Pictures of Beautiful Women

Fashion model Beverly Lee

2012-01-31T13:27:00.000-05:00

Beverly Lee is to models of East Asian decent what Naomi Sims and Beverly Johnson are to black models or what Laura Alvarez is to Latina models. By that, I mean that she opened doors in the modeling trade for women of her own ethnicity. She made it possible for East Asian (or Oriental, an archaic term) women to be seen as having modeling potential . . . and become top models themselves.

The black-and-white picture above, which features Beverly Lee in a maillot and striking a stunning, glamorous pose by sitting on something as incredibly utilitarian as a bathroom sink, and the color photo below showing her modeling another maillot, ought to make it obvious why she was such a trail blazer in modeling. Her beauty was too extraordinary to be denied.

She modeled for Christian Dior, the Natori loungewear store, and Macy's, along other clients, and she was a top runway model in the 1970s. Despite her breakthrough, though, her Asian background would sometimes be played up in a stereotypical manner.

Nevertheless, the impression Beverly Lee left on modeling was as undeniable as her beauty.

She had a Web site devoted to advice for aspiring models, using her own career as an example, but it has since been retired.

Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi

2012-01-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

Rinko Kikuchi is a recognizable presence to art house film fans in America as well as to moviegoers in her home country of Japan.

She appeared in several Japanese movies before receiving international attention as a deaf-mute girl in director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel in 2006, receiving an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to appear in The Brothers Bloom, A Rachel Weisz-Adrien Brody carer in which she played a character that only knows . . . three words of English. :-O

As of this writing , Rinko Kikuchi's most recent film is Norwegian Wood, a coming-of-age movie set in late-'60s Japan.

Media personality Claudia Jordan

2012-01-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

Claudia Jordan is a popular figure in contemporary "hip" culture.

A former Miss USA contestant and an occasional actress, she hosts her own program on Sirius XM satellite radio.

She gets her exotic looks from her black father and her Italian mother.

Actress Marg Helgenberger

2012-01-23T11:45:00.001-05:00

After twelve years as investigation supervisor Catherine Willows on the TV series "CSI," Marg Helgenberger is leaving the show this month.

Marg Helgenberger has practically become an institution on American television. In addition to "CSI," she's also known for playing part-time prostitute K.C. Koloski on ABC's "China Beach," for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

The Nebraska-born actress is also getting the 2,458th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for 2012, recognizing her work in television.

Fun fact: She also played a minor character (named Suzanne) in the 1982 movie Tootsie.

Television actress Erin Gray

2012-01-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

What defines feminine beauty isn't a case of black and white, and so it's time to visit a Gray area. :-D

Mention Erin Gray to anyone who remembers television in the early 1980s, and you're bound to get a smile like Ms. Gray's own. She left an indelible impression in two different shows, as Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction series "Buck Rogers In the 25th Century" and as Kate Summers, personal assistant to and romantic interest of an eccentric toy manufacturer, in the sitcom "Silver Spoons."

She also was a spokeswoman for the Bloomingdale's department store, appearing in several of their TV ads. She didn't so much deliver the store's tagline - "It's like no other store in the world" - as she purred it. :-)

Now a casting agent and still active somewhat as an actress, Erin Gray turned 62 in January 2012.

Model Lisa Forbes

2012-01-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Lisa Forbes is another model from the 1980s.

Between 1983 and 1987, she worked in Paris, first the affiliated with then Paris Planning Women agency, then with the Glamour agency.

She later modeled through Elite's Model Management and Runaway divisions in New York.

Amended Rules

2012-01-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

There's no pictorial post today as a protest against the Internet anti-piracy bills being considered by the U.S. Congress, but I have amended my rules list governing who can appear on this blog. Click on "Criteria, Rules and Standards" in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the new language.

Model-turned-restauranteur Carolyn Effer

2012-01-16T21:17:00.000-05:00

Carolyn Effer is another stylish fashion model from the 1980s.

Originally from Toronto, she modeled through both the Zoli and Wilhelmina agencies in New York. She co-founded the seafood/barbecue restaurant Live Bait in the city's Flatiron district in 1987. The restaurant is still in business today.

I don't know if she's still a co-owner, though.

Fun fact: Carolyn Effer is married to dance-pop producer John "Jellybean" Benitez, whose previous significant other was some single-named disco diva who pretty much used him on her way to the top. Carolyn Effer was clearly a step up from his earlier partner.

I'm sure Robin Wright and Annette Bening would agree. ;-)

TV newswoman Faith Daniels

2012-01-14T13:39:00.000-05:00

Remember Faith Daniels? She was a popular presence on TV at the same time as Arsenio Hall. :-)

Faith Daniels was the news reader for NBC's "Today" show from 1990 to 1992 and also had her own afternoon news program, "A Closer Look," at about the same time. She also anchored the now-defunct "NBC News at Sunrise, and she appeared on "Dateline NBC" from 1993 to 1995.

Although exclusively associated with NBC, she actually began her career her career on national television when she joined CBS News as the anchor of the CBS Morning News in the spring of 1985. She was one of the youngest news anchors in American television history, having started at the age of 27. She had previously worked in stations in Wheeling, West Virginia and Peoria, Illinois.

Alas, Faith Daniels left broadcast journalism in the mid-nineties, and today she is a strong supporter of the National Council for Adoption.

Television actress Kaley Cuoco

2012-01-11T10:43:00.001-05:00

Kaley Cuoco is another young actress making waves on American television.

Having played Bridget in the early-2000s sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (which had its title shortened to "8 Simple Rules" because the original title was ironically too complicated), and having played Billie Jenkins on the supernatural drama series "Charmed," she was already well known when she was cast in "The Big Bang Theory," a sitcom that has been on CBS since 2007.

On "The Big Bang Theory," Kaley Cuoco plays Penny, a beautiful and socially savvy watiress who aspires to be an actress. Penny befriends and interacts with her two nerdy neighbors who work at the California Institute of Technology. It's a classic beauty-and-the-geeks setup.

Kaely Cuoco hosts the 2012 People's Choice Awards tonight. No word yet on whether this will be a permanent gig for her. The host for the past several years has been . . . some obnoxious Jersey chick whose name escapes me at the moment.

Actress Sandra Bullock

2012-01-09T09:50:00.001-05:00

Sandra Bullock seemingly catapulted to fame overnight in the mid-nineties with high-profile roles in two movies, 1994's action thriller Speed and the 1995 comedy While You Were Sleeping. In fact, she had been toiling in minor roles in minor films for seven years or so by that time.

Since then, she has appeared in movies as diverse as the lightweight comedy Miss Congeniality and the ensemble drama Crash. She became one of the most ubiquitous actresses in the 2000s, easily becoming one of America's sweethearts. :-)

A lightweight comedy and a serious drama made her even more visible in 2009, when she starred in The Proposal (a comedy that also featured a scene-stealing performance from Betty White) and the docudrama The Blind Side, about black Baltimore Ravens football star Michael Oher. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne Touhy, the white interior decorator who became Oher's legal guardian. The former movie got Bullock a Teen Choice award for Best Romantic Comedy Actress; the latter got her a more prestigious award . . . the Best Actress Oscar.

For such a big star, Sandra Bullock is refreshingly modest. There's nothing about her that says, "Look at me, I'm Sandra B." ;-) She doesn't go around making a point of how lovely and talented she is.

That's why I'm here. :-D

Carol Alt In Pinstripes

2012-01-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist adding one more shot of Carol Alt . . . for now.

Here she is in a pinstripe blazer, which only goes to show that she looks great in just about anything.

Oh, Carol! :-)

Two Faces of Carol Alt

2012-01-06T10:15:00.001-05:00

And they're both gorgeous. :-)

The color picture above is a closeup of Carol Alt at her most glamorous, with a broad smile that can light up a room. The picture below is a Francesco Scavullo black-and-white shot of her without makeup.

Her smile here is no less captivating, and she seems to be asking, with her her expression, "What do you think of the real me?"

I think I've made my answer clear by including this wonderful photo on my blog. :-)

Fashion model Carol Alt

2012-01-04T11:03:00.001-05:00

No blog focusing on beautiful women would be complete without including Carol Alt, and I feature her today with great enthusiasm. :-)

Carol Alt, as the leading brunette model of the 1980s, was one of those women whom other women wanted to emulate and men wanted to date. This was made clear by the magazine covers of the magazines she graced; in addition to appearing on Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Mademoiselle, she also appeared on the cover of the 1981 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue (as seen below).

The Queens-born model also appeared in numerous ad campaigns and was a runway model for Ralph Lauren. Eventually she tried her hand at acting, and while she hasn't been a big Hollywood presence, she found a very receptive audience in Italy, acting in several movies and TV shows there and learning to speak fluent Italian in the process.

More recently, she's become an expert in raw foods and has written guides to eating raw. She's also written two novels inspired by her original line of work, "This Year's Model" and "Model, Incorporated."

Fun fact: An avid hockey fan, Carol Alt was married to New York Rangers star Ron Greschner for twelve years (1984 to 1996).

The Beauty of Retrospect, Special Post: Kathy Davis, 1975

2012-01-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hold on, everyone, I have last-minute entry for my latest collection of retrospective pictures. I am happy once again to feature the lovely Kathy Davis - in septuplicate! :-)

That's right, an ad featuring seven images of Kathy Davis, in which she promoted Psssssst, a Clairol-produced "instant spray shampoo" to be used between hair washings for clean hair every day of the week . . . and your life, as the ad copy says. This ad appeared in women's magazines in 1975.

