Girl Power '90s

a 1990s writeup on Girl Power from Bravo mag

with Lynda Carter, Lindsey Wagner, 

Cheryl Ladd, Jaclyn Smith, Shelley Hack, 

Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly

"Girl Power" exploded in the 1990s when the Spice Girls rose to superstardom. But the seeds of Girl Power could be traced back to the 1970s when TV's Policewoman (Angie Dickinson) debuted on the small screen. It was soon followed by superhero women such as Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) and The Bionic Woman (Lindsey Wagner). Then came Charlie's Angels (Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith; then later, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts) and a phenomenon was born. The Angels ruled TV from the mid to the late '70s and early '80s. It paved the way for the women-headlined shows that were produced later - from Cagney & Lacey (Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly) to Orange Is the New Black.

Summer 1975 Catalog G

Shelley in a spread for Sears Catalog for Summer 1975

Shelley appeared in many spreads throughout Sears Catalog for Summer 1975. In the spread called "The Cool Looks of Summer", she modeled a dress that was perfect for summer. It was the Long Dress which had a ribbed front bodice in reverse stripe pattern, wide shoulder straps, square neckline in the front and back, back zipper opening and an ankle-length skirt.It was available in white and navy blue as well as light blue and white. Matching button earrings ans strappy sandals finished her look. Shelley looked fresh and ready for those summer months of 1975.

closeups of Shelley from the spread for Sears Catalog for Summer 1975

Best-Built Fords

Shelley was one of the highest-paid Ford Models

in the 1970s to the early 1980s

Shelley was spotted by  A&P supermarket heir Huntington Hartford at a debutante ball when she was just 14 years old and he urged her to try modeling. Shelley wasn't interested at first. But then she was taught never to close doors on opportunities that came her way; so she decided to take a peek. She ended up in model agent Eileen Ford's office in New York (her mother, a former model herself, and Mrs. Ford were acquainted); and the rest is history. She became one of the top Ford Supermodels of all time and one of the first models to sign those lucrative and exclusive modeling contracts models nowadays aspire to get.

a writeup on the top Ford Models of all time,

circa 1987

Many of the most famous models in the world were Ford Models. In 1987, a writeup called "Best-Built Fords" listed them all down with comments from The Godmother Eileen Ford herself. The list included Suzy Parker, Jean Shrimpton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Ali MacGraw, Shelley Hack, Lauren Hutton, Cheryl Tiegs, Cristina Ferrare, Kim Basinger, Jerry Hall, Christie Brinkley, Shari Belafonte and Brooke Shields. The list wasn't complete though. The other notable Ford Supermodels as of 1987 were:

other notable Ford Supermodels as of 1987:

Carmen Dell'Orefice, Jean Patchett, Dovima,

Wilhelmina Cooper, Twiggy, Evelyn Kuhn

Carmen Dell'Orefice

- she's the Supermodel with the longest tenure; she has been modeling since the 1940s and now, in her 80's, is still a cover girl and still fabulous 

Jean Patchett

- the model on two of the most famous Vogue covers - January and April 1950

Dovima

- her photo set "Dovima with Elephants" by Richard Avedon is legendary. she appeared in the movie Funny Face alongside Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn

Wilhelmina Cooper

- she eventually opened her own successful modeling agency, Wilhelmina Models, which later represented Supermodel Gia Carangi

Twiggy

- the face of Youthquake in the 1960s

Evelyn Kuhn

- probably the very first model to ever sign an exclusive beauty contract (with Revlon) which started the trend where models wanted to secure contracts

other notable Ford Supermodels as of 1987:

Anjelica Huston, Karen Graham, Beverly Johnson,

Shelley Smith, Rene Russo, Margaux Hemingway

Anjelica Huston

- who went on to win an Academy Award for the 1985 film Prizzi's Honor which was directed by her father John Huston and co-starred Jack Nicholson, her former flame

Karen Graham

- Estée Lauder's breathtakingly beautiful muse and spokesmodel for 15 years

Beverly Johnson

- Donyale Luna was the first African-American model on the cover of any Vogue (Vogue UK March 1966). Beverly was the first African-American model on the cover of "American" Vogue, which is a huge deal as well

