The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Gisele Zelauy

I found this stunning picture of Brazilian fashion model-turned-novelist Gisele Zealuy, whom I first featured in October 2013, while on Facebook earlier this month (June 2013).  Since her last name begins with a Z, I figured it would be a perfect way to end this retrospective series! :-D

The composition and the black-and-white film are stunning.

Coming soon . . . more new subjects. :-)   

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Eva Voorhees

The reason I'm connected with so many models is Eva Voorhees, who discovered me and my blog. :-)  

Though thought of as a 1980s model, she actually started out a little earlier than that.  The picture above, and the one below, are from 1979, from advertisements for the Wallachs clothing store.  Both show her with a man, for good reason; Wallachs is a men's store! :-D  The picture above advertises Hart, Schaffner and Marx suits, and the picture below is for Dior Suede.

Both photos make this clear: Every girl is crazy about a sharp-dressed man! :-D  

Of course, Eva Voorhees always looked pretty sharp herself in her modeling career, as the color photo below demonstrates.

She remains a simple California girl at heart, devoting her life to animal welfare. :-) 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Nastasia Urbano

I've neglected looking at Spain's Nastasia Urbano, whom I first featured in April 2011, a second time for far too long.

These two pictures should compensate for that. :-)

Regarded as one of the sweetest souls ever to grace the modeling profession, Nastasia Urbano has appeared on numerous magazine covers from New Woman and Redbook in America to the many variations of Vogue worldwide.  Her work with Yves Saint Laurent as the spokesmodel for her fashion and particularly for his Opium perfume is only part of her illustrious career.  

Full disclosure: Nastasia Urbano is a Facebook friend of mine.  So I can vouch for what a sweetheart she is. :-) 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Catherine Roberts, 2014

What could be better than a post devoted to Catherine Roberts in a month-long look back at some of my favorite models? 

 How about two posts devoted to Catherine Roberts? :-D

This picture of Catherine Roberts with a male model (they're portraying a married couple) was taken in Big Bear, California, for the cover story of the November 2014 issue of Money magazine.  The story? Money's 2015 retirement guide.

Catherine Roberts?  Ready to retire?  I don't think so! :-)   

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Catherine Roberts In Triplicate

I always love revisiting Catherine Roberts, another perennial favorite on this blog.  These three images are all from the same ad - a 1976 ad for Givenchy jewelry and leather stores in New York, rearranged here to accentuate her spectacular beauty. :-)

I drew two conclusions from this ad. First, one or two images of Catherine Roberts in a single ad is clearly not enough; her beauty demands a triplicate treatment.   Second, Hubert de Givenchy - who, remember, established Beverly Lee in Paris and elsewhere in Europe - has impeccable taste. :-D   

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Beverly Lee

Beverly Lee is a model I can't stop being fascinated with. :-)

I've already noted her tremendous influence as a model of East Asian descent when I featured her before, but it's worth noting how her rise to prominence in the modeling trade only demonstrates ther importance of being in the right place at the time.  

She worked both with the Ford and Ellen Harth Model Management during the early seventies, and then she was discovered by designer Hubert de Givenchy in 1976, when he launched a "Star Model Search" for his Haute Couture Show. He personally selected Beverly Lee as his new model and brought her to Paris, which led to a lucrative career in Europe.  Though she had many different assignments in the Old Country, she continued to model for Givenchy into the eighties. 

Beverly Lee remained loyal to the Ford agency though, and she was one of Eileen Ford's best friends, remaining close to her right up to Mrs. Ford's death in 2014.

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Evelyn Kuhn

Evelyn Kuhn, whom I originally featured here in June 2012, came to America from Germany courtesy of the Ford modeling agency in the mid-sixties, and as late as 1977 (the picture below that year) she was still modeling. :-)

She was at her peak in the early seventies modeling for every beauty-product brand from Yardley . . .

. . . to Revlon. :-)

She worked with every major fashion photographer there was and did modeling assignments all over the world, though nowadays she's happy to run a gift shop in Greenwich, Connecticut. :-)   

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Beverly Johnson, A Natural Beauty

I once showed on this blog a picture of Beverly Johnson without makeup, taken in her late twenties.  Some of the more cynical among you might suggest that, as gorgeous as her natural look was then, there's no way she could still look great makeup-free in middle age.

I beg to differ.

  

As the above photo shows, Ms. Johnson clearly hadn't lost any of her beauty over time.  And the picture of her below, showing her holding a baby, pretty much seconds the motion.

The baby, I believe, is her grandchild.  One could be forgiven for thinking that Ms. Johnson is the mother and not the grandmother. :-D 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Beverly Johnson

The shirt has pictures of objects on it, including an upside-down car.  The necklace is made of oversized yellow beads.  The belt is a yellowish color that doesn't exactly match the necklace. This is not an ensemble a woman would want to go out wearing in public.

