Carmen Dell'Orefice (/dɛlˈɔːrfɪtʃeɪ,ˌdɛlɔːrˈfiːtʃeɪ/, Italian:[delloˈreːfitʃe]; born June 3, 1931)[1] is an American supermodel 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[2] Her daily motto is to enjoy herself, at no-one else's expense.[3]
Dell'Orefice was born in New York City, New York to parents of Italian and Hungarian descent. 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.[4]
CareerEdit
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.[5] 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, Snow White and Cinderella along with model Dorian Leigh, actors Ray Bolger and Jose Ferrer.
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 had to pin back dresses and stuff the curves with tissue.[5]
Dell'Orefice and her mother were accomplished seamstresses and made extra money making clothes. One of their customers was Dorian Leigh. Dell'Orefice later became best friends with Leigh's younger sister, model Suzy Parker. Together they were bridesmaids at Leigh's second wedding to Roger W. Mehle in 1948.[6]
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's muse.[7]
Retirement and return to modelingEdit
Dell'Orefice in the 2005 Red Dress Collection show for The Heart Truth
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".[9] In the 1990s and 2000s, she modeled for Isaac Mizrahi's clothing line at Target, as well as Cho Cheng and Rolex. Dell'Orefice is featured regularly in their advertising campaigns appearing in Vogue, W and Harper's Bazaar.
In 1993 she appeared in The Babe Business, a feature documentary filmed in New York about models directed by Don Boyd for Channel Four television.
On July 19, 2011 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London, in recognition of her contribution to the fashion industry. The university sponsored a retrospective exhibition curated by illustrator and long-time friend David Downton, featuring Dell'Orefice's Vogue covers, career highlights, and photographs from her personal archives.[10]
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.[8]
Financial lossesEdit
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.[7]
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.[12] 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."[13]
carmen, dell, orefice, ɔːr, ɔːr, italian, delloˈreːfitʃe, born, june, 1931, american, supermodel, actress, known, within, fashion, industry, being, world, oldest, working, model, spring, summer, 2012, season, cover, vogue, magazine, been, modeling, ever, since. Carmen Dell Orefice d ɛ l ˈ ɔːr f ɪ tʃ eɪ ˌ d ɛ l ɔːr ˈ f iː tʃ eɪ Italian delloˈreːfitʃe born June 3 1931 1 is an American supermodel 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 2 Her daily motto is to enjoy herself at no one else s expense 3 Carmen Dell OreficeDell Orefice at a Chado Ralph Rucci fashion show in September 2012Born 1931 06 03 June 3 1931 age 92 New York City U S Occupation s Supermodel actressYears active1946 presentSpousesBill Miles m 1952 div 1953 wbr Richard Heimann m 1959 div 1960 wbr Richard Kaplan m 1963 div 1974 wbr Modeling informationHeight5 ft 11 in 1 80 m Hair colorSilverEye colorBlue Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Retirement and return to modeling 4 Personal life 4 1 Financial losses 5 Filmography 6 Bibliography 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditDell Orefice was born in New York City New York to parents of Italian and Hungarian descent 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 4 Career EditAt 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 5 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 Snow White and Cinderella along with model Dorian Leigh actors Ray Bolger and Jose Ferrer 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 had to pin back dresses and stuff the curves with tissue 5 Dell Orefice and her mother were accomplished seamstresses and made extra money making clothes One of their customers was Dorian Leigh Dell Orefice later became best friends with Leigh s younger sister model Suzy Parker Together they were bridesmaids at Leigh s second wedding to Roger W Mehle in 1948 6 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 Dali s muse 7 Retirement and return to modeling Edit nbsp Dell Orefice in the 2005 Red Dress Collection show for The Heart TruthShe joined the Ford Modelling Agency in 1953 8 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 9 In the 1990s and 2000s she modeled for Isaac Mizrahi s clothing line at Target as well as Cho Cheng and Rolex Dell Orefice is featured regularly in their advertising campaigns appearing in Vogue W and Harper s Bazaar In 1993 she appeared in The Babe Business a feature documentary filmed in New York about models directed by Don Boyd for Channel Four television On July 19 2011 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London in recognition of her contribution to the fashion industry The university sponsored a retrospective exhibition curated by illustrator and long time friend David Downton featuring Dell Orefice s Vogue covers career highlights and photographs from her personal archives 10 Since her return to the industry Dell Orefice has appeared in campaigns for Missoni shot by Giampaolo Sgura Sephora shot by Mikael Jansson Philipp Plein shot by Steven Klein and H amp M and walked the runway for Anna Sui Stephane Rolland Thierry Mugler 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 11 She has also featured on the covers of L Officiel Australia Azerbaijan Switzerland Marie Claire Arabia and Harper s Bazaar Thailand Personal life EditDell 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 8 Financial losses Edit 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 7 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 12 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 13 Filmography EditFilm Year Title Role Notes1966 The Last of the Secret Agents Baby May Zoftig Credited as Carmen1996 The Sunchaser Arabella1998 Celebrity Pinky Virdon Credited as Carmen Dell Orefice2002 The Guru Socialite2010 Bill Cunningham New York HerselfTelevision Year Title Role Notes1998 Ageless Heroes Herself Documentary2004 Law amp Order Special Victims Unit Marion Episode Bound 2012 Fashion News Live Herself 1 episode2012 About Face Supermodels Then and Now Herself Documentary2012 Clarige s Herself Documentary2012 Beauty CULTure Herself Documentary shortBibliography EditStaying Beautiful Beauty Secrets and Attitudes from My Forty Years as a Model 1985 References Edit Carmen Dell Orefice at Fashion Model Directory Carmen Dell Orefice 82 Year Old Model Lands YOU Magazine Cover Huffingtonpost com Paroz Matthew 2015 A model life L Officiel Australia July August pp 88 Model by Michael Gross 1995 page 102 a b Model by Michael Gross 1995 page 103 Model by Michael Gross 1995 page 86 a b Madoff s World Vanity Fair April 2009 by Mark Seal page 126 a b Model by Michael Gross 1995 page 146 Publisher Kathleen Sullivan Katz Arlington Va 1982 1987 LCF to celebrate Carmen Dell Orefice s 80th birthday in style Archived from the original on 2012 01 02 Retrieved 2017 03 31 Compra en Linea Moda Calzado Joyeria Electronica Deportes Hogar El Palacio de Hierro www elpalaciodehierro com Madoff s World Vanity Fair April 2009 by Mark Seal page 130 Madoff s World Vanity Fair April 2009 by Mark Seal Archived March 21 2009 at the Wayback MachineExternal links EditCarmen Dell Orefice at IMDb nbsp Carmen Dell Orefice at Fashion Model Directory nbsp Portraits of Carmen Dell Orefice at the National Portrait Gallery London nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Carmen Dell 27Orefice amp oldid 1172261188, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
