Although I dislike the term "supermodel," it might actually apply very appropriately to Marie Helvin.
That should be obvious. :-D
Marie Helvin was a top model in the 1970s, appearing on the cover of the British edition of Vogue numerous times and working together on photographic projects with her then-husband, British photographer David Bailey (he was married to Catherine Deneuve in the late sixties, for those keeping track).
Though an American by upbringing - she was born in Tokyo to an American serviceman and a Japanese translator and raised in Hawaii - Marie Helvin made a name for herself in London. She married Bailey in 1975 after having done a session with him; the marriage lasted a decade.
After leaving mainstream modeling, Marie Helvin remained in the U.K. She became a Jill of all trades, and she mastered just about all of them. She became a broadcaster, covering books, travel, and other subjects, and she also produced a health and fitness video and launched a line of bodywear and swimwear. She's become something of a fashion institution in the United Kingdom, and she appeared on the cover of the British edition of Vogue as recently as 2007. She was 55 at the time.
Thanks Steve for suggesting I search for Marie on your blog. Indeed you did a post about her and an excellant one at that. Quite a remarkable woman is Marie. I never get tired of seeing her pictures. Hers and another Eurasian model from the 70s/80s named Vivienne Lynne from London who is only known in Europe alas.
ReplyDeleteIts so unfortunate that Marie lost a substantial amount of her hard earned money to the Maddof scandal. I read somewhere she said she had to put off retirement and go back to work.
I hope Marie Helvin is doing better these days . . . a damn shame about what happened. Vivienne Lynne? I'll have to look her up on Google! :-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with research on Vivienne Lynn. Not much about her on Google just some pictures. Her pretty face was hugely successful in the 70s/80s. She was an original Blitz kid during the New Wave era and even dated David Bowie for a shortwhile. Then one day she disappeared from the media scene. I'm told she had a child and now lives a quite life in Sussex England and teaches painting away and far from the madding crowd. There's just this one rare video of her on You Tube. Cheers Steve!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CgsSpaEGr0
Cool video! Wonderful profile! :-)
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