Jill Kennington in Vogue 1676 by Elio Berhanyer, Vogue Pattern Book International, Winter 1966. Image: eBay.
British model-turned-photographer Jill Kennington turns 75 today.
Born and raised in Lincolnshire, Jill Kennington (b. 1943) moved to London at 18, working at Harrods and staying with her aunt, who was a buyer there. Scouted by Michael Whittaker, the founder of the Whittaker Enterprises agency, she was hired as a house model at Norman Hartnell before she could finish the agency course.
Vogue Pattern Book International, Summer 1966. Image: Vintage Chic.
Kennington was one of two models in John Cowan’s famous shoot in the Canadian Arctic. (See the full editorial at vogue.com.) You might recognize her from Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up. (Read her reminiscences in Vanity Fair.)
At Resolute Bay, Vogue, November 1964. Photo: John Cowan. Image: Pleasure Photo.Jill Kennington (left) in Blow-Up (1966) Image: Vanity Fair.
That’s Kennington in Emmanuelle Khanh’s dress pattern in Queen magazine. (Previously seen in my Butterick Young Designers post.)
Butterick 3718 by Emmanuelle Khanh, Queen, August 11, 1965. Image: Amazon.
Here she models some mod knitwear by Mary Quant:
Patons no. 9702 by Mary Quant (ca. 1966)
Kennington can be seen on some of Vogue’s earliest Givenchy patterns. This evening dress was also featured on the cover of the February retail catalogue:
Vogue 1698 by Givenchy (1967)
In Vogue 1707 by Fabiani:
FABIANI 1707: Vogue Patterns catalogue, April 1967. Image: Etsy.
More Vogue Paris Originals and Couturier patterns featuring Kennington:
Vogue 1725 by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior (1967) Image: eBay.Vogue 1737 by Laroche (1967) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.Vogue 1746 by Simonetta (1967) Image: Blue Gardenia.Vogue 1747 by Lanvin (1967) Image: eBay.
In a flight-themed British Vogue editorial, wearing Young Fashionables hooded jumpsuit Vogue 6376:
Vogue 6376 in British Vogue, February 1967. Photo: Ronald Traeger. Image: Youthquakers.
Happy birthday, Ms. Kennington!
Jill Kennington, 1964. Photo: Lichfield. Image: National Portrait Gallery.Is Paris dead? Jill Kennington in Pierre Cardin, Weekend Telegraph, September 3, 1965. Photo: William Klein. Image: eBay.Jill Kennington in Queen, January 5, 1966. Photo: Helmut Newton. Image: Pinterest.Jill Kennington on the cover of Queen‘s Christmas issue. Photo: David Montgomery. Image: eBay.