I don't know if this product is still around, but Kathy Davis, still an event planner and blog writer in Los Angeles, certainly is. :-)

Happy new year, everyone. I'll be back soon with another round of new subjects . . . starting with my 529th woman on this blog.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Charlize Theron

2011-12-31T10:14:00.001-05:00

When I originally featured Charlize Theron, the South African beauty was working on the movie Battle In Seattle, about anti-World Trade Organization protests in that city in 1999. The movie has since been released, of course ,and it got decent notices.

Since then, she's done movies such as The Burning Plain (which got her a Saturn Award nomination), The Road, and most recently, Young Adult, about a woman who returns to her hometown to recapture the glory days of her high school experience. The movie pairs her with, of all people, Patton Oswalt.

She's already received six acting nominations from various critics' boards and academies, and the Oscar nominations, as of this writing, haven't even been announced yet.

Thus concludes my current retrospect of women I've previously featured, just in time for the new year. I'll be back soon with a fresh A-Z round. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Sara Kapp

2011-12-29T21:26:00.000-05:00

Pictures from the portfolio of the stately, stunning Sara Kapp are hard to come by, but I've found more than a few with a little diligence. This is the ninth picture I've found of her, from an old issue of Vogue.

Sara Kapp inspired a line of mannequins, so it seems appropriate that she poses here with tailor's dummies.

Full disclosure requires me to state that I know one of the New Jersey-raised Ms. Kapp's childhood friends, and I am also connected to Ms. Kapp via a social network, though I've never met her in person. (She lives in Italy now.)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Sheila Johnson

2011-12-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

It's hard to talk about modeling in the 1980s without mentioning Sheila Johnson.

Known for her Napier jewelry ads (which I've featured here before), she modeled for several clients throughout the decade.

She even dabbled in acting, with a small role in the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Whitney Houston

2011-12-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

On this Christmas Day, what better woman to revisit on this blog than the star of the The Preacher's Wife, the 1990s remake of The Bishop's Wife?

Whitney Houston continues to try to get her performing career back on track after years of derailings caused by her personal destructive behavior. Never mind that - let's hope for happier times for her in the future.

The above picture is from 1984, from happier times past - and a year before she released her debut pop album.

Earlier in 2011, it was announced that Houston will produce and star in a remake of the 1976 movie Sparkle, about a trio of sisters who go from singing gospel to becoming a successful girl group on the pop charts.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Catherine Deneuve

2011-12-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

I can't revisit women I've featured before on this blog without revisiting Catherine Deneuve. And, of course, despite her starring roles in movies such as La Chamade, Indochine, and countless others, you can't talk about Catherine Deneuve without talking about . . .her Chanel ads from the seventies.

Yes, it's a pity that many Americans only know Catherine Deneuve for her ads for Chanel No. 5, while accepting the "talents" of other "actresses" at face value, but in a truly horrible world, no one in this republic would have heard of Catherine Deneuve at all.

The above print ad is from 1977.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Alva Chinn

2011-12-22T22:17:00.000-05:00

I diverged from my alphabetical order in this retrospective break to honor Eva Voorhees on her birthday, so now I go back to the letter "C" . . . which gives me a perfect opportunity to revisit Alva Chinn! (The photo immediately below is from 1983.)

I mentioned earlier that Alva Chinn helped break racial barriers at a famous 1973 fashion show in France. It's funny . . . I've never really seen race when looking at pictures of Alva Chinn. I've never seen her as a beautiful black woman. I've only seen her as a beautiful woman.

And, as you can clearly comprehend from this recent picture of her - taken in 2011 - I still do. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Eva Voorhees

2011-12-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

I want to revisit a special woman for a special occasion - veteran fashion model Eva Voorhees celebrates her birthday today. (Never mind which birthday.)

Eva Voorhees left her home state of California and went to New York City, where her modeling career took off. Although she became famous in the international modeling world, she also did some modeling for local interests in the Big Apple. Both of the pictures here are from department store ads from New York magazine.

The black-and-white photo is from a 1982 Macy's ad, and the color photo is from a 1981 Saks Fifth Avenue ad. Mind you, these are from before Macy's and Saks became national brand names.

What a nice way to honor a birthday girl. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Cynthia Bailey

2011-12-19T16:13:00.003-05:00

I revisit a model I've featured before with two astonishing photos.

When I first saw the picture below on the cover of a magazine - specifically, the June 1995 edition of Essence - I was breathless, speechless, and all that other incredible stuff you feel when confronted with the image of a woman who's beyond beautiful. :-)

The woman in question is Cynthia Bailey, an Alabama native who took the modeling world by storm in the nineties. This cover photo made the June 1995 issue of Essence one of the hottest-selling issues of the magazine in its entire history.

In addition to several editorial assignments, Cynthia Bailey has done ads for Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and too many other clients to list.

And if you think she looked gorgeous in 1995, you should see how she looks in 2011 - just look at the next picture!

She currently appears on a reality show, "Real Housewives of Atlanta," and she lives in Georgia's capital with her daughter Noelle.

The Latest Numbers

2011-12-18T21:25:00.000-05:00

I have now posted pictures of 528 different women on this blog.

For the remaining two weeks of the year, I'll be revisiting women I've already featured here, and I'll likely begin another A-Z set of new subjects after January 1. And, despite my long-ago suggestion that I might present another set devoted to dancers sooner rather than later, it looks like I'm going to be sticking with featuring dancers every other December, in even-numbered years.

Sorry.

Brazilian model Natalia Zambiasi

2011-12-17T22:25:00.001-05:00

Brazil, a country that's as ethnically diverse as the United States - maybe even more so - has produced a very diverse group of supermodels over the years. The latest Brazilian beauty to fall into this tradition is Natalia Zambiazi.

Born in 1990, she hails from Carizinho, a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. She is with AMZ, a modeling agency in her native country.

Finding downloadable pictures of her is very difficult. It seems the Brazilians want to keep her to themselves as much as possible. :-)

Model Wendy Young

2011-12-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

Wendy Young is a fashion model from the mid-1980s.

She was represented by the Reinhard agency in Philadelphia.

Actress Yan Xi

2011-12-12T11:03:00.001-05:00

You may not have heard of Yan Xi yet. But you probably will very soon. The New York-based actress has played walk-on and bit parts in several TV shows, as well as parts in indie films and short movies like Piyali's Password, Public Interest, and, more recently, an intriguing short film titled Cerise. She is definitely an actress who's on her way to a big career.

She's also been in several theater productions, including one of Agamemnon for the Georgetown Theatre Company

For more about Yan Xi, go to her Web site. :-)

Actress Reese Witherspoon

2011-12-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

In the movie Water for Elephants, a drama set in a traveling circus in the 1930s, the hero, Jacob (played by Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame) tells his love interest, a performer named Marlena, "You're a beautiful woman. You deserve a beautiful life."

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, who played Marlena (she is depicted above in that role), is a beautiful woman who has had a beautiful life. She made her big cinema debut as Dani Trant, a teenager in love with an older boy, in another period drama, 1991's The Man in the Moon, set in 1950s Louisiana. In 1999, her performance as an overachieving candidate for high school student body president in Election won her eight nominations for her acting as well as three awards from film critics societies, including the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Actress.

She went on to do some lighthearted fare, including the role of society girl-turned-law student Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and in Legally Blonde 2 - Red White and Blonde, a sequel that took Elle to Washington as a congressional aide.

Ms. Witherspoon, who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, has appeared in Cruel Intentions, a modern film adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, as well as in a 2002 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Bering Earnest. Her performance as June Carter Cash in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line earned her seventeen awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Fun fact: Reese Witherspoon is a descendant of New Jersey patriot and Declaration of Independence signer John Witherspoon.

Model Marcia Turnier

2011-12-05T13:55:00.000-05:00

Marcia Turnier is a fashion model from the 1980s, and like most models of that decade, she had a stunning and unique look all her own.

She was represented by the Zoli agency in New York.

Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski

2011-12-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

Yvonne Strahovski appears to have given a new meaning to the term "saucy Aussie." ;-)

The daughter of Polish immigrants to Australia, she grew up in the state of New South Wales. Having appeared in many TV shows Down Under, Yvonne Strahovski has made a big splash in the United States thanks largely to her role as CIA agent Sarah Walker in the NBC series "Chuck."

Sarah recruits the title character, a computer expert working as a clerk in a big-box electronics store, into secret agent service after he's received an e-mail from an old friend working for the CIA that has embedded the last remaining copy of America's biggest spy secrets into his brain. The show follows Chuck and his relationship with Sarah and with John Casey of the National Security Agency.

As of this writing, the series is in its fifth - and final - season.

Model Maggie Rizer

2011-11-30T12:23:00.002-05:00

Maggie Rizer is as resilient as she is gorgeous.

The Staten Island-born blonde beauty was one of the hottest models at the turn of the millennium, having appeared in ad campaigns for the Gap,Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and several other fashion brands. But in the middle of the two thousand zeroes, her stepfather mishandled her money and left Maggie and her family financially ruined.

She's made a big comeback in the modeling world, though, appearing in ads for Dooney and Bourke as well as for L.L. Bean's SIGNATURE line. She's also an AIDS activist.

