Soft and Warm

closeups of Shelley from a spread

from Penneys Christmas 1969 catalog

 

Shelley started modeling in the mid-1960s and appeared in numerous ads and spreads in various magazines and catalogs. One of them was the Penneys catalog (which in the 1971 became JCPenney). In 1969, she appeared in the Penneys Christmas 1969 catalog, in the spread called "Soft and Warm." The spread featured the latest sleepwear women of all ages. Shelley wore the long gown in Fashion-Conscious Black and White Print. The softly feminine sleeping gown had velvet ribbon and cotton lace accents on the neck, yoke and cuffs of the garment. It had a two-button closure at the back and was perfect for those cold winter nights. Shelley looked lovely and ready to turn in.

 

Shelley in a spread
from Penneys Christmas 1969 catalog

THE Charlie Girl

closeup of Shelley in a 1981 French version

of the Charlie perfume ad

 

Shelley was and always will be THE quintessential Charlie Girl for many fans around the world. She was independent, bright, chic and confident - all the ideals of the brand. There were other "Charlie' models prior to her, but it was only Shelley's commercials and ads that were successful. So Revlon did a study to find out why. It turned out that women weren't intimidated by her and that men found her approachable. Shelley told Playboy magazine in 1980, "The women respondents said that this girl walking into a restaurant alone - which most women are afraid to do - looking chic, but not too chic, seemed like somebody they would like to know or to be. I was their idea of a modern, liberated but not threatening woman. The men thought I was someone they would like to go out with; again, modern, not brassy and someone who, if they met me, would talk to them. Men complain about women who can't talk." Charlie Girl Shelley Hack quickly became an icon when she began endorsing Charlie by Revlon in 1976.

 

Shelley in a 1981 French version
of the Charlie perfume ad

Angel 1979

closeup of Shelley from a promo pic, 1980

 

Shelley became a bona fide Hollywood superstar in 1979. She was already famous for being THE Charlie Girl when she joined the series, but her fame jumped exponentially when she was cast as Tiffany Welles in Charlie's Angels that year. She had been modeling for many years and, by 1979, had reached the pinnacle of success in her profession. She was one of the highest-paid Supermodels of the era and was one of the first to negotiate previously unheard of lucrative and exclusive deals with giant cosmetics companies. But with Charlie's Angels, she entered a totally different space. As one writer put it, she  entered into "rock star space." Charlie's Angels was a huge megahit all over the world and every Angel that joined the show was plunged into a fishbowl, where everything they said, did, went, wore or even ate was under the scrutiny of the public eye. But Shelley was determined to keep her private life private and seemed a bit overwhelmed by the amount of attention she got when she became Angel no. 5. "I was totally unprepared for the press "bonanza" that followed," she said in 2000.  "I had press people crawling in my windows," she told E! in 2002.

Shelley in a a promo pic, 1980

What's Going On

a closeup of Shelley from an ad

for Bobbie Brooks, 1972

 

Shelley appeared in many clothing ads throughout her modeling career. She appeared in many ads for Bobbie Brooks, a label that specialized in women's apparel, in the 1960s and '70s. In 1972, she appeared in an ad which had the tagline "What's Going On." It featured super dapper grey classics - fashion's new neutrals in status symbol separates. It showed young women that they could own classic wardrobe pieces that could be switched around and mixed and matched - and still look sophisticated in the end. Shelley wore a painter's smock jacket over a knitted turtle neck top and classic checkered trousers. A matching beret and two-tone footwear finished her look. And Shelley looked chic as usual.

 

Shelley in an ad for Bobbie Brooks, 1972

A Mutual Decision

Shelley in a promo pic from the late '70s

 

Shelley was set to play public defender Kristine/Christine Sullivan in the second season of Night Court in 1984. But even before completing work for a single episode of the series, she was out. Tongues began wagging about her being "dropped" from the comedy series like she was "dropped" from Charlie's Angels four years prior. But it was a mutual decision, decided upon at the 11th hour by both Shelley and the producers. "There's no mystery about it," Shelley explained in a telephone interview, "I liked the show. They offered me the role. I went and met them and liked them." She further explained, "But what happened was the role was changed somewhere between that meeting and my first day on the set." She wanted to do comedy but felt that the change wasn't going to work; so she opted to leave the series instead.

 

a writeup about Shelley from 1984

Modern Bride 66

a closeup of Shelley from the cover

of Modern Bride, Dec 1965/Jan 1966 issue

 

Shelley appeared on many magazine covers during her tenure as Supermodel.In 1965, she appeared on the cover of Modern Bride's December 1965/January 1966 issue. The magazine featured "Great Wedding Fashions Photographed in Ireland," and Shelley certainly looked fab on the mag's cover for that issue. Aside from the cover, she also appeared on the pages of the the issue and looked absolutely lovely donning wedding fashions for that era.

 

Shelley on the cover
of Modern Bride, Dec 1965/Jan 1966 issue

Supermodel-fest

a closeup of Shelley from a screen capture

of A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives, 1993

 

Shelley starred in the 1993 TV movie A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives. The TV movie was riddled with Supermodels who all played the "wicked wives" of ill-fated fashion photographer David Morrison (Eric Braeden) the murder victim. Shelley along with Maud Adams, Beverly Johnson, Kim Alexis and Kathy Ireland played David Morrison's wives past and present, all suspects in his murder, all with motives and axes to grind. And all the women looked fabulous - definitely deserving of their Supermodel status. Also, if you look closely, it's interesting to note how evident Shelley's penchant for low-heeled footwear was in this film.

 

Shelley and fellow Supermodels
Beverly Johnson, Maud Adams, and Kim Alexis
in A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives, 1993