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Older models: Jan de Villeneuve

— by Alyson Walsh

Jan de Villeneuve, grey hair

Bingo, beer and crisps, looks like the perfect night out. 70-year-old model Jan de Villeneuve appeared in this week’s Stylist magazine, in a fashion shoot celebrating summer’s maximalist vibe. A qualified teacher, Ohio-born de Villeneuve started modelling in the 1960s when she was discovered on a trip to New York (full story HERE); retiring after nine years to have a family. Her daughters are the illustrator Daisy and model-turned-photographer Poppy de Villeneuve – and their surname was made up by husband/father/photographer Justin (the man who discovered Twiggy). Anyhow, I am always pleased to see older models in action and Jan de Villeneuve seems to be out of retirement and having something of a renaissance, now that age is all the rage:

older models, Jan de Villeneuve

Jan de Villeneuve, stylist

In the 1960s, Jan de Villeneuve appeared on the cover of Vogue and was photographed by all the greats like David Bailey and Norman Parkinson. A fan of vintage fashion, in 1971 she was refused entry to a restaurant in San Francisco for ‘being too mod’. In a feature called ‘What we really wore in the 70s’ she described her outfit to the Telegraph, ‘I had on a long Liberty-print skirt, a white peasant blouse and a cardigan. Strangely enough, a lady wearing a skimpy two-piece leopard-print outfit with midriff showing was allowed in – I had to borrow a trench coat.’

Jan de Villeneuve_cover_Vogue_

This photo by Norman Parkinson is in the National Portrait Gallery:

by Norman Parkinson, colour print, 1970

by Norman Parkinson, colour print, 1970

Right, I’m off for some Friday night refreshments, wearing a trench coat not a leopard print two-piece. Enjoy the weekend.

 

 

 

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Bingo, beer and crisps, looks like the perfect night out. 70-year-old model Jan de Villeneuve appeared in this week’s Stylist magazine, in a fashion shoot celebrating summer’s maximalist v…