Older models: Jan de Villeneuve
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:
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.’
This photo by Norman Parkinson is in the National Portrait Gallery:
Right, I’m off for some Friday night refreshments, wearing a trench coat not a leopard print two-piece. Enjoy the weekend.
love this piece, very interesting….