She married a businessman, Alex Mehran. Now living in California, Maggie Rizer has become a mom, having given birth to a son (Zander, short for Alexander) on November 23, 2011. :-)

And she still has the look. :-)

Stage musical actress Jill Paice

2011-11-28T21:10:00.001-05:00

Jill Paice is a popular stage musical performer on Broadway, the West End and even Los Angeles.

She originated the role of Niki Harris in Curtains, the last Kander and Ebb musical, in Los Angeles and reprised the role on Broadway in New York. She also played Scarlett O'Hara in a London West End musical adaptation of Gone With The Wind.

Ms. Paice, who is originally from Ohio, is also known for playing the role of Betty Haynes in the musical White Christmas in a national tour.

Television reporter Erin Moriarty

2011-11-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

Erin Moriarty has been a reporter for CBS-TV's investigative news show "48 Hours" since 1990.

Although she had worked steadily as a reporter in the eighties for local stations, including a three-year stint at WMAQ-TV in Chicago as a consumer reporter, her background is in law; she holds a law degree from Ohio State University. She joined CBS in 1986 and was a consumer correspondent for the network's morning and evening news shows before joining "48 Hours."

Actress Lisa LoCicero

2011-11-23T11:05:00.001-05:00

Lisa LoCicero is an actress who has been a presence on American television for a long time.

Although she's had bit parts in movies, she's best known for playing Olivia Falconeri on the ABC daytime drama "General Hospital." She's also played one-shot characters and recurring roles on TV in everything from "Without a Trace" to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Model Gail Kendrick

2011-11-20T21:14:00.002-05:00

Gail Kendrick is another high-profile fashion model from the 1980s, having been represented by both the Zoli and HV agencies in New York in that decade.

She was not as big a name as other 1980s fashion models, though she did appear on the November 1982 issue of Glamour. The cover, depicted below, is the only color photo of Ms. Kendrick that I have found . . .

. . . though she looks great in any photographic medium. :-)

I don't normally show magazine covers - too much text getting in the way - but in this case, I am willing to make an exception.

Model Nancy Jenks

2011-11-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Nancy Jenks is a fashion model who was active in the late 1980s.

She was represented by the Reinhard agency in Philadelphia.

New Pages

2011-11-18T23:16:00.001-05:00

Switching to a new template for this blog has enabled me to include features the old template didn't have, such as a dropdown menu for my archives, which was the primary reason for the switch. But I also have among other new features the ability to create separate pages for this blog. So far I have already created two.

The first is a set of criteria that I originally posted as a blog entry in November 2006 and updated in subsequent entries. The original posts were difficult to access once they were archived, but now, with a new page spelling out my rules for who gets featured on this blog and who doesn't, this information is instantly accessible. Rather than search for it, anyone can refer to it by clicking on the "Criteria, Rules and Standards" link, which is in the upper-right-hand corner of the home page.

Now for the inevitable question: Am I going to create pages devoted to specific women, or women in specific professions? My short answer is no, not yet. My long answer is that I don't know. Theoretically, I suppose I could build an entire page devoted to, say, 1970s model Karen Graham. But why should I? All of the pictures I have ever featured of her are in the archives, easily found by entering her name in the search field in the extreme upper-left-hand corner of the home page. To feature them again on a separate page would seem redundant. Having said that, I have not ruled out creating separate pages for specific pictures. That might be a possibility in the future. But for now, I'm going to keep posting previously uncollected pictures on my home page, as I've been doing since I started this blog.

Thank you for your time.

Actress Natasha Henstridge

2011-11-17T11:06:00.001-05:00

With her blonde hair, voluptuous figure, and broad smile, Natasha Henstridge could easily be a model, and in the early nineties, she was just that. Eventually, though, she switched to an acting career.

The Canadian-born Henstridge (she's from Newfoundland) has appeared in many movies, among them Species and The Whole Nine Yards.

She's also appeared on television, in miniseries such as "Jason and the Argonauts," as well as regular shows like the ABC legal drama "Eli Stone." Currently she appears in the CW supernatural drama "The Secret Circle," as the principal of a high school with a cadre of witches.

She married British singer-songwriter and actor Darius Campbell in February 2011.

Actress/dancer Kearran Giovanni

2011-11-14T10:53:00.002-05:00

Kearran Giovanni is certainly one of the comeliest actresses on daytime television, having played Dr. Vivian Wright on ABC's "One Life To Live" since June 2009. But she's also a regular on the big stage as well as the small screen.

She's performed on Broadway in productions of Catch Me If You Can, Guys and Dolls, and Sweet Charity, among other shows.

She became part of the ensemble cast in Hugh Jackman's Back On Broadway show, running through January 1, 2012.

New Look

2011-11-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

I had to abandon the classic rose template I had been using for five years on this blog . . . and not because I wanted to. The old template had been incompatible with the new features on Blogger.com, and as long as I used it, I could not add new links easily, and I could not add any other features if I so desired. Also, I wanted a dropdown menu for my monthly archives, as the appearance of sixty different links - one for each month up to now - was looking cumbersome and unwieldy. I liked the look of the old template, but it looks like I'll have to get used to the new template I chose.

There isn't much in the way of viable alternatives.

So on I go, to my 515th beautiful woman . . .

Political commentator Laura Flanders

2011-11-13T20:22:00.001-05:00

Laura Flanders is one of the most fearless and outspoken political commentators in the news media today.

An unabashed liberal, Ms. Flanders has appeared on MSNBC founded and hosts GRITtv, which can be seen on Link and Free Speech TV. She writes for The Nation and The Huffington Post, and her new TV show "The Laura Flanders Show" debuts on public television stations in the fall of 2011. Her Web site is here.

Fun fact: Alexander Cockburn, the "Beat the Devil" columnist for The Nation, is her uncle.

Actress Dana Delany

2011-11-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

Dana Delany seemed to come out of nowhere when she first appeared as Army nurse Colleen McMurphy in the ABC-TV Vietnam War series "China Beach." in 1988. But she was most certainly not an overnight success; she had been working as an actress in small roles for fourteen years before then.

Despite its initial popularity - and an Emmy for its star - "China Beach" eventually suffered in the ratings and was canceled in 1991. The series was done, but Dana Delany wasn't.

Since then she's appeared in movies such as Light Sleeper and Fly Away Home. She played Katherine Mayfair in "Desperate Housewives" for 64 episodes, and she now plays Dr. Megan Hunt, a neurosurgeon who becomes a medical examiner after an accident causes loss of dexterity in her hands, in the series "Body Of Proof."

Actress Sarah Chalke

2011-11-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

Sarah Chalke is a familiar face to anyone who's ever watched "Scrubs." She played Dr. Elliot Reid on that sitcom.

The Canadian-born Chalke has also appeared in movies such as Alchemy and Cake, though television is still the medium in which she is most visible. She played one of the most disliked and one of the most unlikeable secondary characters on "How I Met Your Mother" - Stella, the New Jersey suburbanite who is engaged to Ted but leaves him at the altar. Not cool.

Sarah Chalke got her own sitcom on CBS in 2011, the New York romantic comedy "Mad Love," but it was canceled after only thirteen episodes. Again, not cool.

French model and jewelry designer Anne Bezamat

2011-11-03T10:49:00.002-04:00

You would think that France, known for having some of the most beautiful actresses in the world, would also be the homeland of some of the most beautiful models in the world.

You would be right, of course. And no French model is probably more beautiful than Anne Bezamat.

Originally from Paris, where she studied literature at the Sorbonne, Anne Bezamat took the modeling world by storm in the early 1980s with her cool appearance and her impeccable style. She grabs your attention with her eyes, which are like melting icicles - frosty with a touch of warmth. :-)

She now lives in New York City, where she has since gone on to a career as a jewelry designer. Her business's Web site is here. Just don't expect budget trinkets to stuff in Christmas stockings; Ms. Bezamat's jewlery is very expensive and of very high quality and beauty.

What else would you expect from a classy, beautiful Frenchwoman? :-)

Fashion model Laura Alvarez

2011-11-02T10:32:00.001-04:00

Black fashion models broke racial barriers in the sixties and the seventies, but Hispanic models opened a few doors in that period as well. One notable Hispanic model of the time was Laura Alvarez.

As a Latina, she helped make "exotic" looks all the more desirable.

The top photo is taken from a 1974 Bloomingdale's ad, while the bottom photo is from an Avedon spread in the February 1975 U.S. issue of Vogue.

I'm Back!

2011-11-02T10:25:00.001-04:00

The October 29 freak storm in the northeastern United States knocked out my electrical and cable service for three days and change, but both have since been restored, and I'm back online. Without further ado, I'm happy to move onto the next A-Z round of new subjects. So let's go! :-)

The Latest Numbers

2011-10-31T15:49:00.007-04:00

I have now posted 509 different women on my blog.

I've had a couple of problems with my count in the past, but as of now, it's accurate. I hope to keep it that way going forward, but if you ever see a discrepancy in my count in the future, please, I beg you, call me on it!

Also, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I consider "Pictures of Beautiful Women" to be a very communitarian blog.

(Note: The October Surprise snowstorm that crippled the American Northeast crippled me as well; I've been without power since the storm, and I'm posting this blog entry from my local public library. Fortunately, I do have some new posts ready going into November, but I'll more likely wait several days before I resume posting. Thank you for your patience.)

Two New Links

2011-10-28T11:22:00.005-04:00

Beginning today, two new links appear on the right side of my blog. Both of them involve one of the many women I've featured on this blog.

