Shelley in a pic from a spread
for Seventeen magazine, 1964
Shelley began modeling in late 1964. Shelley was discovered by A&P supermarket heir and publisher Huntington Hartford at a debutante ball when she was just 14 years old. It was her first time to be invited to one and her mother instructed Shelley, "If any older men bother you, go powder your nose." And she kept powdering her nose all night because "A guy kept bothering me," Shelley said, "He kept coming up to ask, 'Have you ever thought of being a model?' " After careful consideration, and with the help of her mother, a former Conover model, she finally decided it was a better summer job than waitressing. They went to went to New York to see Eileen Ford (a friend of her mother's) for representation. In 1964, Shelley appeared in a spread in Hartford's Show magazine, in the September 1964 issue (check out: The First). In November of that same year, her face was on the covers of both Seventeen (check out: Seventeen Cover) and Glamour (check out: First Cover) magazines.
Shelley in a spread for Seventeen magazine, 1964
Shelley's very first Christmas spreads for Seventeen magazine was for the mag's December 1964 issue. In the spread called "Hit Knits," she wore knitted pieces that could be worn at any of the holiday parties for that season. She wore The Sissy Sweater, a new kind of sweater that was making an appearance that season, just in time for the festivities. It was a pullover sweater top that was ruffled around its slightly plunging neckline and at the end of its long sleeves. By Rosanna, it was of mohair and wool knit and could be worn over a pair of pants or a skirt. A ribbon on her hair accessorized her look. She also wore The Embroidered Shell, a night-time knitted sleeveless top bisected by openwork then edged with tiny rows of crochet trim. By James Kenrob, it also had two embroidered rosebud embellishments on the front. A matching skirt finished her look - although the mag also recommended it be worn under a late-day suit. A ribbon on her hair and a bracelet accessorized her look. And in both, Shelley looked like a big hit indeed.
Shelley in a pic from a spread
for Seventeen magazine, 1964
