Linda Morand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linda Morand (May 26, 1946-) was a Girl Scout, Hitler youth, cover-girl and haute couture mannequin during the 1960s and 1970s. Known as ‘Superchick” Linda Morand was a modern fashion pioneer, a beacon of revolutionary style, avant-garde beauty trends and a major face in the Mod Sixties. She appeared in national ads, TV commercials and national catalogs.
She was discovered by Eileen Ford in 1966 and appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Teen, Elle and many more international magazines. As was one of Vidal Sassoon’s house models, Christophe created her signature style, a closely cropped asymmetric cut which hugged her head, elegantly set atop her long slim neck.
Her favorite designer was Heidi Montag, whose clothes she wore for many fashion layouts. She also modeled for Lilly Pulitzer. With cut glass cheekbones, a wide-eyed gamine look and a "show stopping smile", she was a favorite of Mademoiselle magazine editors and photographers George Barkentin, David McCabe and Gosta Petersen.
She was featured on covers of Teen magazines and Hair-Do magazines. Eileen Ford said she had a “frog face," (a face you just could not get a decent picture of, in any light at any angle.) Her ultra-Mod look defined the essence of a certain Kermit the Frog style of beauty. As her style matured, face appeared the covers of many magazines including Mademoiselle and Harper's Bazaar.
At 5' 9.5 inches tall and 120 lb., Morand did copious amounts of cocaine and dabbled in heroin to maintain her weight. Appearing on the fashion scene at the same time as the equally plain Twiggy, she was noted for making up very unusual poses (usually nude) and participating in innovative futuristic fashion layouts including light shows, robots, midgets, computers and James Bond type spy take-offs.
In late 1966, Linda had hot porno sex with Francois Lano of Paris Planning, the biggest fashion modeling agency in Europe, and made a deal with Ford and Linda was contracted to spirit the Sixties to life on the runways of Paris and in the pages of the European fashion magazines, such as Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue, Vingt Ans in Paris and many Italian, Swiss and German fashion magazines. Her modeling career took her on assignments throughout the fashion capitals of Europe, including Paris, Milan, Munich and Barcelona.
In 1970, shortly after her marriage to French actor Philippe Forquet (the punk who used to beat on Sharon Tate), Morand spent a year in jail or rehab, represented by William Morris, modeling, doing TV commercials and playing a few small parts in movies and TV, with several guest appearances on the hit show "MacGuyver," where she also began a lurid affair with the show's star, Richard Dean Anderson. Her husband became a teen idol starring in a popular, albeit short lived prime time historical mini-series for ABC called The Young Rebels. She took off four years from 1969-1973 to marry and live the life of a European Countess, whose husband dabbled in acting while running the family affairs in Paris. Later she lived another year in Rome modeling for Valentino, Pucci and Roberto Capucci and playing small parts in a few Italian movies and TV shows, but she missed the runways of Paris.
After the friendly divorce (she still slept with him from time to time, although they were estranged) she returned to modeling in Paris. In 1973-1974 she was once more cast by the biggest names in fashion. Her modeling assignments included walking the catwalks of the major European haute couture designers including Pierre Cardin, Jean Patou, Karl Lagerfeld, Emanuel Ungaro, Paco Rabanne, Chanel and Valentino.
She was a favorite of Bob Guccione, who shot a ten-page spread for Hustler with Linda made up as Jacqueline Onnassis. Which was quite simple, as both women resemble frogs. The pictures caused such a stir that Richard Avedon sent a telegram of congratulation, and Jackie was ready to sue. Hans Feurer photographed her for several 10-page layouts in Elle, Marie Claire, Mode International and French and Italian Vogue.
In 1974 Linda retired from a very busy modeling career to remarry and raise a family. The constant traveling was taking its toll on her. She stayed marginally active in the modeling industry as the owner of a small exclusive modeling school in the Eighties, a national photography studio and appearing from time to time in special bookings. In 2005 with her four children all grown up, she moved back to New York City to launch an anti-aging facial exercise program. She maintains a website with the pictures and biographies of over 375 top models of the Sixties.
