Carmen Dell'Orefice

IMDB profile

Add to favorites

Edit page

Search at Amazon

Stats

Birth Name: Carmen Dell'Orefice

Age: 92, born 3 June 1931

Country of origin: United States

Currently Residing In: United States

Height: 5' 10"

Lists

134 votes

Youth and old age (53 items)
list by lili

Published 11 years, 9 months ago

11 comments

99 votes

Photos by Richard Avedon (41 items)
list by Nusch

Published 12 years, 9 months ago

7 comments

51 votes

Supermodels - Then and Now (21 items)
list by Daniela_C_xx

Published 12 years, 7 months ago

6 comments

41 votes

Former High Fashion Models (496 items)
list by brazilfashion

Published 11 years, 10 months ago

4 comments

33 votes

Models of the '50s (22 items)
list by emberlin

Published 8 years ago

1 comment

View all Carmen Dell'Orefice lists

Carmen Dell'Orefice Videos

Many faces of Delvaux

137 Views

Added 11 years ago

Carmen Dell'Orefice in conversation with Prof Frances Corner, OBE

116 Views

Added 11 years ago

View all Carmen Dell'Orefice videos

Photos

7 votes

6 votes

5 votes

4 votes

View all Carmen Dell'Orefice pictures

Description: Carmen Dell’Orefice is an American model and actress, born in New York, NY. She is known within the fashion industry for being the world's oldest working model as of the Spring/Summer 2012 season. She covered Vogue at the mere age of 15, and has been modelling ever since. In 1942, Carmen reunited with her mother and moved to New York City. 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 Carmen.Her godfather though introduced her to Vogue, where Carmen signed a contract for $7 Carmen Dell’Orefice is an American model and actress, born in New York, NY. She is known within the fashion industry for being the world's oldest working model as of the Spring/Summer 2012 season. She covered Vogue at the mere age of 15, and has been modelling ever since.

In 1942, Carmen reunited with her mother and moved to New York City. 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 Carmen.Her godfather though introduced her to Vogue, where Carmen signed a contract for $7.50 per hour in 1946 at age 15. Carmen became a favoured model of photographer Erwin Blumenfeld who took her first Vogue cover in 1947. She appears in the December 15, 1947 issue of US Vogue as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Cinderella along with supermodel Dorian Leigh, actors Ray Bolger and Jose Ferrer.

Despite modeling, Carmen and her mother were poor. They had no telephone and Vogue sent runners to their apartment to let Carmen know about modeling jobs. She roller-skated to assignments to save bus fares. Carmen was so malnourished that famed fashion photographers Horst P. Horst and Cecil Beaton had to pin back dresses and stuff her body with tissue.Carmen and her mother were also accomplished seamstresses and made extra money making clothes. One of their customers was Dorian Leigh. Carmen would later become best friends with Dorian’s younger sister, model Suzy Parker. Together they would be bridesmaids at Dorian’s second wedding to Roger Mehle in 1948.

In 1947, Carmen got a raise to $10–$25 per hour. She appeared on the October 1947 cover of Vogue, at age 16, one of the youngest Vogue cover models ever (along with Niki Taylor, Brooke Shields, and Monika Schnarre). Carmen was also on the November 1948 cover of Vogue. She worked with the most famous fashion photographers of the era including Irving Penn, Gleb Derujinsky, Francesco Scavullo, Norman Parkinson, and Richard Avedon. Carmen was photographed by Melvin Sokolsky for Harper’s Bazaar in 1960. The iconic image titled Carmen Las Meninas is world famous and has been collected internationally. Sokolsky also photographed Carmen for the classic Vanity Fair Lingerie campaign in which Carmen obscures her face with her hand.

She also became Salvador Dalí’s muse.
Despite early successes at a very young age, modeling agent Eileen Ford refused to represent her and Vogue lost interest in her. After doctors prescribed shots to start puberty, she instead started working for catalogs and lingerie, making $300 per hour. It was then that she joined Ford in 1953. ... (more)