 | « Back to article | Print this article |
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
As the oldest working fashion model set the ramp on fire at the Paris Fashion Week, we bring you images of the stunning lady -- Carmen Dell'Orefice (81) -- in her various avatars.
Carmen Dell'Orefice is a well-known model on fashion ramps in the West. She isn't however your dainty young things. Carmen is 81 and put up her most recent appearance for French designer Stephane Rolland as part of his Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2013 fashion show in Paris on January 22, 2013.
At 81, she is the oldest working fashion model.
To put things into perspective, she was born almost a decade before the First World War began, started modelling a year before India won independence, appeared on the cover of Vogue in the year that it did and was the model of the iconic photograph Carmen Las Meninas shot by Melvin Sokolsky the year Gujarat and Maharashtra were born.
In the pages to follow, we bring you some stunning images of this extraordinary person.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
Born to parents who were always breaking up and getting back together, Carmen spent most of her childhood in foster homes and living with her relatives. She was 12 when she was reunited with her mother and they moved to New York City.
When she was 13 and was travelling to her ballet class by bus, she was approached to model by the wife of Herman Landshoff, the photographer who is best known for his images of Dr Albert Einstein.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
In 1946 when she was 15, her godfather introduced Carmen to Vogue where she signed a contract for $7.50 per hour.
Soon, Carmen would become photographer Erwin Blumenfeld's favourite model who would shoot her first Vogue cover in 1947 making her one of Vogue's youngest cover models besides Niki Taylor, Brooke Shields, and Monika Schnarre.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
In spite of her modelling, Carmen and her mother barely made ends meet in their early days. They had no telephone and Vogue would send runners to inform Carmen of assignments. To save bus fares, Carmen roller-skated to her assignments.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
Carmen was said to be so malnourished that photographers would pin back her dresses and stuff them with tissue to fill them up.
It helped that both she and her mother were accomplished seamstresses and would make extra money making clothes.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
Over the years, Carmen would work with some of the most well-known fashion photographers of her time including Gleb Derujinsky, Francesco Scavullo, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and Norman Parkinson.
She would also go on to become Salvador Dali's muse.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
Standing tall at 5ft 10in, Carmen flaunts stunning stats 36-26-39 and has admitted that she has facial fillers to help delay the aging process.
STUNNING PICS: World's oldest supermodel at 81
Carmen has been married multiple times and has lost her fortune twice in the stock market. In June 2011 she celebrated her 80th birthday. The following month she received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London, in recognition of her contribution to the fashion industry.
The university also presented a retrospective that featured her Vogue covers as well as photographs from her personal archives that were curated by the illustrator and her friend David Downton.
At 81, Carmen continues to light up the ramp.