The woman in question is Kathy Davis, a legendary high-profile fashion and beauty model who began her modeling career in her teens and went on to appear on the covers of Teen and Cosmopolitan, as well as several ads. I featured four pictures of her, including a very stunning and very sensuous hair care ad, back in May 2011.

I noted then that she's now an event planner in the Los Angeles area, and I included in my post a link to the Web site for her business, Kathryn Davis Event Planning. Well, not only is there a permanent link to her site in the upper right hand corner of this blog's layout, there's a second link to her companion blog, Kathryn Davis Events Editorial, in which she offers various musings and art as well as looks back at her own life and her incredible modeling career.

By all means, please check out both sites. You will not be disappointed.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Kerry Washington

2011-10-27T10:56:00.000-04:00

As part of my look back on women I've already featued, I revisit Kerry Washington, whom I originally featured in 2010.

One of her more notable roles in recent years was as Kelly in For Colored Girls, Tyler Perry's movie adaptation of Ntozake Shange's 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

In October 2011 it was announced that Kerry Washington would appear in Django Unchained, a new Quentin Tarantino film.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Hunter Tylo

2011-10-26T11:12:00.001-04:00

Long considered the the most beautiful actress in daytime dramatic television, Hunter Tylo remains a stalwart cast member of CBS's "The Bold and the Beautiful" These pictures show the actress very early in her career. The first two are from 1989, the third is from 1993.

All three of these pictures are stills from commercials advertising - what else? - beauty products.

Sadly, it seems that Hunter Tylo's career is in serious jeopardy. It's not because she turns fifty in 2012, and it's not even because she has had cosmetic surgery that fans say distorted her features. It's because daytime dramas are seeing the sun set on them. They're being replaced by talk and self-help shows.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Margrit Ramme, Again

2011-10-24T10:07:00.001-04:00

I have to get back to choosing new subjects eventually, as opposed to revisiting earlier ones, but in the meantime, here are two more pictures of Margrit Ramme for this retrospective period, one in black and white, the other in color.

Both are from Vogue magazine. The black-and-white picture, form the March 1, 1972 U.S. issue, is actually a mirror image; she's looking at herself in a mirror, so her left side is to the viewer's left as well, ditto for the right side. The color photo is from the April 1974 Italian issue.

First appearing in the latter half of the sixties, Margrit Ramme remained active as a model well through the 1980s.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Margrit Ramme

2011-10-23T21:17:00.001-04:00

Once again, I revisit Margrit Ramme, the German beauty who took the modeling world by storm in the sixties and seventies.

As these pictures clearly show, she could project everything from innocence to worldliness.

The color picture, from Harper's Bazaar in 1970, shows her in an Andre Courrèges outfit that matches her ice cream. :-D The black-and-white photo, in which she models a Ricci outfit, is from the September 1971 issue of Paris Vogue.

Don't tell me how I know all this, I just know where to look. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: The Lovely Wanakee Pugh

2011-10-22T23:21:00.000-04:00

It was one year ago today that I first featured model-turned artist Wanakee Pugh on my blog.

And since October 22 is her birthday, I figured, why don't I feature her again?

I like the way I think. :-)

She continues to work as a painter, creating pictures with vibrant colors and bold strokes.

For a quick look at the artist in action, check out this video.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Teri Polo

2011-10-21T15:57:00.002-04:00

Despite a few career setbacks involving canceled TV series - and the indignity of appearing in a third Fockers movie - Teri Polo remains my favorite actress of my generation.

That's why I'm revisiting her yet again. :-)

More recently, she has made guest appearances on various TV shows, and she's been in cable TV movies.

She now stars in the sitcom "Man Up!" on ABC.

Links Report

2011-10-20T12:39:00.004-04:00

Blogger has been going through so many changes regarding formatting and editing, yet curiously, among all of my blogs, this blog has not benefited from any changes. Quite the opposite: In addition to having no separate pages and no ability to add gadgets to my template (I'd like additional pages, but I don't need gadgets), I just noticed that the links I added to my blog template somehow got deleted.

Well, I just fixed that. The links to Eva Voorhees's sites and Linda Morand's two sites are back up, and there is a new link to model Nancy Donahue's page. I featured a link to Ms. Donahue's site in a posted devoted to her, but that post is buried in the archives now. I figure it's easier to include it permanently on my main page than force followers of this blog to seek it out themselves in the archives.

More links will be added in the future as I see fit. In the meantime, please feel free to check out these pages by clicking on the links I restored . . . and added.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Virginia Madsen

2011-10-20T11:29:00.001-04:00

So what has actress Virginia Madsen been up to since I first featured her in November 2006?

Well, she's appeared in movies such as The Number 23 (2007) and Diminished Capacity (2008). She also voiced Queen Hipployte in the Wonder Woman cartoon movie of 2009 and, more recently, she played Suzette in the 2011 fantasy film Red Riding Hood.

She turned fifty in September 2011.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Laurel Lee

2011-10-19T11:07:00.001-04:00

I'm going on a little longer - and a little more frequently - to revisit previous subjects. I've fallen into a pattern of re-featuring two models, then two actresses. :-)

Today I'm presenting another look at Laurel Lee, one of the most beautiful models you've never heard of.

She is definitely one of the loveliest models from the Wilhelmina model agency in the 1980s. This picture - accentuating her best feature, her hair - is from 1985.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Kiara Kabukuru

2011-10-18T14:49:00.002-04:00

I first featured fashion model Kiara Kabukuru back in 2006, just I was getting this blog started, but I hadn't revisited her since. I thought I'd compensate for that be revisiting her now . . .

. . .though the picture above may be, umm, overcompensation. :-O :-D

For my more prudish followers, here's a more conservative picture.

Kiara Kabukuru was born in Uganda but emigrated to the United States as a child with her family. Originally settling in California after arriving in the U.S., she was discovered in a Los Angeles shopping mall at the age of sixteen by photographer Bill Bodwell.

She turned 36 in July 2011.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Allison Janney

2011-10-17T11:18:00.002-04:00

I'm always happy to return to the subject of actress Allison Janney, the matron saint of tallness! :-)

So what has she been up to since I last featured her in 2007? Well, she played Violet in the Broadway musical version of the movie Nine To Five, and she's appeared in movies such as Juno, Away We Go, Life During Wartime, and, in 2011, the controversial film The Help.

She returned to series television in the Matthew Perry vehicle "Mr. Sunshine," but it didn't last long.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Lauren Graham

2011-10-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

When I first paid tribute to Lauren Graham on this blog in 2009, she was best known for her role as a single mom on "The Gilmore Girls." Now she plays another single mom on the NBC drama "Parenthood."

On "Parenthood," Lauren Graham plays Sara Braverman, an aspiring writer who lives at home with her parents while trying to raise a teenage son on her own, after having raised a teenage daughter with great difficulty. Her daughter has sinice graduated from high school and has now moved out and struck out on her own, which is ironic in light of Sara's own living situation.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Nancy Dutiel, Again

2011-10-14T09:19:00.000-04:00

Here are two more pictures from Nancy Dutiel's days as Lancôme's spokesmodel. The first picture is from 1981, the second from 1982.

She had a captivating and distinctive look, yet she somehow failed to achieve the sort of notoriety that other cosmetics models did. Nevertheless, she left behind an impressive portfolio of Lancôme ads. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect: Nancy Dutiel

2011-10-13T13:42:00.003-04:00

Just when I think I've found all the pictures of former Lancôme model Nancy Dutiel that I can possibly find, I take a chance and look for some more . . .and I find more. :-)

These Lancôme ads are from early in Ms. Dutiel's stint as their spokesmodel. The ad above is from 1977, while the one below is from 1978.

Both ads feature double images of her, and black and white and in color, with the "From sensible to sensational" tagline used by Lancôme at the time. Going into the 1980s, that slogan was dropped.

The Beauty of Retrospect: Pat Cleveland

2011-10-12T13:21:00.002-04:00

We're going back to Cleveland - I ain't talkin' about Ohio! :-D

Don't let this elegant, low-key picture of Miss Cleveland in a fur coat fool you. For Pat Cleveland remains one of the most boisterous models in the fashion trade. She flaunts her larger-than-life personality, and she always has a good time doing it. She's the kind of woman who can walk into a room full of women as beautiful as she is and attract all the attention from the men in the room. It's her aura, you must understand. :-D ;-)

And the picture above is much more indicative of her personality than the previous one. :-)

Retrospective Time!

2011-10-12T12:50:00.002-04:00

Having finished around alphabetical round of subjects for this blog, and having literally gone from A to Z - and also having painstakingly made a list of the first five hundred women to appear on this blog in the middle of all that - I'm going to revisit some of the women I've featured for awhile.

I like retrospectives. Because I put less pressure on myself to think of new subjects for what's supposed to be a fun blog. Also, I tend to find pictures of women I've already featured that I didn't know existed, and they're too good not to share. But if you remember my Karen Graham retrospectives, you know that. :- )

Model Heidi Zimmerman

2011-10-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

Heidi Zimmerman is a model from the late eighties.

She was represented by the Karins agency in Paris.

Actress/comedian Kristen Wiig

2011-10-10T22:59:00.003-04:00

If you saw the raucous comedy movie Bridesmaids, then you all know about Kristen Wiig.

Kristen Wiig has been a cast member of NBC's long-lived sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live," and she's begun to branch out to movies.

Her SNL characters include Judy Grimes, a nervous travel agent; Aunt Linda, a difficult movie critic, and; Target Lady, a clerk at the chain store of that name and a collector of all sorts of tchotchkes.

