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in memoriam
March 3, 2015

Remembering One of French Fashion’s Greatest Muses, Bettina

By Erica Schwiegershausen

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Photo: Gordon Parks/Getty Images

The model known as Bettina passed away in France yesterday at the age of 90. Born Simone Micheline Bodin, she made her mark as France’s first supermodel in the late ‘40s and ‘50s, defining a new era of Parisian glamour. Known for her red hair, freckles, and sparsely made-up face, she rose to prominence as a model and muse to legendary couturier Jacques Fath, who reportedly gave her the name “Bettina” because he already had a model named Simone. Not long after, Bettina began modeling for one of Fath’s former assistants, Hubert de Givenchy, who, in 1952, named his debut collection after her (she was also the inspiration for the designer’s iconic Bettina blouse).

Though she retired from modeling in 1955, Bettina (who took the last name of her first husband, Italian photographer Benno Graziani) remained a mainstay in the fashion world for the rest of her life. Last fall, she was honored with an exhibition of portraits from her modeling heyday, including images by Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Erwin Blumenfeld, which was on view at the Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan and Paris’s Galerie Azzedine Alaia. And while she inspired some of the century’s most masterful couturiers, Bettina’s own approach to style was refreshingly understated and relaxed. “I never wore those elaborate couture clothes in life,” she told Vogue in 2009. “Never! At the time, I used to wear men’s shirts and long skirts with flat shoes. It was my look.”

Click through the slideshow for a look back at France’s first supermodel — and one of the most influential fashion muses of the 20th century.

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1 / 19 Photos
1943  Photo: AGIP/AD/Everetty Collection
August, 1950 With Sophie Malgat in Paris. Photo: Gordon Parks/Getty Images
January, 1951 Wearing a hat by Rose Valois. Photo: AGIP/AD/Everetty Collection
1952 Modeling for Givenchy. Photo: Nat Farbman/Getty Images
January, 1954 Wearing a hat by Legnoux. Photo: AGIP/AD/Everett Collection
February, 1956  Photo: Gordon Parks/Getty Images
November, 1956 Arriving at Maxim's restaurant in Paris. Photo: AGIP/AD/Everetty Collection
August 27, 1957 With Prince Aly Khan at Nina Dyer and Sadruddin Aga Khan's wedding in Switzerland. Photo: AGIP/AD/Everetty Collection
December 1, 1960 With Liz Taylor and Eddie Fisher at Orly Airport in Paris. Photo: AGIP/AD/Everetty Collection
1964 In Sardinia, Italy. Photo: Slim Aarons/Getty Images
October 20, 1976 At Regine's nightclub in Paris. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / ANGELI/Getty Images
November 19, 1980 With Jerry Hall at the '78 nightclub in Paris. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / AGENCE ANGELI/Getty Images
August 12, 1986 At a party in Paris. Photo: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images
March 18, 1991 With Jacques Chazot at the Yves Saint Larent fall 1991 runway show in Paris. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / AGENCE ANGELI/Gett... March 18, 1991 With Jacques Chazot at the Yves Saint Larent fall 1991 runway show in Paris. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / AGENCE ANGELI/Getty Images
June 26, 1991 With Gilles Vidal in Paris. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / AGENCE ANGELI/Getty Images
July 8, 2004 Arriving at the Loulou De La Falaise cocktail party during Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Michel Dufour/Getty Images
November 22, 2006 With Elsa Martinelli at the Royal Opera at Chateau de Versailles. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / ANGELI/Getty Images
June, 2010 With Kenzo Takada at his painting exhibition launch in Paris. Photo: Eric Ryan/Getty Images
January 20, 2014 With Raf Simons backstage at the Christian Dior spring 2014 runway show in Paris. Photo: Petroff/Dufour/Getty Images
1 / 19

Tags:

  • bettina
  • givenchy
  • modeling
  • fashion
  • france
  • jacques fath
  • slideshow
  • nostalgia
  • in memoriam
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