Jean Rosemary Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942) is an English model and actress. She was an icon of
Swinging London
The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mus ...
and is considered to be one of the world's first
supermodel
A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...
s.
She appeared on numerous magazine covers including ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
,'' ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
,'' ''
Vanity Fair,'' ''
Glamour,'' ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
,'' ''
Ladies' Home Journal
''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...
,'' ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
,'' and ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''.
In 2009, ''Harper's Bazaar'' named Shrimpton one of the 26 best models of all time, and in 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influential fashion icons of all time.
She starred alongside
Paul Jones in the film ''
Privilege'' (1967).
Early life
She was born in
High Wycombe
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Ayl ...
, Buckinghamshire, and educated at
St Bernard's Convent School
St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School (formerly St Bernard's Convent School) is an academically selective Roman Catholic state grammar school on Langley Road, Slough. It was previously designated as a Humanities College. The student body is div ...
, Slough. She enrolled at Langham Secretarial College in London at age 17. A chance meeting with director
Cy Endfield
Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American screenwriter, director, author, magician and inventor. Having been named as a Communist at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing and subsequently blacklisted ...
led to an unsuccessful meeting with the producer of his film ''
Mysterious Island
''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...
'' (1961). Endfield then suggested she attend the
Lucie Clayton Charm Academy
Lucie Clayton College was founded by Sylvia Lucie Golledge in 1928 as a modelling agency and finishing school. It was bought by Leslie Kark who owned a successful model directory. It became Britain's top modelling agency during the 1950s and 1960 ...
's model course. In 1960, aged 17, she began modelling, appearing on the covers of magazines such as ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vanity Fair'', and ''Vogue''.
Career
Shrimpton rose to prominence through her work with photographer
David Bailey. They met in 1960 at a
photo shoot
A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a Model (person), model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location.
A photo shoot is a series of images ...
that Shrimpton, who was then an unknown model,
was working on with photographer
Brian Duffy for a
Kellogg's
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
corn flakes
Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). The cereal, originally made with wheat, was created by Will Kellogg in 1894 for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he worked with his broth ...
advertisement. Duffy told Bailey she was too
posh
Posh is an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen
*" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''
* ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Philip ...
for him, but Bailey was undeterred.
Shrimpton's first
photo session
A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location.
A photo shoot is a series of images that are taken ...
with Bailey was in 1960 (either for
Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The company's media ...
's ''Brides'' on 7 December 1960
or for British ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
''). She started to become known in the modelling world around the time she was working with Bailey.
Shrimpton has stated she owed Bailey her career,
and he is often credited for discovering her
and being influential in her career.
In turn, she was Bailey's muse, and his photographs of her helped him rise to prominence in his early career.
During her career, Shrimpton was widely reported to be the "world's highest paid model",
the "most famous model"
and the "most photographed in the world".
She was also described as having the "world's most beautiful face" and as "the most beautiful girl in the world".
She was dubbed "The It Girl", "The Face",
"The Face of the Moment",
and "The Face of the '60s".
''
Glamour'' named her "Model of The Year" in June 1963. She contrasted with the aristocratic-looking models of the 1950s by representing the coltish,
gamine
A gamine is a slim, often boyish, elegant young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing.
The word ''gamine'' is a French word, the feminine form of ''gamin'', originally meaning urchin, waif or playful, ...
look of the
youthquake movement in 1960s
Swinging London
The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mus ...
,
[Jean Shrimpton in London of Sloane Street coat, 1964, by David Bailey]
Forbes.com and she was reported as "the symbol of Swinging London".
Breaking the popular mould of voluptuous figures with her long legs and slim figure, she was nicknamed "The Shrimp". Shrimpton was also known for her long hair with
a fringe,
wide doe-eyes,
long wispy eyelashes,
arched brows,
[Glossary: Season 1]
''The Advocate'' p. 38. 20 November 2001. and pouty lips.
Shrimpton helped launch the
miniskirt
A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...
.
In 1965, she made a two-week promotional visit to Australia, sponsored by the
Victoria Racing Club
The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual "race that stops a nation", the Melbourne Cup ...
and a local synthetic fibre company who had her promote a range of new dresses made of
Orlon
Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer ( polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. For a fiber to be called "acrylic" in the US, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitr ...
. She was paid a fee of £2,000, an enormous sum at the time.
She caused a sensation in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
when she arrived for the
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbour ...
wearing
a white shift dress made by Colin Rolfe which ended above her knees. She wore no hat, stockings or gloves, and sported a man's watch, unusual at the time. Her hairdresser was
Lillian Frank. Shrimpton was unaware she would cause such reaction in the Melbourne community and media.
In her article "The Man in the Bill Blass Suit",
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Writers Guild of America Award and the Academy Award f ...
wrote that when Shrimpton posed for a
Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...
advertisement in an antique white
Chantilly lace
Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly,"Chantilly" ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century. The famous silk laces were introduced in the 18th cent ...
dress by
Blass, minutes after the lipstick placard was displayed at the drugstores, Revlon received calls from women demanding to know where they could buy the dress.
Shrimpton was photographed in 1971 by
Clive Arrowsmith
Clive Arrowsmith is a London-based photographer.
Works
He has worked for many fashion publications and is one of only a few photographers, including Brian Duffy who have twice been given the commission to shoot the Pirelli Calendar. He curren ...
, again for British ''Vogue''.
Personal life
Shrimpton and Bailey began dating soon after they began working together, and subsequently had a four-year relationship that ended in 1964.
Bailey was still married to his first wife Rosemary Bramble when the affair began, but left her after nine months and later divorced her to be with Shrimpton.
Shrimpton's other most celebrated romance was with actor
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. Stamp is known for his sophisticated villain roles. He was named by ''Empire Magazine'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades inc ...
.
In 1979, she married photographer Michael Cox at the register office in
Penzance
Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
, Cornwall, when she was four months pregnant with their son Thaddeus, who was born that same year. They own the Abbey Hotel in Penzance,
now managed by Thaddeus and his family.
In the media
Shrimpton is
namechecked (as "Jeannie Shrimpton") in
The Smithereens
The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & ...
song "
Behind the Wall of Sleep" (1986).
The story of Shrimpton's relationship with David Bailey is dramatised in a
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 film, ''
We'll Take Manhattan'' (26 January 2012), with
Karen Gillan
Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction seri ...
playing the part of Shrimpton.
[}]
Books
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrimpton, Jean
1942 births
Living people
People from High Wycombe
English female models
English film actresses
English autobiographers
Women autobiographers
People educated at St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School
Articles containing video clips