned on studying chemical engineering at Northwestern.

And while the industry has become more accepting -- somewhat -- of differing body types, Crawford doesn't mince words about newcomer Gigi Hadid, who recently posted a heartfelt letter about haters who commented on her curves. Hadid, who is gregarious and polite in person -- not to mention, stunning -- needs to shut out the trolls.

Crawford herself was grace under pressure when a doctored photo of her surfaced, showing a body very different from the flawless one in magazine covers and in countless snaps posted by her kids. It was clearly at odds with the real Crawford.

"Right. But let's put that aside," says Crawford. "Why would I want that picture out of myself? It was tricky to deal with. There was a core of support that I didn't want to reject. I didn't know what I wanted to say. That's what my book is about and that's how I try to live my life, to see what the lesson is. I felt bullied."

And we had to ask her about Amal Clooney, wife of George -- who is buddies with Crawford's spouse Rande Gerber. He and Clooney launched a tequila line, Casamigos, and the Gerbers were at the Clooney nuptials in Venice. Do Crawford and Amal Clooney ever share clothes?

And here's a look inside Crawford's closet, the holy grail of fashion buffs, courtesy of the Thick.com.