The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Rosie Vela

One model who insisted on credit for her ad work was Rosie Vela, one of the most ambitious women in the modeling trade. Print ads from early in her career do credit her - as "Roseanne Vela," her full legal name - but many ad clients, like the makers of Napier costume jewelry, preferred to let their models go uncredited and anonymous.

So, when I found this Napier ad featuring Rosie Vela, I took the liberty of making a minor adjustment . . ..

Get it? :-D

Of course, Rosie Vela has such a distinctive look, you know it's her the moment you see her. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Catherine Roberts

I don't normally show ads - I prefer to show pictures from ads, without the copy, when possible - but here I have to make an exepction. Because photos of Catherine Roberts are so hard to find on the Internet, I'm more than willing to feature one with ad copy on it. I'd rather do that than not feature her again.

This ad, from 1980, features Miss Roberts in an ad for the Bailey, Banks and Biddle upscale jewelry store chain and its line of Omega watches.

The slogan says it all. :-)

Catherine Roberts, who was very active as a model in the late seventies and early eighties, is an icon within the modeling trade. She's not a household name, though, largely because her portfolio was mainly comprised of ads like this one, with very little editorial work. Models tend to get credits for their editorial shoots, but this is seldom the case with advertising work.

She's done ads for too many brands and products to list here. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Rosemary McGrotha

How hot was Rosemary McGrotha back in the eighties?


You tell me!

She's still hot, as this more recent picture below (from 2009) proves. She can even look sexy in a man's shirt! :-D

It may have been uncool to be terminally attracted to a model best known for being Donna Karan's muse. Models who inspire Donna Karan are probably not pinned up on the walls of bedrooms of teenage boys.

But when I look at that lovely face framed by that luxurious dark hair, with those steely blue eyes . . .



Well, why should I have ever cared about my coolness? :-D

Many models are pretty girls, but Rosemary McGrotha was and is one of those models who's all woman. :-)

The Beauty of Retrospect, November Supermodel Edition: Laurel Lee

I'm taking it easy on this blog this month, revisiting women I've already featured here. And even though this is a more recent subject, why not revisit Wilhelmina model Laurel Lee? :-D

Several models have distinguishing characteristics that make them stand out. For Laurel Lee, it's definitely her hair. She has some of the most beautiful locks I've ever seen. :-)

She may have been the unidentified Erno Laszlo model I featured in September - that's what I've been told - but I can't confirm that.