Shelley Smith

- she was so versatile, she was on covers of competing magazines simultaneously

Rene Russo

- she was a favorite of Vogue for covers and editorials; she gained Hollywood fame when she starred in the 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan

Margaux Hemingway

- the first model to ever get a million-dollar contract, not a series of contracts that amounted to a million dollars

other notable Ford Supermodels as of 1987:

Rosie Vela, Janice Dickinson, Kim Alexis,

Catherine Oxenberg, Jacki Adams, Renée Simonsen

Rosie Vela

- she too was a favorite of Vogue for covers and editorials; her debut album Zazu was certified silver in the UK in 1987

Janice Dickinson

- she was initially turned down by Ford for being too ethnic, but was eventually taken in; she became a judge in the reality show America's Next Top Model from 2003–2006

Kim Alexis

- she appeared in a gazillion ads and spreads during her tenure as a Supermodel and took over from Lauren Hutton in the 1980s as the face of Revlon's Ultima II line

Catherine Oxenberg

- she is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and was a already successful Ford model before she joined the cast of the TV series Dynasty, playing Amanda Carrington, in 1984

Jacki Adams

- she appeared on countless magazine covers, was a Chanel muse in the early 1980s, and was the face of Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics in the 1980s

Renee Simonsen

- she won Eileen Ford's international modeling contest Face of the 80s (later renamed Supermodel of the World) in 1982 and became one of the most sought-after models in the 1980s

Cover Girl 1967

Shelley on the cover

of Simplicity Fashion News,

January1967

Shelley appeared in the cover of Simplicity Fashion News in January of 1967. She had been modeling for just over two years when she appeared on the cover and she had that youthful glow that just jumped out of the page. Pattern 7439 was a jacket skirt and blouse pattern, and Shelley looked fantastic in it.

a closeup of Shelley

from the cover

2010 Event 2

Shelley in New Jersey in 2010

Shelley's public appearances have been rare and sporadic, that's why fans are ecstatic whenever she decides to go out to meet them. One of those rare occasions was the Super Megashow and Comic Fest in 2010. It was a 3-day affair held in Fairfield, New Jersey, on July  9, 10 and 11 of that year. Shelley had made an appearance in such an event just the year before, at the Hollywood Collectors Show in Burbank, California. Fans were again so happy to go and meet Charlie's most reclusive Angel at both events. Sadly, those were the last public appearances that Shelley made. Let's hope she makes another one in the near future. Her fans miss her.

Star Dressing for Little Evenings A

Shelley in a spread for Harper's Bazaar, October 1977

Shelley appeared in many spreads throughout Harper's Bazaar's October 1977 issue. In the spread called "Star Dressing for Little Evenings", she modeled beautiful big looks for all those evenings in 1977. They were sensational dresses of silk and fluid fabric that clung and whirl around the body. They were in dramatic solid colored hues like rust black cream and brown that made any woman's skin glow.

a closeup of Shelley from the spread

Shelley wore the Black Spiced with Red Satin Dress. It was a dramatic black dress trimmed with red satin ribbon on the blousy straight-edged camisole top and on the whirl-of-pleats below-the-knee skirt. It was an Albert Nipon original and was accessorized with simple but elegant button earrings, bracelets and neck pieces. A scarf and a clutch finished her look. And Shelley looked every inch like a star.

Summer 1975 Catalog F

closeups of Shelley from the spread for Sears Catalog for Summer 1975

Shelley appeared in many spreads throughout Sears Catalog for Summer 1975. In the spread called "The Classic Knits of Summer", she modeled coordinates that were perfect for that summer. She wore the Jacket, Tank-Top and Pants ensemble. It was a three-piece outfit made up of a long sleeved, front-button-opening jacket, a scoop-necked pull-over style tank top and a pair of pants with an elasticized wait and slightly flared legs. The jacket and tank top featured a reverse-circle print in red, white and navy blue. The pants came in white. Matching open-toed wedge-heeled footwear and a summery-white bangle finished her look. Shelley looked fresh and ready for those summer months of 1975.

Shelley in a spread for Sears Catalog for Summer 1975