Her movie debut was in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up, from 2007.

CNBC newswoman Kayla Tausche

2011-10-07T21:25:00.001-04:00

Kayla Tausche came to CNBC in January 2011 with a wealth (no pun intended) of experience as a financial reporter.

An Atlanta native, she was a journalist with DealReporter in both its London and New York bureaus, reporting on deals involving mergers and buyouts. She also worked at Bloomberg covering stories in the consumer and retail trade.

Actress Susan Sarandon

2011-10-04T14:29:00.005-04:00

I've been putting off adding pictures of Susan Sarandon to this blog for far, far too long. But, I figured, since today is her 65th birthday, heck, why not add them today? :-)

A New Jersey girl (she grew up in the sprawling suburb of Edison, just west of her native New York City), Susan Sarandon got her first big break when she played Peggy Grant in Billy Wilder's 1974 movie adaptation of the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur play The Front Page. (It happened to be the first movie to team Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau since 1968's The Odd Couple.) But it was her role in an underground film made the following year, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that brought her notoriety.

Since then the artist formerly known as Janet (her Rocky Horror character's name) has played numerous movie roles. It would be a chore to list even some of her movie credits, but I'll try anyway; Pretty Baby, Compromising Positions, White Palace (as a middle-aged waitress coveted by a younger man), and Safe Passage.

Oh yeah, she starred in a few other movies you might have heard of: 1988's Bull Durham, 1991's Thelma and Louise (in the latter title role), Lorenzo's Oil, and The Client. These pictures got her numerous acting awards and nominations. but it was as Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 capital punishment drama Dead Man Walking that got her a Best Actress Oscar.

Susan Sarandon is still active as an actress, so she's not about to activate her Medicare card just yet. :-)

She's also known for her twenty-one-year relationship with actor Tim Robbins, and she's also associated herself with politically liberal causes.

NBC anchor Amy Robach

2011-10-02T18:18:00.000-04:00

Amy Robach is one of the newer stars among the NBC family's anchorwomen.

Robach joined MSNBC in September of 2003, after having worked as the early morning and noon anchor for WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she was a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for WCBD-TV in Charleston, S.C. Robach is the recipient of many local news awards from here time on local and regional broadcasts.

In 2007, she became the anchor or the weekend edition of "Today," and she's filled in on weekday editions of the show and on NBC's nightly newscast since then.

She married former "Melrose Place" star Andrew Shue in 2010.

Actress Joely Richardson

2011-10-01T22:19:00.004-04:00

Joely Richardson is the daughter of the great actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, and, like her mother, she has become an accomplished actress in her own right.

She's known for her roles in movies such as Shining Through and The Last Mimzy, though she's probably best known to American audiences as Julia McNamara in the plastic surgery TV drama series "Nip/Tuck," for which she received several Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress.

North Carolina newswoman Tisha Powell

2011-09-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

Tisha Powell is an anchorwoman for WTVD-TV, the ABC affiliate in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, where she anchors the 5:00 PM, 5:30 PM and 11:00 PM editions of the news.

Originally from Louisiana and a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, Ms. Powell worked as a reporter or an anchor at many different television stations in the South, including WDSU-TV in New Orleans, before joining WTVD-TV in 2004.

Ironically, while at WDSU-TV, she covered the devestation of Hurricane Mitch in the Central American country of Honduras and the rebuilding afterwards. She would return to her home state to cover the effects of Hurricane Katrina for WTVD-TV.

Actress Maggie Lawson

2011-09-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Maggie Lawson is another up-and-coming young actress in Hollywood.

She has appeared in several television shows and movies over the years, and she currently plays junior detective Juliet O'Hara in the police detective comedy-drama Psych, on the USA cable channel.

Actress Clare Kramer

2011-09-27T13:56:00.002-04:00

And now, my 501st subject. ;-)

Clare Kramer has made a name for herself as an actress in different movie and television roles.

Her best-known television role was as the villain Glory in the fifth season of the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and in movies such as ring It On and Endure.

Beautiful Women: The First Five Years!

2011-09-26T13:38:00.008-04:00

It's official: I have posted pictures of five hundred different women in the past five years, averaging a hundred women a year. And in celebration of this major milestone on this blog, I am listing all of them here!

Listing every woman I've ever featured here seems like a time-consuming, masochistic job, and it was, but it seemed like a good time to look back at who I've featured so far. It's a pretty mixed group. yes, there are a lot of actresses and several models, but a doctor, three politicians, and several newswomen made it onto this list too. Some of these women are very famous; others have lesser name recognition. A couple of them, sadly, are no longer with us. Many are American, but many others come from different corners of the world. (Note: Where the nationality of a woman is in doubt, I do not include the nationality on this list.) It's an impressive list all in all, I believe, and I'm eager to add to it in the next five years.

Consider this list as a convenient guide to whom I've featured so far. I pretty much made this roster so you, dear followers, didn't have to. To see an entry for any woman - any entry that's already been archived, especially - just feel free to type it in the search field in the upper left hand corner of this blog. :-)

So here it is - the list!

