At 91 she’s one of the oldest Vogue cover girls – but she doesn’t care: meet Vogue Czechoslovakia’s Carmen Dell’Orefice

Carmen Dell’Orefice was discovered at the age of 13 by a woman on a bus in New York. Now 91, she recently graced the cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia

‘It’s all in a day’s work,’ says the model of the shoots she does as she reflects on her career, the famous friends she has made and how fashion has evolved

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Carmen Dell’Orefice models for Vogue Czechoslovakia’s April cover. She could well be the oldest working model out there, but Dell’Orefice, 91, is unfazed, saying: “It’s all in a day’s work for me.” Photo: Vogue Czechoslovakia

Nadja Sayej

Published: 4:15am, 18 Apr 2023Updated: 10:17am, 20 Apr 2023

Corrected [10:14am, 20 Apr, 2023]

[10:14am, 20 Apr, 2023]
In a previous version of this story, we reported that Carmen Dell'Orefice was 19 when she first appeared in a magazine cover shoot. We have clarified with Dell'Orefice's team that her first cover shoot was in 1947, not 1948, and that she was born in 1931. Thus she was not 19 when she had her first cover.

At 91, Carmen Dell’Orefice is one of the oldest living models still working. That does not mean she is slowing down – just this April, Dell’Orefice graced the cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia.

She is being called one of the oldest Vogue cover girls – not the oldest, as Vogue Philippines’ April cover features tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay, who is 106 – following the shoot by photographer Albert Watson for Vogue Czechoslovakia’s “eternal glamour” issue, but the model does not see it that way.

“It’s all in a day’s work for me, whether it’s a cover or not,” she tells the Post.

In the shoot, Dell’Orefice dons a number of wish-list-worthy items, including a black blazer by US designer Rick Owens, a glittery mask by American brand Erickson Beamon, and a striped, custom-made gown by French designer Cyril Verdavainne, who started his career working under French creative Thierry Mugler.

Dell’Orefice on the cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia. Photo: Vogue Czechoslovakia

That is in addition to pieces by Schiaparelli, Issey Miyake and Jason Wu, to name just a few.