Each winter, when the world’s top polo players and their families descend upon Wellington, one of Palm Beach County’s most glamorous residents by season is María Vazquez. Married to polo legend Adolfo Cambiaso—who, at age 50, is still considered the greatest polo player of all time—Vazquez not only has a front-row seat to the sport’s elite circuit, but she possesses a poise and creative force that have made her a phenom in her own right.
A fashion model, television host, entrepreneur, designer, and three-time competitor on Dancing with the Stars in her native Argentina, Vazquez has long been one of her home country’s most celebrated style icons. Yet behind her luminous career and flawless beauty lies a grounded, unpretentious woman whose ease makes everyone around her feel relaxed too.
It’s not just that she’s striking—though she is, even barefaced in a casual gray tank and wide-legged jeans. It’s her quiet confidence and genuine warmth that make her magnetic.
Born in Buenos Aires into a diplomatic family, Vazquez grew up abroad, with her father serving as Argentina’s ambassador to Switzerland, Peru, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. She attended high school in New York City, where she was first approached to model.
“My parents didn’t want me to be in the modeling world,” she says. “They wanted me to have a more traditional career.”
She honored their wishes, completed high school, and moved back to Argentina to study political science in college. “By that time, I was 19, and I was so good in school that my parents couldn’t really say anything. I went to an agency in Buenos Aires and started modeling locally and working as a TV hostess. I interviewed people like Mick Jagger and Robbie Williams and traveled all over.”
Vazquez’s creative pursuits soon expanded beyond the camera. She developed two fragrances, Mon Ame and Elegance, both sold at Duty Free in Argentina. Five years ago, she co-founded Rokkus, a jewelry line now carried by the prestigious Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires.
“We do silver, gold, talismans, quartz, and the Argentinian sun, but we make it all in a really unique way,” she says.
Pieces from the Tranquera collection pay homage to Argentinian farm life, reimagining fences, chains, and locks as elegant adornments. By moving away from the expected equestrian emblems of saddles, spurs, and polo mallets, Vazquez offers a fresh interpretation of her culture.
“My style is very simple and elegant but with a twist,” she explains. “I like shapes to feel feminine and sexy with a boho, romantic, rocker look.”
Nowhere is this more apparent than in her collaboration and design work with Lanhtropy, the Miami-based linen brand founded in 2016 by Ani Ponce de León. The two met at a polo match, where Ponce de León was selling her clothing.
“What struck me the most [about meeting Vazquez], was her simplicity,” Ponce de León says. “Behind that admired figure is a genuine, warm woman with a very authentic connection to nature and a beautifully simple way of seeing life. I immediately felt a deep connection and an incredible sense of trust. From that moment, a lovely friendship began. We collaborated on a capsule collection together and quickly realized how aligned we were—our aesthetic vision and our values were so similar. So, when she officially joined the company in 2021, it felt completely natural. We already knew we shared much more than a love for fashion—we shared a way of living.”
“I had always admired the brand’s beautiful aesthetic and felt completely aligned with its identity and values,” Vazquez adds. “The Lanhtropy lifestyle mirrors the life I live—connected to nature, embracing simplicity, and valuing authenticity and beauty in everyday things. We’ve been producing in Vietnam since the very beginning, working with the same person who is now one of our closest partners. To us, relationships with our suppliers are just as important as those with our clients and team.”
Though known for its metallic linen pieces—yes, metallic linen that’s wearable, washable, and even ironable—Lanhtropy recently expanded to include fall and winter fabrics like velvet, wool, cashmere, and suede.
“The old favorites are simply transformed in the new collection using different material,” Vazquez says. “If you’re a Lanhtropy girl (or guy), you’ll still find your favorite shirt, just transformed. The essence is always there.”
Anthropologie and Nordstrom now sell select styles by Lanhtropy, and the brand operates brick-and-mortar stores in Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, and Uruguay (Ponce de León’s native country). Next up? A boutique in Buenos Aires.
“For me, María is like the finishing touch—the seal—of the brand,” Ponce de León explains. “She truly embodies what Lanhtropy stands for and is the clearest reflection of the fact that this is a great brand and a strong company. María brings so much more than her image or her style—she brings heart, commitment, and an incredible sense of support. She gives us motivation and the confidence to keep moving forward. She’s always there to back every new idea, every project we dream up, encouraging us to keep growing and to stay true to what we believe in. Working with her feels very natural and harmonious. We share the same vision and trust, and that makes everything flow. In many ways, María doesn’t just represent the brand—she strengthens it.”
“We work hard, and everything is very authentic and genuine,” Vazquez says. “It’s not just about the business and making money. It’s about doing what we love with friends and family. When you create with those principles in mind, your work is more consistent, [and] you get to where you want to go anyway.”
Of all her roles, the ones Vazquez prizes most are wife and mother. She and Cambiaso have three children: Mia, 23; Poroto, 20; and Myla, 15. (Mia and Poroto are already stars in the professional polo world, with Mia boasting a 9-goal handicap and Poroto a 10-goal. Poroto is currently ranked among the top three polo players in the world according to World Polo Tour rankings.)
“I met Adolfo when I was 19 years old,” Vazquez says. “We met at a photo shoot in Buenos Aires in 1994. I had just been voted ‘Best Model of the Year,’ and Adolfo had just won his first Argentine Open. We clicked right away and started going out. I quit college and became a full-time model and TV hostess and traveled with him to games.”
The couple married seven years later.
“When I started going out with Adolfo, he wasn’t very popular,” she continues. “He wasn’t ‘Adolfo’ as you know him now. I had our first child when I was 27, and I dedicated all my time to my family. My job as a model came second, but that was my decision. I chose to be present for my family and my husband. With my extra time I did modeling, Dancing with the Stars, and TV hosting. I consider us a team.”
Curiously, Vazquez doesn’t particularly care for horses (the famed Cuartetera aside) or even polo. She’s a city girl through and through, though she does admit to doting on her five donkeys and two miniature horses.
“I don’t come from polo, and that was very appealing to Adolfo,” she says. “We connect in values. We are family-oriented. We don’t like to party. We like to be quiet, drink some maté, have a barbecue, and have simple things. I like to support him, and I’m my family’s biggest fan. But at the same time, I have my own things.”
That down-to-earth spirit—coupled with her elegance and drive—is what makes María Vazquez more than a model or muse. She’s a woman in motion, constantly creating and forging ahead.
“I have a great capacity to reinvent myself and adapt,” she says. “I’m loyal to what I believe in.”
Rapid Fire with María Vazquez
Favorite Palm Beach restaurants for a girls’ night out: Sant Ambroeus, Palm Beach Grill, Le Bilboquet, and Swifty’s
Likes to shop: All along Worth Avenue and anywhere at The Royal Poinciana Plaza
Fitness routine: I train every day. I include weights and cardio, and I take both tennis and dance lessons twice a week and make sure to run 10 kilometers once a week.
Go-to footwear: Sneakers (I’m a huge Golden Goose fan) and high boots (usually Gianvito Rossi)
Trend she’d like to see go away: The oversize look
One Lanhtropy piece every woman should own: Definitely our Bubble Shirt
Story Credits:
Shot by Palm Beach Illustrated on location at Valiente Polo Facility, Wellington
Clothing: Lanhtropy
Jewelry: Rokkus
Production editor: Stephanie Gates
Hair and makeup: Deborah Koepper, Deborah Koepper Beauty, Palm Beach
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