Pejić was initially notable for modelling both masculine and feminine clothing. In the Paris fashion shows of January 2011, Pejić walked both the men's and women's shows for Jean-Paul Gaultier and the men's shows for Marc Jacobs. In May 2011, her magazine cover for the New York-based magazine Dossier Journal—in which Pejić, with long blond locks in curlers, is pictured taking off a white shirt —was ruled too risqué by US bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders, which covered the image with an opaque sleeve. Concerns were expressed that customers would read Pejić, who at the time was presenting as gender fluid, as a topless woman.
At the Stylenite in July 2011, Pejić appeared on the catwalk both in masculine and feminine clothes from Michalsky. The following year, she modeled bridal creations by Spanish designer Rosa Clara at Barcelona's Bridal Week 2013.
Pejić ranked number 18 on Models.com's Top 50 Models list in 2011, was named one of Out's Most Compelling People, and was ranked number 98 in FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011, an award that was criticised for its hostile tone to transgender individuals, especially transgender women; the magazine referred to Pejić as a "thing", commenting, "Pass the sick bucket." FHM subsequently removed the copy accompanying Pejić's entry and posted an apology.