Marisa Berenson: A Life in Pictures

A captivating selection of images by the world’s leading photographers celebrating one of the most recognized faces in fashion and film.  Dubbed an “It Girl” by Yves Saint Laurent in the early 1970s, Marisa Berenson is the original modern muse-inspiring fashion designers, photographers, stylists, and fashion editors for over thirty years. Born of noble lineage-and the granddaughter of the famed fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli-Berenson’s meteoric rise began formally at age sixteen, leading to numerous covers and editorials in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and countless other high-end fashion and society magazines. Her timeless beauty and chameleonlike talent for transformation soon led to her entry into film, where she landed leading roles in the period films Cabaret, Death in Venice, and Stanley Kubrick’s lavish production of Barry Lyndon.
This captivating collection of fashion editorials, magazine covers, film stills, and candid photos were captured by the leading photographers and filmmakers of the day, including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, David Bailey, Hiro, Helmut Newton, Henry Clarke, Norman Parkinson, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Steven Meisel, among many others. This lavish yet intimate volume details a visual biography of Berenson, and demonstrates the lasting resilience that continues to make her an enthralling and legendary visage.

Hamish Bowles is the European editor at large for American Vogue. He is the author of numerous books, including Balenciaga: Spanish Master. Diane von Furstenberg is a legendary fashion designer and “It Girl” in her own right.