In this day and age of digital footprints and full-disclosure Facebooking, there’s little that a good Google search won’t reveal. However, as I discovered today, the worldwide web falls intriguingly short when it comes to 1960s fashion model Jan Stewart.
As far as I know, Jan was from Melbourne, and worked with local photographers such as Bruno Benini (profiled in an earlier blog post) and Maggie Diaz.
With her Audrey Hepburnesque features and natural grace, she was every bit as divine as my favourite 60s model Jean Shrimpton — but clearly didn’t hit the same heights of fame, because I simply can’t find anything about her online except a few photos and an interview snippet where she recalls the staging of this fabulous shot in a Little Collins Street building site for Sportsgirl:
So, unless anyone out there can tell me more about this beautiful mystery babe, we’ll just have to be content to swoon over her… Besides, as they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words.
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| Jan glamming it up in some swinging ski gear. Photo: Janice Wakely |
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| Reclining Jan. Photo: Maggie Diaz |
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| Frock with a view. Photo: Bruno Benini |
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| Jan doing Jean! How Shrimpton is this? I have a postcard of this pic somewhere, from that 2011 Como House exhibition, Mannequin. Wish I could find it so I could give the photographer due credit... |
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| Yogi Jan. Photographer also unknown. |
I think she married Ian Turpie after Livvie had stepped over him to London where she stepped over one of The Shadows.
ReplyDeleteWell! That casts an interesting light on things, I just had a quick Google search and you're right - they were married for 43 years (until he died). No wonder I couldn't find any info on her - I was searching for Jan Stewart. She was way more gorgeous and stylish than Olivia (in my opinion)...thanks for clarifying the mystery for me!
DeleteI believe Turpie was married to model Jan Hamilton, not Stewart.
DeleteHi JT - thanks for your engagement with our Idolisation Of The Jans.
Deletemy ugly twin sister Annie ODyne confesses below to mixing them up.
Sixties models were all more gorgeous than any recent ones because They did it all by themselves. carting huge totes - or toting huge totes - filled with a variety of accessories, wiglets, stocking colours and cosmetics. By Themselves.
It takes about 18 people to get Moss or Delevigne camera-ready.
The only recent model who gets near Sixties level competence is/was Linda Evangelista, who changed her look often and totally.
Keep on rockin'
Thanks Jason, yes it seems the lovely Jan Stewart remains an enigma. Great to hear from you though! I'll look out for your novel. And most excellent to hear from you again, Ms iODyne. I have to confess, I do like Kate Moss (and Linda), but the latest generation of 'supermodels' (aka pretty girls from wealthy families) leave me cold!
Deleteoh I make mistakes all over the place. you are setting me right though, as I now think this model in yellow is Jan Stewart not Janni Goss. the WWW is a tricky place. cheers 2 U
ReplyDeleteHmm you could be right - she does have those Audrey Hepburn-esque features...Mind you, I don't know what Janni Goss looked like...
DeleteHi Sammy-lou, I checked the blogs of your commentor above and he has written a spy novel about a 1960s fashion model we both hope he has success with that. blog link
Deletecheers