Kristina Abernathy, American media personality, alumna of The Weather Channel
Atia Abawi, American broadcast journalist
Stella Abrera, American ballet dancer
Amy Adams, American actress
Jacki Adams, American fashion model
Isabelle Adjani, French actress
Eun Young Ahn, Korean ballet dancer
Anouk Aimée, French actress
Karen Akers, American cabaret singer
Jessica Alba, American actress
Amy Aldridge, American ballet dancer
Jane Alexander, American actress
Karen Alexander, American fashion model
Khandi Alexander, American actress and choreographer
Jackie Allen, American jazz singer
Kim Alexis, American fashion model and businesswoman
Christiane Amanpour, British (U.S.-based) broadcast journalist (CNN, ABC)
Anna Anderson, Norwegian fashion model
Lauren Anderson, American ballet dancer
Nancy Anderson, American actress/singer
Marjorie Andrade, Brazilian model, actress, activist and producer
Jennifer Aniston, American actress
Ann-Margaret, American (Swedish-born) actress and singer
Jessika Anspach, American ballet dancer
Fanny Ardant, French actress
Bess Armstrong, American actress
Jane Asher, British actress
Denise Austin, American fitness expert
Lauren Bacall, American actress
Cynthia Bailey, American fashion model
Anita Baker, American soul singer
Elizabeth Banks, American actress
Willow Bay, American journalist, former spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Angela Bassett, American actress
Kathleen Battle, American opera singer
Jennifer Beals, American actress
Amanda Beard, American swimmer
Barbara Bears, American ballet dancer
Kate Beckinsale, British actress
Bonnie Bedelia, American actress
Tanith Belbin, American (Canadian-born) ice dancer
Annette Bening, American actress
Elsa Benitez, Mexican fashion model
Michelle Bernard, American political analyst
Jessica Biel, American actress
Juliette Binoche, French actress
Tara Birtwhistle, Canadian ballet dancer
Cilla Black, British pop singer
Brenda Blackmon, American broadcast journalist
Susan Blakely, American actress
Cate Blanchett, Australian actress
Emily Blunt, British actress
Helena Bonham Carter, British actress
Julia Boorstin, American business reporter
Julie Bowen, American television actress
Eran Brugge, American modern dancer
Joy Bryant, American actress
Selena Breed, spokesmodel for Lancôme
Margaret Brennan, American business reporter
Laura Bowman, American ballet dancer
Moira Brooker, British television actress
Vivian Brown, American weather forecaster (The Weather Channel)
Mika Brzezsinki, American news anchorwoman
Erin Burnett, American business reporter
Mary Calvi, American broadcast journalist
Anna Camp, American actress
Maria Cantwell, American politician, United States Senator (D-WA), 2001 to present
Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player
Shaun Casey, American model/actress
Kelly Cass, American weather forecaster (The Weather Channel)
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Kim Cattrall, Canadian (British-born) actress
Alva Chinn, American model/actress
Erika Christensen, American actress
Julie Christie, British actress
Petula Clark, British pop singer
Tarryl Clark, American politician
Patricia Clarkson, American actress
Pat Cleveland, American fashion model
Clotilde, American model and dressmaker
Amanda Cobb, American ballet dancer
Natalie Cole, American pop singer
Toni Collette, Australian actress
Jennifer Connelly, American actress
Bertha Coombs, American broadcast journalist
Erica Cornejo, Argentine ballet dancer
Marion Cotillard, French actress
Clotilde Courau, French actress
Stephanie Courtney, American actress
Courteney Cox, American actress
Rebecca Crawford, American ballet dancer
Sheryl Crow, American rock singer
Penelope Cruz, Spanish actress
Ann Curry, American broadcast journalist
Taeler Cyrus, American modern dancer
Kristen Dahlgren, American broadcast journalist
Claire Danes, American actress
Lindsay Davenport, American tennis player
Betty Davis, American weather forecaster (The Weather Channel)
Geena Davis, American actress
Hope Davis, American actress
Kathy Davis, American fashion and beauty model
Rosario Dawson, American actress
Ansa Deguchi, Japanese ballet dancer
Julie Delpy, French actress
Catherine Deneuve, French actress
Laura Dern, American actress
Zooey Deschanel, American actress/singer
Rosalyn Deshauteurs, American modern dancer
Nancy DeWeir, American fashion model
Dianne deWitt, American fashion model
Cameron Diaz, American actress
Kara DioGuardi, American TV personality
Waris Dirie, Somalian model and author
Nancy Donahue, American fashion model, fitness expert, and businesswoman
Lesley-Anne Down, British (U.S.-based) actress
Corinne Drewery, British jazz/rock singer (Swing Out Sister)
Minnie Driver, British actress/singer
Amanda Drury, Australian (U.S.-based) business reporter
Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress/singer
Nancy Dutiel, late '70s-early '80s Lancôme spokesmodel
Kirsten Dunst, American actress
Kathleen Dwyer, American ballet dancer
Judy Dyble, British folk-rock singer
Chalnessa Eames, American ballet dancer
Christine Ebersole, American stage actress and singer
Jennifer Eccleston, American television reporter
Barbara Eden, American actress
Linda Eder, American actress/singer
Kathleen Edwards, Canadian rock singer/songwriter
Crystal Egger, American weather forecaster (The Weather Channel)
Rehema Ellis, American television reporter
Karen Elson, British fashion model
Sharon Epperson, American business news reporter
Janet Evans, American swimmer
Liz Everman, American broadcast journalist
Chris Evert, American tennis player
Vera Farmiga, American actress
Suzanne Farrell, American ballet dancer
Terry Farrell, American actress
Lorena Feijoo, Cuban ballet dancer
Allyson Felix, American track athlete
Linda Fenn, American fashion model
America Ferrara, American actress
Tina Fey, American actress/comedian
Sally Field, American actress
Elise Finch, American weather forecaster
Jennifer Finnigan, Canadian (U.S.-based) television actress
Jenna Fischer, American television actress
Carrie Fisher, American actress/author
Isla Fisher, Australian actress
Joely Fisher, American actress
Michelle Fleet, American modern dancer
Renee Fleming, American opera singer
Bridget Fonda, American actress
Julia Fordham, British singer/songwriter
Christy Forehand, American ballet dancer
Juli Foster, American fashion model
Tanya Foster, American broadcast journalist
Vivica A. Fox, American actress
Chrystia Freeland, Canadian journalist
Anni Friesinger, German speed skater
Daisy Fuentes, American (Cuban-born) media personality
Jenny Funnell, British television actress
Maureen Gallagher, American model/actress
Joanna Garcia, American television actress
Jennifer Garner, American actress
Crystal Gayle, American country singer
Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress
Vera Gibbons, American business reporter
Peri Gilpin, American television actress
Alexandra Golden, Canadian ballet dancer
Genevieve Gorder, American designer and TV personality
Heather Graham, American actress
Karen Graham, American fashion model, longtime spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Lauren Graham, American actress
Carol Gramm, American fashion model
Jennifer Granholm, American (Canadian-born) politician, governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011
Judy Greer, American actress
Carla Gugino, American actress
Sylvie Guillem, French ballet dancer
Savannah Guthrie, American broadcast journalist and lawyer
Maggie Gyllenhaal, American actress
Dayle Haddon, Canadian actress/model
Tamron Hall, American broadcast journalist
Dorothy Hamill, American figure skater
Mia Hamm, American soccer player
Alyson Hannigan, American television actress
Patti Hansen, American fashion model
Marcia Gay Harden, American actress
Mariska Hargitay, American actress
Karen Harris, spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Debbie Harry, American rock singer
PJ Harvey, British rock singer/songwriter
Teri Hatcher, American actress
Anne Hathaway, American actress
Salma Hayek, Mexican actress
Katherine Heigl, American actress
Mariel Hemingway, American actress
Monique Henderson, American track athlete
Christina Hendricks, American actress
Paloma Herrera, Argentine ballet dancer
Rachel Holmes, American modern dancer
Julianne Hough, American dancer and TV personality
Whitney Houston, American singer
Janet Hubert, American actress
Jennifer Hudson, American actress/singer
Kate Hudson, American actress
Janice Huff, American weather forecaster
Helen Hunt, American actress
Jana Marie Hupp, American television actress
Isabelle Huppert, French actress
Anjelica Huston, American actress
Jackie Hyland, American broadcast journalist
Rie Ichikawa, Japanese ballet dancer
Gwen Ifill, American journalist
Yuka Iino, Japanese ballet dancer
Iman, Somalian model/actress/businesswoman
Gale Ingram, fashion model
Nadine Isenegger, American stage actress
Gillian Jacobs, American television actress
Nancy Jameson, fashion model
Judith Jamison, American dancer and choreographer
Allison Janney, American actress
Angelika Jansen, fashion model
Chris Jansing, American broadcast journalist
Famke Janssen, Dutch actress
Anne-Marie Jenkins, fashion model
Carina Jensen, fashion model
Susanne Jensen, fashion model
Jacqui Jeras, American weather forecaster
Christin Johansson, fashion model
Scarlett Johansson, American actress
Belinda Johnson, American model/actress
Beverly Johnson, American model/actress
Jillian Johnson, American fashion model and professional photographer
Kristine Johnson, American broadcast journalist
Maria Johnson, fashion model
Sheila Johnson, American fashion model
Angelina Jolie, American actress
January Jones, American actress
Rashida Jones, American actress
Ashley Judd, American actress
Kiara Kabukuru, American (Ugandan-born) fashion model
Yuriko Kajiya, Japanese ballet dancer
Mindy Kaling, American actress
Yayoi Kambara, American (Japanese-born) modern dancer
Sara Kapp, American fashion model
Katty Kay, British television journalist
Diane Keaton, American actress
Catherine Keener, American actress
Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model, spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Kathy Keenan, fashion model
Catherine Keener, American actress
Minka Kelly, American actress
Jayne Kennedy, American actress
Julie Kent, American ballet dancer
Deborah Kidd, American (France-based) model
Cynthia King, American fashion model
Evelyn "Champagne" King, American soul singer
Jaime King, American actress
Darci Kistler, American ballet dancer
Heidi Klum, German fashion model
Keira Knightley, British actress
Maria Kochetkova, Russian ballet dancer
Diana Krall, Canadian jazz singer
Diane Kruger, German actress
Nicole Kidman, Australian actress
Aara Krumpe, American ballet dancer
Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
Christine Lahti, American actress
Diane Lane, American actress
Jessica Lange, American actress
Ali Larter, American television actress
Amélie Latournald, French fashion model
January LaVoy, American stage and television actress
Carissa Lawson, American broadcast journalist
Laurel Lee, fashion model
Tara Lee, American ballet dancer
Jane Leeves, British (U.S.-based) television actress
Kim Lemon, American broadcast journalist
Leona Lewis, British pop singer
Linda Lewis, British soul singer
Rosaura Lezama, Mexican model and filmmaker
Laura Linney, American actress
Lucy Liu, American actress
Rebecca Lobo, American basketball player
Lara Logan, South African (U.S.-based) broadcast journalist
Valerie Lohr, American fashion model and photographer
Eva Longoria, American actress
Sophia Loren, Italian actress
Tina Louise, American actress
Janet Lowe, fashion model
Lulu, British pop singer/actress
Andie MacDowell, American actress
Virginia Madsen, American actress
Julianna Marguiles, American actress
Michel Martin, American broadcast journalist
Lisa Masterson, American physician, co-host of "The Doctors"
Chiara Mastroianni, French/Italian actress
Maribeth Maxa, American modern dancer
Daphne Maxwell Reid, American actress
Misty May-Treanor, American beach volleyball player
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, British television actress
Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
Erin McAfee, American ballet dancer
Mary McCormack, American actress
Maria McDonald, American fashion model and philanthropist
Rosemary McGrotha, American fashion model
Sarah McIlroy, British ballet dancer
Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer
Christine McVie, British rock singer/keyboardist
Leighton Meester, American actress
Eva Mendes, American actress
Virginia Mesones, Argentine actress and performance artist
Allison Miller, American actress
Sharron Miller, American dancer, founder of the Sharron Miller Academy for the Performing Arts
Sienna Miller, British (American-born) actress
Julianne Moore, American actress
Kenya Moore, American actress
Kathryn Morris, American actress
Jennifer Morrison, American television actress
Elisabeth Moss, American actress
Carolyn Murphy, American model/actress, spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Gillian Murphy, American ballet dancer
Parminder Nagra, British actress
Uschi Nerke, German television presenter (Beat-Club)
Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
Kim Newby, fashion model
Jennifer Nicholson, fashion model
Stevie Nicks, American rock singer
Beth Nielsen Chapman, American country singer
Monica Novotny, American broadcast journalist
Kim Nye, American fashion model
Carrie Nygren, Swedish model/actress
Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
Kate Oderkirk, American ballet dancer
Kelly O'Donnell, American broadcast journalist
Norah O'Donnell, American broadcast journalist
Heather Ogden, Canadian ballet dancer
Lana Ogilvie, Canadian fashion model and TV personality
Debbie Ogunlana, fashion model
Sandra Oh, Canadian actress
Maureen O'Hara, American (Irish-born) actress
Jeannie Ohm, American television news reporter
Femi Oke, British (U.S.-based) radio journalist
Fernanda Oliveira, Brazilian ballet dancer
Pam Oliver, American TV sports reporter
Candice Olson, Canadian interior designer and TV personality
Gail O'Neill, American fashion model
Oluchi Onweagba, Nigerian fashion model
Janice O'Reilly, fashion model
Ellen Page, Canadian actress
Hayden Panettiere, American actress/singer
Mica Paris, British soul/jazz singer
Lorraine Pascale, British fashion model
Grace Park, Canadian (American-born, U.S.-based) television actress
Mary-Louise Parker, American actress
Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress
Danica Patrick, American race car driver
Amanda Peet, American actress
Piper Perabo, American actress
Elizabeth Perkins, American actress
Katy Perry, American pop singer
Peggy Petteway, American ballet dancer
Lori Petty, American actress
Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
Freida Pinto, Indian actress
Valerie Plame, American ex-intelligence officer
Teri Polo, American actress
Natalie Portman, American (Israeli-born) actress
Monica Potter, American actress
Emily Procter, American actress
Wanakee Pugh, American fashion model and painter
Becky Quick, American business reporter
Kathleen Quinlan, American actress
Bar Rafaeli, Israeli fashion model
Bonnie Raitt, American blues-rock guitarist/singer
JJ Ramberg, American business reporter
Margrit Ramme, German fashion model
Charlotte Rampling, British actress
Trish Regan, American business reporter
Hilary Rhoda, American spokesmodel for Estée Lauder
Christina Ricci, American actress
Sanya Richards, American track athlete
Jenifer Ringer, American ballet dancer
Catherine Roberts, American fashion and beauty model
Robin Roberts, American broadcast journalist
Valerie Robin, American (Canadian-born) ballet dancer
Renee Robinson, American modern dancer
Renee Robinson-Buzby, American modern dancer
Darlene Rodriguez, American broadcast journalist
Maggie Rodriguez, American broadcast journalist
Susan Roesgen, American broadcast journalist
Mimi Rogers, American actress
Diana Ross, American pop singer
Tracee Ellis Ross, American actress
Isabella Rossellini, Italian/Swedish actress/model/producer
Maria Rowe, fashion model
Jeanne Ruddy, American modern dancer and choreographer
Rene Russo, American actress
Rachel Rutherford, American ballet dancer
Meg Ryan, American actress
Sade, British jazz/pop singer
Zoe Saldana, American actress
Ines Sastre, Spanish model/actress
Kristin Scott Thomas, British actress
Kyra Sedgwick, American actress
Toni Senecal, American television presenter
Joan Severance, American model and actress
Margaret Severin-Hansen, American ballet dancer
Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
Vinessa Shaw, American actress
Cybill Shepherd, American actress
Linda Celeste Sims, American modern dancer
Naomi Sims, American model and businesswoman
Mary Decker Slaney, American track athlete
Cobie Smulders, Canadian television actress
Elke Sommer, German actress/singer
Arlenis Sosa, Dominican Lancôme spokesmodel
Jordana Spiro, American actress
Lesley Stahl, American broadcast journalist
Alexandra Steele, American media personality, alumna of the Weather Channel
Alison Stewart, American broadcast journalist
Joss Stone, British rock/soul singer
Barbara Summers, American model, author, and college instructor
Anne Surette, fashion model
Hilary Swank, American actress
Taylor Swift, American country singer
Kaori Takai, Japanese ballet dancer
Audrey Tautou, French actress
Desirée Taylor, American broadcast journalist
Heather Tesch, American weather forecaster (The Weather Channel)
Charlize Theron, South African actress
Vanessa Thiessen, American dancer
Emma Thompson, British actress
Lea Thompson, American actress
Mary Thompson, American business reporter
Uma Thurman, American actress
Julie Tice, American modern dancer
Marisa Tomei, American actress
Nancy Toner, fashion and beauty model
Gwen Torrence, American track athlete
Jeanne Tripplehorn, American actress
Kathleen Turner, American actress
Tina Turner, American rock singer
Bonnie Tyler, British rock singer
Hunter Tylo, American television actress
Nastasia Urbano, Spanish fashion model
Carrie Underwood, American country singer
Leann Underwood, American ballet dancer
unidentified Erno Laszlo model
unidentified Princess Marcella Borghese model
Victoria Upland, fashion model
Laura Urgelles, Cuban ballet dancer
Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
Suzanne Vega, American folk-rock singer/songwriter
Sofia Vergara, Colombian (U.S.-based) television actress
Rosie Vela, American model and singer-songwriter
Lisa Vidal, American television actress
Meredith Vieira, American broadcaster
Alison Vietor, American fashion and beauty model
Lisa Viola, American modern dancer
Eva Voorhees, American fashion model and animal rights activist
Louise Vyent, Dutch model and New Jersey-based photographer
Elizabeth Walker, American ballet dancer
Melissa Walker, Canadian (U.S.-based) jazz singer
Joan Walsh, American political commentator
Kate Walsh, American actress
Sela Ward, American actress
Margaret Warner, American broadcast journalist
Kerry Washington, American actress
Naomi Watts, Australian (British-born) actress
Veronica Webb, American model/actress/writer
Andrea Weber, American modern dancer
Kristen Welker, American television reporter
Dawn Wells, American actress
Rachel Weisz, British actress
Daria Werbowy, Canadian (Polish-born) model
Frederika Whitfield, American broadcast journalist
Kim Wilde, British rock singer
Michele Wiles, American ballet dancer
Beverly Williams, American broadcast journalist
JoBeth Williams, American actress
Roshumba Williams, American fashion model
Vanessa Williams, American singer/actress, the first black Miss America
Gerri Willis, American business reporter
Nancy Wilson, American jazz singer
Nancy Wilson, American rock guitarist/singer (Heart)
Mary Wineberg, American track athlete
Kate Winslet, British actress
Judy Woodruff, American broadcast journalist
Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater
Eri Yamamoto, Japanese (U.S.-based) jazz pianist
Hong Yang, Chinese ballet dancer
Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong-Chinese actress
Kara Young, American fashion model
Natalie Zea, American actress
Renee Zellweger, American actress
Stephanie Zungre, Dutch ballet dancer

