The Beauty of Retrospect: Yet Another Model Trio!

In the late sixties and early seventies, an up-and-coming generation of black fashion models had to assert themselves and fight hard for equal representation in fashion and beauty ads and fashion shows.  Alva Chinn, whom I featured earlier this month (November 2015) and who is a friend of mine, was one of those trailblazers. And she paved the way for subsequent generations of black models to follow their own paths in the modeling profession.  Here she is with two of them.

The seventies fashion and beauty legend is flanked by two women she no doubt inspired: Januel McKenzie on the left, and Shelby Coleman on the right.  I originally featured them earlier in 2015.

These two ladies have Alva Chinn to thank for their successes, and the warm expressions on their lovely faces show that they know it.  This is a sweet picture, a warm tribute to the black models of today and the woman who helped make their careers possible, here shown literally embracing her legacy. 

Januel McKenzie and Shelby Coleman couldn't have posed with a more generous, giving woman. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Margrit Ramme

Margrit Ramme remains a model I never get tired of showing here.

But, then, how could I ever tire of her, with  her wavy blonde hair, her Teutonic coolness, and her ability to shine in any photograph, be it color or black-and-white?

She always looks beautiful, in any modeling assignment, be it editorial or commercial.  And her come-hither quality never fails to come thrtough, whether she's striking a coy pose in a photo like the picture above, from a 1977 ad for (psst!) ladies' undergarments . . .  

. . . or whether she's turning on the seductiveness in this ad for Chloé perfume. :-)

She's still, after all this time, one of my favorite models ever. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Beverly Johnson, Close Up

And personal. :-)

I am always happy to revisit Beverly Johnson, one of my all-time favorite models.  Her closeups are probably her best shots, because the camera loves her perfect face and high cheekbones.

Sigihing yet, boys? :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Kenya Moore

I first featured Kenya Moore in March 2009.

Since then, she's continued to appear in movies, and she's also produced a few movies as the owner of the company Moore Vision Media.

Oh, she's also appearing in a reality show, I'm led to understand.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Alva Chinn

Alva Chinn is a model I love to revisit on this blog, given her formidable portfolio. :-)

For all of the exciting glamour she projects in the many stunning dresses and gowns she models, she looks just as stunning in a simpler ensemble like the one above, as well as in a Calvin Klein outfit as seen below (photographed by Rico Puhlmann).

For Alva Chinn, it's hard not to look beautiful;. :-)

Full disclosure: She's a friend of mine. 

The Beauty of Retrospect, Special Post: Kate Winslet!

When I posted a retrospective of Kate Winslet in September 2015, I mentioned some of her current and most recent movie projects, but one such project somehow escaped my notice.

She stars in Steve Jobs, a movie about the computer genius of that name, which opened in the U.S. in October 2015.  Ms. Winslet plays Joanna Hoffman, the marketing executive who worked with jobs on the team behind the Apple Macintosh PC.

From what I understand, she's gotten very good reviews.  But, of course!  :-) 

The Beauty of Anonymity: Clairol Model

I found this picture of a model for Clairol on an ad (from 2015) featuring coupons for the product being advertised - conditioner, or something like that.

She has a striking look, which, despite the fact that I don't know her name, was enough reason for me to feature her here, as my 930th subject.

So who is she?  What's her background?  What is, in fact, her name?  If you know the answers to these questions, please feel free to leave a comment on this post. :-)

Back soon - I'm finishing out the month of November with more retrospectives.    

Model Jennifer Woods

Jennifer Woods is a model from the 1980s with platinum-blonde hair and platinum-blonde looks. :-) 

Based in England, she was represented by the Freddie's agency in London for much of the decade.  She appeared in different sorts of ads in Europe in the eighties, including a print ad for the Nissan Silvia coupe (called the 200SX in the U.S.) 

Actress Allison Williams

Allison Williams is a young actress who's making a name for herself in both cable and broadcast television.

She plays Marnie Michaels on the HBO series "Girls," one of the many supportive friends of aspiring Brooklyn writer Hannah Horvath (played by Lena Dunham).  Marnie starts out as an art gallery assistant who pursues her own dream of making it in music.

Allison Williams made it in music on broadcast television when she played the title role in a live production of the musical Peter Pan (with Christopher Walken as Captain Hook) in December 2014, the second of NBC's first-Thursday-in-December live stage shows, which the network hopes will become a holiday tradition.

Fun fact:  Allison Williams is the daughter of NBC News anchorman Brian Williams.  After seeing her dad as a guest on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," I'm willing to bet that she gets her performing smarts from him. :-)     

Model Valerie Robinson

Valerie Robinson is model from the 1980s, and she appeared in both editorials and ads.

She was represented by the prestigious Zoli agency in New York.

One of her editorial assignments was for an article titled "The Healthy Hair Regimen."  But you probably figured as much. :-)  

The Beauty of Retrospect, Special Birthday Post: Famke Janssen!

Famke Janssen, a model who made the successful transition to acting, and whom I've featured here before, celebrates her fiftieth birthday today.

And so do I! :-D

I know some sites say she was born in 1964, but her birth year is listed elsewhere as 1965, so I'm obviously going with that. ;-)   

Happy birthday to my astrological twin!

She recently joined the cast of the American TV series "How To Get Away With Murder."  

Kait Parker of The Weather Channel

Kait Parker is one of the lovely female meteorologists on the Weather Channel who's warm and sunny even when the forecast isn't.

The Texas native served as a morning on-camera weather forecaster at both WAKA-TV in Montgomery, Alabama and WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Fun fact:  Ms. Parker earned a bachelor's degree in atmospheric science from the University of Missouri and then went back to her alma mater to teach a course on storm chasing.