Interview Supermodel Jan de Villeneuve
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.”