Actress Angelina Jolie

2011-09-25T21:10:00.003-04:00

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for . . . my choice for the five hundredth woman to be featured on this blog - Angelina Jolie! The one and only. :-)

The daughter of actor Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie has become a major star in her own right. And why not? With roles in hit movies such as 1999's Girl, Interrupted (her major breakthrough), 2000's Gone in 60 Seconds, 2008's Changeling, and 2010's The Tourist - which paired her with Johnny Depp in exotic Venice - how could she possibly go wrong? :-D

Angelina Jolie is also a humanitarian activist, having been closely involved in the causes of refugees in the Third World and global health initiatives. She was the first recipient of the Citizens of the World Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association, in 2003.

She's currently in a relationship with a guy you might have heard of, Brad Pitt. :-)

Model Jillian Johnson

2011-09-23T09:39:00.005-04:00

Jillian Johnson is another model from the eighties, as you can tell by the big hair. :-D

She was represented by the Zoli agency in New York, but later moved to the Ford agency.

Today, Ms. Johnson - known as "Jill Johnson" these days - is a New York-based photographer. Check out her Web site here.

Model Christin Johansson

2011-09-19T11:41:00.002-04:00

Christin Johansson is yet another model from the 1980s, a good decade for fashion modeling and a bad decade for just about everything else.

Ms. Johansson was represented by the L'Agence agency in Paris.

Model Susanne Jensen

2011-09-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Here's another model named Jensen! :-)

Susanne Jensen is a model from the early eighties. She was represented by the Paris Planning Women agency, in Paris itself.

Model Carina Jensen

2011-09-16T11:25:00.001-04:00

Carina Jensen is a model from the 1980s who worked in Copenhagen.

She was represented by the Scandinavian Models agency office in that city.

Model Anne-Marie Jenkins

2011-09-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

Anne-Marie Jenkins is a model from the late eighties.

She was associated with the Elite modeling agency.

Angelika Jansen, Again

2011-09-06T12:25:00.001-04:00

Angelika Jansen modeled for Talents agencies in Germany run by different agents: Inge Schuckmann and Heide Themlitz in Munich, and Christel Flath in Hamburg.

This photo, like the one before it, is from her Hamburg tenure.

Model Angelika Jansen

2011-09-02T10:47:00.001-04:00

Angelika Jansen is another model from the 1980s.

She was represented by various agencies in the German cities of Munich and Hamburg.

Model Gale Ingram

2011-09-01T21:55:00.001-04:00

Gale Ingram is a model from the late seventies and the eighties.

She was represented by three different agencies in as many cities - Elite in New York, Glamour in Paris, and Sabina in San Francisco - in that time.

Actress Jana Marie Hupp

2011-08-31T20:53:00.005-04:00

All of the actors who starred in the early-2000s television series "Ed" (about a lawyer with a bowling alley) were unknowns when that great show began. Since it went of the air in 2004, however, only Julie Bowen and perhaps Ginnifer Goodwin have really gone on to greater things among the show's female cast members. That's too bad, because I really miss Jana Marie Hupp.

Jana Marie Hupp played Nancy Burton, the wife of Ed's best friend Mike. Unlike Julie Bowen's free-spirited Carol, Nancy was grounded by a complicated domestic life made even more so by her goofy husband.

Ms. Hupp had minor roles in various television shows and movies before "Ed," but her Wikipedia entry doesn't show anything she's done since "Ed" was canceled, assuming she's done anything at all. Someone give this woman a acting job! :-O

Model Carol Gramm

2011-08-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

Not Karen Graham. Carol Gramm. :-)

Carol Gramm is a model from the 1980s, and she was most mostly active in the earlier part of the decade, a time many consider to be a golden age for the modeling trade. And Carol Gramm certainly had the golden locks for that period. :-D

She was represented by the Elite agency.

Central Pennsylvania newswoman Tanya Foster

2011-08-27T18:05:00.001-04:00

Tanya Foster is a chief anchorwoman at WHP-TV, the CBS affilaite in Harrisburg, Pennsylvnia. She anchors five newscasts every weekday.

