The Wick Culture - Jan de Villeneuve photographed by Cathy Kasterine for Marfa Stance

Monday Muse

Interview Supermodel Jan de Villeneuve

Interview

Jan De Villeneuve

Photography

Cathy Kasterine, for Marfa Stance

09 December 2024

Interview

Jan De Villeneuve

Photography

Cathy Kasterine, for Marfa Stance

09 December 2024

Jan De Villeneuve started her six-decade long career as a model in the 1960s – she last walked in 2017, aged 72, when she caused a media frenzy after she appeared on the runway for Simone Rocha’s London Fashion Week show. At 80, De Villeneuve is still going strong – most recently having modelled for Marfa Stance, and fronting campaigns for TK Maxx. She regularly graces the pages of magazines (see her phenomenal cover for YOU). While genetically blessed, De Villeneuve is proof that age really is only a number. We caught up with the fashion legend to hear about her remarkable trajectory, changing attitudes to beauty, and her most memorable shoots to date.

THE WICK: What does a typical Monday morning look like for you?

Jan De Villeneuve: On a Monday morning, I’ll have a healthy breakfast with my long term partner, drummer Andy Newmark, & then take our beloved Goldendoodle for a 50-60 minute walk in the apple orchard next door. At 11am, one of my 3 brothers, Tom Griswold, has a radio show from Indianapolis, in the USA, ’The Bob and Tom Show,’ which I’m now able to listen to on youtube. It’s on till 3pm UK time, so I tend to listen for at least an hour or so.

TW: You’ve had a remarkable career in fashion spanning over six decades, and it’s still not over. What do you think has been the key to your longevity in such a fast-changing industry?

JDV: My father started taking photographs of me straight away, so I was used to paying attention to please him. I started working in 1966, after finishing a degree at The University of Michigan (which I loved & wouldn’t have wanted to miss). At age 22, I already felt like an ‘older model’ in those days. I think I’ve always kept things in perspective & been professional, yet been happy to change hair styles & colour, even when it wasn’t as popular as nowadays.

TW: Modelling in the ’60s alongside icons like Twiggy, and now walking runways in your 70s, how has your approach to modelling and beauty changed over the years?

JDV: I have wanted to stay natural, without any plastic surgery, even as I got older. I have always enjoyed clothes & fashion and am pleased that now people of all ages, shapes & sizes are included more often in fashion shoots, as it seems more relevant to day-to-day life. It’s wonderful, at 80 years old, to be working with a brilliant company like Marfa Stance.

TW: The art of fashion. What would be your chosen look or label to visit the next big art opening?

CR: I love Zandra Rhodes’ fashions, right down to her wonderful socks. Her clothes are incredibly beautiful, comfortable & easy to wear.

“I have never just followed a trend but tend to wear what I like & what suits me.”

The Wick Culture - Harper’s Bazaar Netherland, May 2018 Photo: Wendelien Daan

TW: You’re known for your distinctive look and elegance. How do you maintain your sense of personal style, and what are some of your beauty or wellness secrets?

JDV: I have never just followed a trend but tend to wear what I like & what suits me. My mother would shop at sales, always good where we lived as I grew up, knowing one could get more for their money. I was a size that seemed readily available. I don’t have any particular beauty secrets, but have always tried to have a good diet & exercise a bit. I splash cold water on my face 25 times each morning & spread cream on my face for one minutes before I go to bed each night.

TW: Modelling has taken you across the globe. What is your favourite Culturally Curious place that you’ve been to?

JDV: I’d say that a 3 week trip I made across the USA with Norman Parkinson for British Vogue was one of the most ‘Culturally Curious’ places as it varied so much from New York City to Las Vegas to San Francisco, etc.

TW: A book that changed your life?

JDV: The Divided Self by R.D. Laing & I was fortunate to get into therapy with him for a couple years after reading it.

TW: If you could have one artwork in your Christmas stocking, what would it be and why?

JDV: Most anything by Peter Blake. His work is always incredibly cheerful so makes one happy seeing it on the wall.

TW: Having worked with legendary photographers like David Bailey and Norman Parkinson, what is your most memorable moment?

JDV: It was great when I got a letter from David Bailey (via Eileen Ford at The Fords model agency in NY where I lived), saying that we had gotten the cover of British Vogue after a trip to Hawaii in 1969. Another excellent moment, when in my 70s, was when I was photographed by Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue (who pay nothing, but paid to fly me from UK to NY).