Sparked by the seismic cultural shift of the 1960s – what Vogue editor Diana Vreeland dubbed the ”Youthquake” – a new wave of models redefined beauty and fame almost overnight. With their androgynous fashion to mod-style makeup, these models became global icons, from Swinging London to the runways of Paris.
Decades later, their impact on fashion and culture remains undeniable. But what became of the women who once ruled fashion’s most transformative era?
Jean Shrimpton
© Conde Nast via Getty ImagesWidely considered one of the first true supermodels, English model Jean Shrimpton captured the ’60s fashion world with her fresh-faced beauty and gamine style, often nicknamed ”The Shrimp” for her slender frame. Her high-profile relationship with photographer David Bailey became one of the most iconic creative pairing of the eras, helping to define a new, intimate style of fashion photography that graced the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and countless international campaigns.
Now 82, Jean has remained largely withdrawn from the public eye since her 30s, opting for a quiet, peaceful life in Cornwall. Speaking to The Guardian in 2011, she said: ”Fashion is full of dark, troubled people. It’s a high-pressured environment that takes its toll and burns people out.”
Veruschka
© Conde Nast via Getty ImagesBorn into German nobility, model Veruschka von Lehndorff, professionally known as ”Veruschka”, rose to fame through striking, surreal photo shoots that pushed the boundaries of fashion imagery. With her towering six-foot frame and unique features, her avant-garde collaborations with photographers like Irving Penn and Franco Rubartelli elevated modelling into a high art, making her a muse to designers and artists alike.
Now 86, Veruschka lives a private life in Berlin, telling Vanity Fair in 2014 that modelling had been ”a way of getting out of my dreary life. It was a fantasy that had nothing to do with the reality I had dealt with.” Her legacy as one of fashion’s most boundary-breaking models still resonates across editorials and exhibitions today.
Donyale Luna
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyAmerican model Donyale Luna made history in 1966 as the first Black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue, and is widely considered ”the first Black supermodel”. With her impossibly long limbs and doe-like eyes, Donyale brought a surreal beauty to the pages of high fashion, also appearing in films by Andy Warhol (Camp, 1965) and Federico Fellini (Fellini Satyricon, 1969), becoming a muse not just for fashion, but for art and counterculture alike.
While she died aged just 33 from a heroin overdose in 1979, her groundbreaking career has since been explored in documentaries and retrospectives, notably the HBO documentary, Donyale Luna: Supermodel (2023), which featured her daughter, Dream Cazzaniga, and model Beverly Johnson, who was the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue.
Penelope Tree
© Conde Nast via Getty ImagesAfter capturing attention at novelist Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball in 1966, English model Penelope Tree became one of the most distinctive faces of late ’60s fashion, with fashion photographer Richard Avedon reportedly saying, ”She’s perfect. Don’t touch her.” Her eccentric, avant-garde style and unique facial features set her apart from the polished glamour of earlier models, and embodied the surreal spirit of the era.
Her modelling career was cut short by a series of skin conditions, with Penelope telling The Guardian, ”I went from being sought-after to being shunned because nobody could bear to talk about the way I looked.” Now 75, Penelope has since returned to the runway, having walked for Fendi in 2020 and appeared in a Vivienne Westwood campaign in 2024. She also published her debut novel Piece of My Heart in 2024, set in the ’60s fashion scene.
Marisa Berenson
© GettyThe granddaughter of famed fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, American model Marisa Berenson enjoyed a hugely successful career as a model, socialite, and actress. After being discovered by Diana Vreeland in the 1960s, she appeared on the cover of Vogue multiple times, and was dubbed ”the girl of the Seventies” by Yves Saint Laurent at the turn of the decade. She later went on to star in Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice (1971) and delivered a memorable performance in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975).
Now 78, Marisa lives in Marrakech and continues to work occasionally in film and fashion, including appearing as Lady Capulet in Kenneth Branagh’s 2016 West End production of Romeo and Juliet. When asked by The Guardian what she wanted to achieve in the future, Marisa said: ”Lots of things. I’m not finished yet.”
Peggy Moffitt
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesWith her signature asymmetrical bowl cut and striking eye makeup, American model Peggy Moffitt became one of the most visually iconic faces of the ’60s. She frequently collaborated with designer Rudi Gernreich and her photographer husband William Claxton to create some of the era’s most daring and memorable fashion imagery, and helped redefine what traditional feminine beauty looked like.
Sadly, Peggy passed away in 2024 at 86, but spent her life after her modelling career preserving the legacy of fashion and art, including curating a successful exhibition of her work with Rudi and William titled The Total Look: The Creative Collaboration between Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt, and William Claxton.
Pattie Boyd
© Getty ImagesThe ultimate muse of the rock ‘n’ roll era, English model Pattie Boyd graced magazines and ad campaigns with her doe-eyed beauty and mod style, before meeting The Beatles‘ George Harrison on the set of A Hard Day’s Night (1964), the band’s musical comedy film which she had a small acting appearance in. Pattie went on to inspire some of rock’s greatest hits, including The Beatles’ song ”Something” and Eric Clapton’s song ”Layla”, cementing her as a defining cultural force of the decade.
In her later years, Pattie became a successful photographer, publishing over 300 pictures from her personal archive in the book My Life in Pictures in 2022. She will also be portrayed in the upcoming Beatles biopic directed by Sam Mendes, where it is rumoured Aimee Lou Wood will play her.
Linda Keith
© Getty ImagesA striking British model and socialite known for her bohemian style, Linda Keith collaborated frequently with Vogue and other leading fashion magazines, and is also known for assisting Jimi Hendrix’s rise to fame, using her connections to help him get a manager and start his career in London. The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards wrote the band’s hit song ”Ruby Tuesday” about Linda, forever securing her place as a muse at the crossroads of ’60s fashion and music.
Now living in New Orleans, 79-year-old Linda has remained largely private, but remains a memorable fashion face from the Swinging Sixties. Linda was played by actress Imogen Poots in the 2013 film Jimi: All Is by My Side, bringing her story to a new generation of viewers.
