She is the incarnation of the Parisian woman. Indeed, she wrote a book about that! Beautiful, elegant, staggered and mischievous, 56 years old, Inès de la Fressange has not lost her superb (her splendor) !
By turns, aristocrat, top model, muse Chanel and fashion creator, her career us multiple and full of unexpected turns! Let’s go back on a kind personage, highly colorful with something more: this class so French!
By Yvo Deprelle
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H
er real name ?
A poem, a great moment of history: Inès Maria Laetitia Eglantine Isabelle de Seignard de la Fressange ! From a big family, lovely cocktail of nobility and great bourgeoisie, the little girl was born the 11 august 1957 in Gassin in the Var.
Daughter of the marquis André de Seignard de la Fressange and Cecilia Sanchez Cirez, a argentinian model, she had childhood out of the ordinary and out of time between Parisian town houses, palaces, chalets in Switzerland and family mill.
After her baccalaureate, she enters at the Ecole du Louvre in history of art and she is very fast discovered for her atypical physique. Very soon, she poses for the photograph Olivier Toscani for the magazine Elle. We are in 1975, Inès is 18 years old. Beautiful, slender, mysterious, a bit androgynous, Inès is then the opposite of the canons of beauty. Jerry Hall, Pat Cleveland, Janice Dickinson, Iman, Gia Carangi, the era of Scandinavian blondes and voluptuous brunettes. Her strange plastic triggers the gossips, so jealous that they give her a nickname 'the asparagus’! But a career is launched; she walks for Thierry Mugler, Kenzo, Gaultier...
The fashion of the seventies/eighties explodes with the new young creators and very fast everyone wants her. Her elegant beauty breathes life into a fresh wind and class on the podiums. The whole things accompanied with a large dose of humor because Inès is not afraid of smiling and making jokes! A world contract for beauty products Dior later and Inès is one of the first top models of eighties. And French in addition!!!
[multicol]In 1983, Karl Lagerfeld revives the house Chanel. Very naturally, he chose Inès as luxurious ambassador of the brand. Her strong resemblance with Coco when, when she was young. Ironically, her mother should have join the cabin of models of the brand. But when the great Mademoiselle asked her to cut her hair, she refused... And became model for Guy Laroche !
Inès is then the first top model to sign an exclusive contract with a luxury fashion house.
Her collaboration lasted seven years. Inès is a sparkling, mischievous girl. She speaks and accepts interviews with pleasure. So much that the press gave her a name "the model who speaks", which is not so common in the profession! The side " be beautiful and shut up" not for her!
Her approval rating soars... She was asked in 1989 to embody the bust of Marianne, the symbol of the Republic in every city hall. After Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve (don’t forget Mireille Mathieu !), The challenge is tempting. The Kaiser flatly refuses (it’s too crude !) but Inès posed anyway. Result : her contract with Chanel was broken after a long legal battle.
To launch later her famous fashion guide La Parisienne, a joyful compilation of the best shopping addresses, regarding beauty, the beautiful Inès remains at the top (pun !).
Aged about 50 years old, she creates the surprise renewing with the catwalks for Gaultier couture in 2009 then for Chanel in 2011.
Thus showing to the whole world that peace was signed with Karl Lagerfeld ! The victorious fifties, it was quite logical she joined the muses of L'Oréal Paris in 2011...
A "Perfect harmony" like the famous foundation of which she is the ambassador! Because she is worth it, and more than that: car everybody loves her, Inès...!
