She is the longest-serving model ever and the most iconic woman in the fashion world. At 92,  continues to be an example of charm and elegance, a true muse who has inspired the best artists, photographers, and stylists from all over the world.

Let's retrace the story of this pioneer of the fashion world, who continues to conquer the most important covers of the sector today with her ethereal charm.

Born in New York on June 3, 1931, Carmen Dell'Orefice is the daughter of an Italian jazz musician and a Hungarian dancer. Her childhood was not easy: at the age of 11, in fact, due to a complicated family situation, she was entrusted to various foster homes.

Her journey in the world of fashion began very early. At the age of 13, in 1946, Carmen Dell'Orefice signed her first modeling contract, for none other than the famous Vogue magazine.

After just one year, she appeared on the cover of a well-known fashion magazine becoming the youngest model ever to do so.

Carmen Dell'Orefice, in fact, is considered the pioneer of supermodels, the first to have really invented this job, in an era in which the fashion business was still in its infancy.

In those years, the very young model had become the most coveted by the best photographers of the moment, including Horst P. Horst (pictured), Francesco Scavullo, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Norman Parkinson, Gleb Derujinsky, Erwin Blumenfeld and Richard Avedon.

The latter, Richard Avedon, was the photographer with whom she worked the most: he immortalized her on 58 occasions for the Paris edition of Harper's Bazaar.

Carmen Dell'Orefice was also the highest-paid model of the time. Among the brands that competed to have her as a testimonial, we remember Chanel, who wanted her as the face of the legendary perfume Chanel Nº5.

In the 1940s, the famous supermodel also forged an artistic bond with the visionary and eccentric Salvador Dali, for whom she posed for several paintings.

After her great success was achieved, Carmen Dell'Orefice, still very young, decided to retire and devote herself to her private life.

The famous muse was married three times: to Richard Kaplan (1963-1974), to Richard Heimann (1959-1960), and to Bill Miles (1952-1953). With the latter, she had a daughter, Laura Miles.

Despite having chosen to retire from the world of fashion, in the 70s, Carmen Dell'orefice decided to get back into the game again. She was still in great demand when she was already over forty.

Since then, her silver hair has become the hallmark of a timeless beauty that still fascinates observers from all over the world and is capable of giving Carmen dell'Orefice an aura of elegance and unparalleled charm.

Her return to the runway also represented a significant opening of the fashion industry toward age-related diversity, thus paving the way for women of all generations.

Among the last covers she starred in we remember those of Vogue in 1996 photographed by Arthur Elgort and in 2013, when she was immortalized by Greg Lotus.

In 2022, she made a comeback again for posing naked at the age of 91, for New You Magazine, alongside fellow model Beverly Johnson (pictured).

Carmen Dell'Orefice's extraordinary ten-year career has challenged all stereotypes of the fashion industry, proving that age is not a limit to pursuing and achieving one's dreams.