Palermo initially denied rumors in 2008 that she would be a part of The City, a spin-off of MTV's television show The Hills but was later confirmed as a cast member. She agreed to star in the series to familiarize herself with acting. The series debuted on December 29, 2008, it documents the lives of the cast members in New York City. It was reported that Palermo was granted $12,000 per episode at the time. As part of the show, Palermo worked at the PR department for Diane von Furstenberg and later the accessories department at Elle. The second part of the first season debuted in September 2009. She was given a bigger role and more air time. The City returned for a second and final season in 2010 where Palermo was given reporting duties for Elle.com.
She was signed to Wilhelmina Models in 2009. She has appeared on the cover of magazines including Elle Mexico, Tatler, ASOS Magazine, Shop Til You Drop and Marie Claire UK. She was also selected to be one of the models along with her boyfriend, Johannes Huebl, for the autumn/winter 2010 campaign by Mango. She also launched a jewelry line with Roberta Freymann in 2010. In August 2011, Palermo was invited by Stuart Weitzman to design a shoe for charity. She became a guest editor for Piperlime.com in September and appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway Season 9 in that role. In October, Palermo launched her personal website, consisting of a blog about her travels and fashion pieces by herself and two other full-time writers. She also appeared as a guest judge on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model.
She was signed to Wilhelmina Models in 2009. She has appeared on the cover of magazines including Elle Mexico, Tatler, ASOS Magazine, Shop Til You Drop and Marie Claire UK. She was also selected to be one of the models along with her boyfriend, Johannes Huebl, for the autumn/winter 2010 campaign by Mango. She also launched a jewelry line with Roberta Freymann in 2010. In August 2011, Palermo was invited by Stuart Weitzman to design a shoe for charity. She became a guest editor for Piperlime.com in September and appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway Season 9 in that role. In October, Palermo launched her personal website, consisting of a blog about her travels and fashion pieces by herself and two other full-time writers. She also appeared as a guest judge on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model.