SL Book: Marisa Berenson: A Life in Pictures

I’m super excited about the new must have book Marisa Berenson: A Life in Pictures (Rizzoli). I’m a little obsessed with picture books of late because my brain has seemed to stop working – again. My neurons are not firing on all cylinders. I feel as though chemo brain is alive and well.  F-bomb.

Fortunately (for my current condition), there are only a handful of pages dedicated to text, the rest of this Silver Lining book is overflowing with images documenting her iconic status in fashion, film, culture and society. The images are remarkable, taken by extraordinary photographers such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, David Bailey, Hiro, Helmut Newton, and Steven Meisel.

Ms. Berenson was mentored by Vogue editor Diane Vreeland (a family friend) at a young age and cultivated an incredibly successful modeling career.  In addition to modeling, she appeared onscreen in Cabaret directed by Bob Fosse, Black Heart with Clint Eastwood and others.

With an introduction by European editor-at-large for American Vogue Hamish Bowles and a conversation with her close friend fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, the reader gains a wonderful insight into Ms. Berenson’s evocative life.

Ms. Berenson describes herself as contradictory: shy, yet able to do nude photographs.  She says that modeling was very freeing for her.  Halston was like a big brother to Ms. Berenson. She believed that he was one of the designers who really personified the American woman at her best: active and modern, clean and crisp.

A Silver Lining to the launch of the book is that thirty-five photographs of Berenson (many not included in the book) are currently on view at the Donna Karan boutique (819 Madison Avenue), in a show curated by Shawn Waldron, through Oct. 11. The book is also on sale at the Donna Karan stores.