When she was 13, Taylor signed with Irene Marie Models in South Florida. There she met photographer Jean Renard, who later became her manager. She subsequently won a Fresh Faces contest in New York City and a $500,000 modeling contract. Taylor's first magazine cover was an issue of Seventeen (August 1989) at the age 14. The following year, at 15, she graced the cover of Vogue. Her official website, nikitaylor.com and numerous articles and television shows claim that she was the youngest model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue. However, the record belongs to Brooke Shields, who was 14 years and 9 months old when her February 1980 issue came out.

In 1991, Taylor was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, wearing a bright orange one-piece bathing suit with long, lime-green gloves on the beach. The following year, Taylor became the first spokesmodel under 18 to sign a major contract with CoverGirl nude and she became a feature in their national advertising campaign. Some of her other ad campaigns have been for Liz Claiborne; Nokia; Ellen Tracy; L'Oréal; GAP, Lee Jeans; Rampage clothes, and Pantene. Taylor also simultaneously had six enormous billboards in NYC's Times Square, for Liz Claiborne.

In May 1996, she set a record by appearing on the cover of the six major American women's fashion and fitness magazines in the same month: Allure, Vogue, ELLE, Marie Claire, Self, and Shape. They have become known as the "Niki Six." Taylor appeared in the 1997, 1998 and 1999 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, as well as on the 1998 cover of its swimsuit calendar. Taylor has been on the cover of over 400 magazines to date. Taylor is currently represented by New York Model Management.

• "Entertainment Tonight" .... Herself (1 episode, 2009)
  ... aka E.T. (USA: informal title)
  ... aka ET Weekend (Australia: weekend title)
  ... aka Entertainment This Week (weekend title)
  ... aka This Week in Entertainment (USA: weekend title)
       - Episode dated 14 January 2009 (2009) TV episode .... Herself
• A-List Awards (2008) (TV) .... Herself
• "Last Call with Carson Daly" .... Herself (2 episodes, 2008)
       - Episode dated 30 January 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
       - Episode dated 16 January 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
• "Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
       - Episode dated 30 January 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
• "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
       - Episode dated 29 January 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
• "Make Me a Supermodel" .... Herself (host) (10 episodes, 2008)
       - Sexual Chemistry (2008) TV episode .... Herself (host)
       - New Look (2008) TV episode .... Herself (host)
       - Stripped Bare (2008) TV episode .... Herself (host)
       - Episode #1.10 (????) TV episode .... Herself (host)
       - Episode #1.4 (????) TV episode .... Herself (host)
        (5 more)
• InStyle: Celebrity Weddings (2007) (TV) .... Herself
• "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
       - Taylors/Garrett (2007) TV episode .... Herself
• "I Love the '90s: Part Deux" (2005) TV series .... Herself
• "Good Morning America" .... Herself (1 episode, 2003)
       - Episode dated 19 February 2003 (2003) TV episode .... Herself
• "Connie Chung Tonight" .... Herself (1 episode, 2003)
       - Episode dated 13 January 2003 (2003) TV episode .... Herself
  
• Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit '99 (1999) (TV) .... Herself (Model)
• Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit '97 (1997) (TV) .... Herself
• Catwalk (1996) .... Herself
• Unzipped (1995) (uncredited) .... Herself