Carmen Dell'Orefice (, ; born June 3, 1931) is an American
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , .
Models can be divided in ...
and actress. She is known within the fashion industry for being the world's oldest working model as of the Spring/Summer 2012 season. She was on the cover of ''
Vogue'' magazine at the age of 15 and has been modeling ever since, and has featured in films and television programs.
Early life
Carmen Dell'Orefice was born in New York City. Her father was a violinist with Italian roots, and her mother was a ballerina of Hungarian descent. As a child, she dreamed of following in her mother's footsteps and also taking up ballet. Her parents had an unstable relationship characterized by frequent break ups and reconciliations. Dell'Orefice lived in foster homes or with other relatives during her parents' clashes.
Career
At the age of 13, while riding a bus to ballet class, she was approached to model by the wife of photographer Herman Landschoff. Her test photos, taken at
Jones Beach, were a "flop" according to Dell'Orefice.
["Model", by Michael Gross, 1995, page 103.] In 1946, her godfather introduced her to ''
Vogue'' and the 15-year-old signed a modeling contract for $7.50 an hour. She became a favorite model of photographer
Erwin Blumenfeld who shot her first ''Vogue'' cover in 1946. She appears in the December 15, 1946 issue of US ''Vogue''; New York Vol. 108, Iss. 11, as
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...
,
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
and
Cinderella
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
along with model
Dorian Leigh
Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker (April 23, 1917 – July 7, 2008), known professionally as Dorian Leigh, was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered one of the first supermodels, and was w ...
, actors
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace Bolger (; January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer (particularly musical theater) who started his movie career in the silent-film era.
Bolger was a major B ...
and
Jose Ferrer
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph.
Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods
* Jose ben Abin
* Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean
* Jose ben Halafta ...
.
Dell'Orefice and her mother struggled financially, and her modeling income was not enough to sustain the family. With no telephone, ''Vogue'' had to send runners to their apartment to let Dell'Orefice know about modeling jobs. She roller-skated to assignments to save on bus fares. She was so malnourished that famed fashion photographers
Horst P. Horst and
Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...
had to pin back dresses and stuff the curves with tissue.
Dell'Orefice and her mother were accomplished seamstresses and made extra money making clothes. One of their customers was
Dorian Leigh
Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker (April 23, 1917 – July 7, 2008), known professionally as Dorian Leigh, was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered one of the first supermodels, and was w ...
. Dell'Orefice later became best friends with Leigh's younger sister, model
Suzy Parker
Suzy Parker (born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker; October 28, 1932 – May 3, 2003) was an American model and actress active from 1947 until 1970. Her modeling career reached its zenith during the 1950s, when she appeared on the covers of dozens of ma ...
. Together they were bridesmaids at Leigh's second wedding to
Roger W. Mehle in 1948.
She appeared on the October 1947 cover of ''Vogue''. She was also on ''Vogue''
's November 1948 cover. Mark Shaw photographed her for a classic ''
Vanity Fair'' lingerie campaign, in which Dell'Orefice obscures her face with her hand. She was painter
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
's muse.
["Madoff's World", Vanity Fair, April 2009, by ]Mark Seal
Mark Seal is an American journalist and author. Seal worked as a journalist in Texas before becoming a freelance magazine writer in 1984, a contributing editor at '' Vanity Fair'' since 2003, and has written and co-written about 15 books. , page 126.
Retirement and return to modeling
She joined the
Ford Modelling Agency
Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford.
History 20th century
Eileen and Jerry began the b ...
in 1953.
["Model", by Michael Gross, 1995, page 146.]
In need of funds, Dell'Orefice returned to modeling in 1978. In 1984 she appeared on the cover of ''Quarante'', a newsstand quarterly publication subtitled, "For the woman of style and substance". In the 1990s and 2000s, she modeled for Isaac Mizrahi's clothing line at
Target
Target may refer to:
Warfare and shooting
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artille ...
, as well as Cho Cheng and
Rolex
Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...
. Dell'Orefice is featured regularly in their advertising campaigns appearing in ''Vogue'', ''
W'' and ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
''.
