Fashion Reverie looks back at one of the first supermodels, Dorian Leigh. An alluring beauty, Dorian Leigh Parker stood only 5`5 and was 27 years of age when she started her career as a model in 1944. By 1946 she had seven Vogue covers to her credit, and over the next six years Leigh had added an additional 50 magazine covers to her impressive resume.
The legendary Diana Vreeland, then at Harper’s Bazaar, helped launch Dorian Leigh’s career by having her pose for the cover of Harper’s Bazaar early in her career. At her peak, Leigh earned over $300,000 a year, an extremely large sum of money for a model in the 1940s and 50s.
Dorian Leigh’s iconic Revlon “Fire and Ice” campaign nail polish and lipstick campaign, photographed by Richard Avedon has become a Madison Avenue legend. “Dorian was truly the best model of our time,” related Eileen Ford to the Roanoke Times in 1997. “She instinctively knew what every photographer wanted, and she came alive just at the moment the shutter clicked.”
Primarily a print model—during the 1940s and 50s runway modeling paid a lot less and was considered work beneath print and advertising campaigns—Dorian Leigh was photographed by some of the most influential photographers of the day including Irving Penn, Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, John Rawlings, and Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Some of her famous advertising campaigns included “Cherries in the Snow,” “Fashion Plate,” ”Ultraviolet,” and “Sheer Dynamite.”
A friend of Truman Capote, Dorian Leigh was the inspiration for Holly Golightly, the protagonist in Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. And like the Holly Golightly character, Leigh was sexually liberated, evidenced through her five marriages and many romances.
Dorian Leigh died in a Falls River, Virginia nursing home in 2008 at the age of 91.
—Staff
It’s an awesome piece of writing for all the internet users;
they will obtain advantage from it I am sure.
I think this is among the most vital information for me. And i
am glad reading your article. But want to remark on
few general things, The website style is wonderful, the articles is really excellent
: D. Good job, cheers
I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.
The sketch is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish.
nonetheless, you command get got an edginess over that you wish
be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield
this hike.
great post, very informative. I wonder why
the opposite specialists of this sector don’t understand this.
You must continue your writing. I am confident, you have a huge
readers’ base already!
Wow, superb layout! The full glance of your website is excellent, let alone the
content!
Every weekend i used to pay a visit this
web site, for the reason that i want enjoyment,
for the reason that this this web page conations really
fastidious funny data too.
You’ve made some good points there. I checked on the web to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your
views on this website.
It’s impressive that you are getting ideas from this piece of writing as well as from our dialogue made at this place.
Hey there! I’ve been following your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the excellent work!