Unless, her name is Beverly Johnson, and she has a soft, beautiful face and a stunningly sexy smile.     

Face it, Ms. Johnson could make a burlap sack look great. :-D 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Yasmine Guenancia

Here are two more pictures of German model Yasmine Guenancia back when her last name was Sokal and her modeling career was at a peak and still rising. The 1977 editorial photo below finds our heroine on the balcony of a New York skyscraper, with the Pan Am (now MetLife) and Chrysler buildings in the background.  

Based on the positioning of the two notable skyscrapers, I'm guessing that the above picture was taken somewhere near Columbus Circle.  Assuming, of course, the backdrop is real and not a picture itself. :-D

But Yasmine Guenancia didn't need a backdrop to command the foreground, as she demonstrates in the photo below, cigarette holder in hand.

I normally don't feature pictures with smoking paraphernalia, but in this case I'm willing to make an exception.

With her determined look and her ravishing auburn hair, there was no pose Yasmine Sokal Guenancia couldn't pull off. :-) 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Karen Graham

Another Estée Lauder modeling legend.  I always love returning to Karen Graham on this blog. :-)

Karen Graham did many arresting Lauder ads photographed in black and white by Victor Skrebneski, but she also did some color photos for the Lauder campaign as well.  Ironically, this color ad calls more attention to her white outfit than any non-neutral color in this composition.

But then, that seems appropriate, as it's from a 1983 ad for "White Linen" perfume. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Kathy Davis

Kathy Davis always did have a way of striking a pose in her modeling career. :-)

Looking over her bare left shoulder was certainly one of her best examples of that talent. :-D

This photo is from a Maybelline ad that appeared in 1979, when Kathy Davis was at the height of her career.  You want beauty?  There's no question that Kathy Davis was born with it. :-)   

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Shaun Casey

And here's the other Estée Lauder sweetheart from the 1980s, Shaun Casey!

In addition to her four-year stint (beginning in 1981) as an Estée Lauder spokesmodel - this picture is in fact taken from a Lauder ad, showing Ms. Casey looking very nautical - she appeared on several fashion magazine covers.  

I have also mentioned that she was in Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall as the girlfriend of Paul Simon's character.  Her character was named . . . Shaun.  Not making that up.  

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Willow Bay

It was thirty years ago as of this writing - 1985 - that Kristine Carlin "Willow" Bay was introduced to the world as Estée Lauder's spokesmodel, a gig that lasted four years.  I last feted her here in March 2012.

The photo above is from one of her first Lauder ads, and it was immediately apparent - maybe it was the soft smile?  the chestnut-brown hair? the way she pulled off wearing purple eye shadow? - that she was a woman of many a man's dream.  The dream came true for Disney CEO Robert Iger, whom she married in 1995.  (Iger was then an ABC vice president.)  

But don't think of Willow Bay as a trophy wife; she's very much her own woman.  As explained earlier on this blog, she went on to have a successful journalism career, with TV stints at both CNN and Bloomberg Television and as a senior editor for the Huffington Post.  Her current job is less glamorous then being a Lauder model or a TV reporter, but no less noteworthy; she's the director of  the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.

And even though she hasn't modeled for the longest time, she still looks beautiful, as this photo from 2011 demonstrates.

Oh yeah, here's Ms. Bay with Robert Iger, her trophy husband. ;-)

He made Time magazine's Time 100 list for 2015, I'm led to understand . . .. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect, Another June Model Edition: Anna Anderson

It's been a long time since I last featured Anna Anderson on this blog - too long! (Not since 2010.) This gorgeous photo of one of the coolest of the cool blonde cover girls of the seventies and eighties should make up for that long wait. :-)

Red and gold are the obvious color scheme here, from her outfit and jewelry (wow, that earring is so regal) right down to her lipstick.  But Anna Anderson, masterful at striking the right expression for the camera, looks stunning in any ensemble. 

The Beauty of Retrospect: Another June Model Edition!

In 2014 I devoted the entire month of June to looks back at fashion and beauty models I'd already featured, so in June 2015 I'm doing . . . the exact same thing.  Go figure.

Actually, there are two good reasons why I'm doing this again this June.  First, I'm still ahead of myself with regard to new subjects, so I need to slow the pace a little more without letting this blog go completely dormant.  Revisiting earlier subjects is a good way to do that.  Second, I've had some of the pictures I'm about to present in my files for some time, along with some new pictures that I'd like to show you have since come up.  One such picture, which you will see toward the end of the month, didn't even exist in June 2014; it was taken later.

So, with that all explained, I plan to start this round of model retrospectives tomorrow.  Tune in then, and keep doing so throughout the month.