In 1993 she appeared in ''The Babe Business'', a feature documentary filmed in New York about models directed by
Don Boyd
Donald William Robertson Boyd (born 11 August 1948) is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was a Governor of the London Film School until 2016 and in 2017 was made an Honorary Professor in the College of Humaniti ...
for Channel Four television.
On July 19, 2011 she was awarded an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from the
University of the Arts London
The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of ...
, in recognition of her contribution to the fashion industry. The university sponsored a retrospective exhibition curated by illustrator and long-time friend
David Downton
David Downton (born 18 February 1959) is an English fashion illustrator. He worked for '' Vogue''.
Biography
David Downton was born in Kent, England in 1959. He studied at Canterbury (Foundation year 1977–1978) and Wolverhampton (BA hons illu ...
, featuring Dell'Orefice's ''Vogue'' covers, career highlights, and photographs from her personal archives.
Since her return to the industry, Dell'Orefice has appeared in campaigns for
Missoni
Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, Italy, Varese, and known for its colourful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio Missoni, Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953.
History Early beginnings
The busin ...
, shot by Giampaolo Sgura;
Sephora
Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products, offering nearly 340 brands alongside its own private label, the Sephora Collection. Its product range includes cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, nail color, beauty t ...
, shot by
Mikael Jansson;
Philipp Plein, shot by
Steven Klein and
H&M, and walked the runway for
Anna Sui
Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods.
Sui was named one ...
,
Stéphane Rolland,
Thierry Mugler
Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fol ...
and
Guo Pei. In 2015, Dell'Orefice collaborated with
David Gandy and
Isabeli Fontana in the promotion for the reopening of the department store
Palacio de Hierro Polanco. She has also featured on the covers of ''
L'Officiel
''L'Officiel'' (; stylised in all caps), full name ''L'Officiel de la couture et de la mode de Paris'' ("The Official ublicationof Paris Couture and Fashion"), is a French bimonthly fashion magazine. It has been published in Paris since 1921 a ...
'' (Australia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland), ''
Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages.
The feature editions focus on women aro ...
'' Arabia and ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
'' Thailand.
Personal life
Dell'Orefice met and married Bill Miles in the early 1950s. Miles exploited his wife financially, by picking up his wife's modeling agency checks, allowing her only $50 allowance from her earnings. They had a daughter, Laura, and divorced soon after. In 1958, she met photographer Richard Heimann and married him six months later. She decided to retire, after which he left her.
Her daily motto is to enjoy herself, at no-one else's expense.
Financial losses
In the 1980s and 1990s, Dell'Orefice lost most of her money in the stock market. She was forced to auction off her famous modeling photographs from the 1940s to the 1980s through
Sotheby's
Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
.
In 1994, with what little money she had left, and with money from boyfriend Norman Levy, she invested with notorious financial fraud Bernie Madoff. For twelve years,
Ruth and Bernie Madoff and Dell'Orefice and Norman Levy were a "foursome", traveling and partying together on lavish yachts. Levy died in 2005, at age 93, and Madoff was the executor of his will. Levy had $244 million in assets at the time of his death, according to Dell'Orefice. Madoff's fraudulent investment scheme drew on these funds to lure over 13,500 individuals and charities to his Ponzi scheme. She continued to socialize with the Madoffs after Levy's death.
In December 2008 a 68-year-old friend, who invested her life savings with Madoff, telephoned Dell'Orefice to inform her that she too had been bankrupted by the scheme. Dell'Orefice said, "For the second time in my life, I've lost all of my life savings."
"Madoff's World", ''Vanity Fair'', April 2009, by Mark Seal
Filmography
Bibliography
* Carmen Dell'Orefice, Alfred Allan Lewis ''Staying Beautiful: Beauty Secrets and Attitudes from My Forty Years as a Model'' Publisher Harpercollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
, 1st edition (January 1, 1985), 203 pages,
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dell'Orefice, Carmen
1931 births
Living people
Actresses from New York City
Female models from New York (state)
American film actresses
American people of Hungarian descent
American people of Italian descent
American television actresses
People associated with the Madoff investment scandal
Memoirists from New York (state)
21st-century American women