In the beginning there was Veruschka

You probably can't imagine it, but once, a long, long time ago, there was no Kate Moss but Veruschka who dictated the covers. Richard Avedon called her ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’ and he might just have been right. Talking about a colorful life. Time for a book and a tribute.

Veruschka and me

I know Veruschka mainly from the documentary about Diane Vreeland, where Diane envisioned a shoot with the immensely tall Veruschka who was supposed to have an affair with a Japanese wrestler. And the Japanese had to be taller than her. It took the Vogue team about three weeks of searching, but then they found him.

Nobility and homelessness

The German Veruschka comes from both sides of an immensely noble background. Her father turned out to be a hero as he tried to take down Hitler because he had seen what the German authorities were doing to Jewish children. Unfortunately, her father had to pay for his actions with his life. It marked a troubled childhood where Veruschka and her family lived without a home and Veruschka attended thirteen different schools.

The turning point

After her art studies, Veruschka moved to Florence where she was discovered as a model. Her real breakthrough came from a line she spoke in the film Blow Up. Her perfect figure made a deep impression, and it was said that she set the precedent for the size 0 models. “Pure coincidence,” says Veruschka herself. “Just before the shoot, I was in Mexico and got a bowel infection which made me lose a lot of weight.” Oh Veruschka, you're only bringing this up now. Couldn't you have revealed that a bit earlier? It would have saved us a lot of issues...

A Model's Life. From Vera to Veruschka. €58 - Rizzoli