This woman was born in New York in 1931. June 3, 2011-th it was exactly 80.
She grew up in poverty – the mother raised her alone, and during the war and immediately after it, even in wealthy by our standards the United States was not sweet. Sometimes the mother even had to take my daughter to a boarding school for several weeks or even months: money to feed the child, critically lacking. Modest and shy girl dreams of becoming a ballerina, but transferred rheumatic fever struck out this possibility.
Carmen has become a model by chance: One day, when the 14-year-old girl riding in a bus with lessons, it sat down a young woman and offered to try his hand as a model. Husband stranger, who shot for Harper’s Bazaar, did test shots, and soon his mother Carmen, received a letter with photographs, which stated that her daughter – a very nice polite girl, but unfortunately, it is not photogenic.
Dell’Orefays signed a contract with the magazine, under which she earned $ 7.50 per hour, and began working with the most outstanding photographers of the period: Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst. A year later, in 1946, she graced the cover of Vogue, and soon appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Her fees rose to 60 dollars per week (equivalent to a thousand dollars today).
So the 15-year-old Carmen started her own family have. Ahead were three failed marriages, the birth of her daughter, a successful career and its inevitable decline when the ‘age came up. ”
After her divorce from third husband and more than a decade of interruption of Carmen was at a crossroads. She was 47 years old – the age, who (as it was thought) no longer allows you to work in the fashion industry. She did not try, but success came to her county ways. At a party Carmen met her friend, photographer Norman Parkinson, who suddenly asked her to try to do a photo session. You know, – he said – are you fucking attractive old bag. Carmen then just beginning to turn gray, and decided instead to dye your hair, lighten them, stressing the gray hair.
So in the fashion world very different image emerged Dell’Orefays: mature, independent, sexy and … gray!
In 1993 he debuted in Dell’Orefays movie, playing a small role in “The Age of Innocence” by Martin Scorsese. This was followed by another appearance in several films and TV series.
In 2000, Carmen defile on the show John Galliano for Christian Dior. After that she came out in the Guinness Book of Records as the “podium model with the longest career.” This was followed by the appearance on the show Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermes, Donna Karan and Moschino.
And now Carmen continues to operate successfully, while remaining an excellent example of that age and beauty – the concept of fully compatible.
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