Ms. Foster worked at different broadcast network affiliates in Texas before joining WHP-TV in 2008. She is also active in raising awareness of animal abuse and neglect, and she's doone a lot of volunteer work with animal shelters in Texas and Pennsylvania.

Louisville TV news anchor Liz Everman

2011-08-26T11:43:00.000-04:00

Liz Everman is a local legend in Louisville, Kentucky. She's been on Louisville's CBS affiliate WLKY-TV since 1980. :-)

Before that, she worked in nearby Lexington as a reporter for WLEX-TV and as an anchor for WTVQ-TV.

A Kentucky native, Ms. Everman has been involved in community affairs in Louisville for years. Her weekly news series "Wednesday's Child" focuses on children who are in need of adoption. Ms. Everman's efforts have enabled nearly 3,000 special-needs children to find homes.

NBC News reporter Kristen Dahlgren

2011-08-25T12:13:00.000-04:00

Kristen Dahlgren is a familiar face to NBC News and MSNBC viewers.

She reports on many major stories for both news outlets.

Actress Anna Camp

2011-08-23T21:05:00.004-04:00

Anna Camp is a young actress who's just beginning to get a lot of attention.

She had a starring tole as Sarah Newlin in the HBO vampire series "True Blood", and she;s made guest appearances on several series from "The Office" to "Mad Men;" she played Don Draper's post-divorce girlfriend on the latter show. She's had less success with permanent television roles, though.

Ms. Camp has also done plenty of theater. In 2008, she portrayed played Jill Mason in a Broadway revival of Equus, and in the summer of 2011 she starred in "Scrubs" alumnus Zach Braff's play All New People, which was produced by Second Stage Theater.

Actress Elizabeth Banks

2011-08-20T23:26:00.002-04:00

Elizabeth Banks has been an indelible presence in both movies and television.

She's had recurring roles both on "Scrubs," as Dr. Kim Briggs and on "30 Rock" (as Avery Jessup. Both characters were love interests for the shows' main male characters - Zach Braff's John Dorian on Scrubs and Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock."

Her movies have included The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Spider-Man 3, and, W., in which she played former First Lady Laura Bush.

Model/actress Marjorie Andrade

2011-08-17T12:21:00.004-04:00

When she started out as a model in the early eighties, Brazilian beauty Marjorie Andrade had a lot going for her. Her height - 5'5" - seemed to pose a detriment in a profession that favored taller women. But Ms. Andrade had an exotic look and a lot of spunk to go with it.

Soon she was appearing in beauty ads for magazines and television that capitalized on her adorable face.

Eventually she made the transition to acting, but while Ms. Andrade could have easily gone big time, she chose instead to pursue small off-Broadway roles in America and soap opera roles in her native Brazil, avoiding the charge that she was not an actress but rather a model who acted.

Ms. Andrade is also a graduate of the Hollywood Film Institute, and she's taken on an active role in producing movies as well through her own production company.

Oh yeah, she's also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Ms. Andrade is the Ambassador of the International Foundation For Human Rights and Tolerance, a Los Angeles based group that promotes human rights education worldwide.

More Beautiful Women!

2011-08-17T11:59:00.004-04:00

Having presented 484 women on this blog so far, and having just concluded another weeklong tribute to Karen Graham (write me at vwgolfman2000@comcast.net if you think I should start a Karen Graham blog or site!), I'm now ready to present even more women for your viewing pleasure.

Well, then, what are waiting for? Let's go! :-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Seven: Vogue, February 1974

2011-08-13T19:39:00.001-04:00

My tenth and last photo of Karen Graham from her Vogue magazine editorial work is this picture, from a Francesco Scavullo session.

Wow, she worked with everyone! :-D

The dress is from Gene Berk, a designer I've never heard of.

That's it for our weeklong journey through Ms. Graham's Vogue editorial assignments. But bear in mind that this is just a sampling of her work for that magazine in the early seventies; there are several more pictures of her that I haven't included here. Best to leave it that way . . . so I can leave you wanting more.

Don't worry, I 'll get to those other pictures at a later date. Because Karen Graham is a woman I always return to on this blog. She sort of inspired its creation. :-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Six: Vogue, November 1973

2011-08-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

These color pictures of Karen Graham are part of a huge editorial spread in the November 1973 issue of Vogue (all of the pictures you see this week are from U.S. editions) on how to look at what to wear, how to style hair, and how to accessorize for the coming winter of 1973-74. Ironically, this issue was published just before an oil crisis hit and made fashionable clothes, jewelry and the like less of a priority. But then, no one has ever bought a copy of Vogue for practical reasons. :-D

This feature is one of our heroine's biggest assignments for the magazine. Bill Blass clothes, Norell dresses, and Cartier jewelry dominate here.

I don't know which outfit is from which designer, but, again, do you think I care? I'm here to pay tribute to the woman who's wearing them. :-)

The pictures in this editorial feature were taken by Kourken Pakchanian, a photographer I'd never heard of before. These are just three of the many photos of Ms. Graham from this issue. :-)

They're some of the lovelist pictures of her that I've found. :-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Five: Vogue, July 1973

2011-08-11T09:58:00.001-04:00

This Richard Avedon photo of Karen Graham from 1973 (the year Vogue went from bi-monthly to monthly in America) is from an editorial assignment she did for Vogue called "The Big Preview," which involved her in a collaboration with another iconic model you might have heard of, Lauren Hutton. :-)

This particular picture has a makeup credit to Estée Lauder, indicating that she couldn't compartmentalize her modeling career entirely. ;-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Four: Vogue, October 1, 1972

2011-08-10T12:41:00.002-04:00

An entire fashion spread focusing entirely on Karen Graham - the model, the woman, the legend in the making - appeared in the October 1, 1972 edition of Vogue. (Vogue, as you may have already figured out, was a twice-monthly publication back in the early seventies.)

This feature, photographed by Richard Avedon, profiled Ms. Graham as the modern incarnation of beauty. It was a revealing look into the sensibilities of a woman too many people simply think of as "the Estée Lauder model." The two pictures here are just a sampling of this feature. :-)

This picture (above), depicting her in a white cardigan sweater with marabou sleeves, displays her penchant for understatement. "I like to be noticed -what woman doesn't? - but I don't like being in the obviously eye-catching thing," she told Vogue. "It's not what I look for in clothes."

She looks absolutely stunning and understated in this black cardigan dress with white bands. Of this outfit, she said: "When you have a million things to do in one day,this is the perfect dress; you get into it in the morning and go. It just works."

I've never seen any look for Karen Graham that didn't work. :-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Three: Vogue, September 1, 1972

2011-08-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

Karen Graham could easily have been the "long cool woman in a black dress" the Hollies sang about in their 1972 single, as this Irving Penn picture from the same year shows.

For those who want to know, this is an Adolfo crochet dress. It was described in Vogue as "absolutely nothing to it but a low neckline and a little glitter . . . and nothing more needed."

Karen Graham didn't even need a little glitter; she's a model who provides her own. :-)

Karen Graham Week 2, Part Two: Vogue, September 15, 1971

2011-08-08T12:54:00.001-04:00

I'm stepping back a couple of months from the previous photo to offer this picture of Karen Graham in this apricot Dior coat. The irregularity of her nose is quite evident here. it was her uniquely shaped nose, in fact, that made her so distinctively beautiful.

This picture was taken by David Bailey, best known as the only man Catherine Deneuve ever married, but also known for his Beatles and Rolling Stones photographs.

This picture was part of a fashion editorial called "Great Year For Coats." Ponder this over-the-top description of Ms. Graham's look:

"The color of the coat, the collar of the coat, the coloring of the eye against the skin - everything that is Dior is here. Even the way the hair is arranged - simply drawn back, twisted, and caught with an apricot comb - even that is part of the total feeling. Luxurious. feminine. Pure. Perfect calm without interruption or distraction. And all so beautiful you could die . . .."

Not exactly a soft sell. :-D

Karen Graham Week 2, Part One: Vogue, November 15, 1971

2011-08-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

So off we go on our weeklong Karen Graham retrospective!

This photo was taken by Irving Penn for an Vogue editorial feature highlighting accessories, and Ms. Graham certainly wears a lot of them here.

The caftan is by Halston, a credit I only include for the sake of thoroughness. Do you think I really care who designed the outfit that Karen Graham is wearing? The only thing that matters to me is that . . . it's Karen Graham! :-)

I've never been very savvy on the fashion end of fashion modeling . . .. ;-)

Karen Graham Week, Mark Two!

2011-08-06T14:26:00.004-04:00

In February 2010 I revisited Estée Lauder spokesmodel Karen Graham, a favorite topic of mine here, for a week by posting some pictures of her that were taken by Victor Skrebnseki for the Lauder campaign. Now, once again, I'm revisiting the iconic model by posting another week's worth of pictures!

This time, there's a twist. None of these pictures are from Estée Lauder ads, and none of them are Skrebneski photographs. These are pictures are from fashion editorials that appeared in editions of Vogue in the early seventies. They were taken by some very recognizable names - Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, et. al. - and they depict a woman somewhat different from the one you saw in Lauder ads. You might say that these photos depict Karen Graham,model, before she became Karen Graham, legend. :-)

So, eh, where did a heterosexual male like myself find these Vogue pictures? Let's just say I have my sources! ;-)

I start offering them here tomorrow.