Born 1932 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand-born British model Fiona Campbell-Walter was encouraged to model by her mother and, as a teenager, she was photographed by Henry Clarke. She joined the Lucie Clayton Charm Academy, a London-based modeling agency and finishing school. She signed as a model and was a favorite of the photographer Cecil Beaton.
Fiona Campbell-Walter in the 1950s
In the 1950s, Campbell-Walter was earning up to £ 2,000 a day. In January 1953, she was featured on the cover of Life magazine and was featured in Vogue. She was also photographed by John French, Elsbeth Juda, Norman Parkingson, and David Bailey and modeled for Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Campbell-Walter was also known for her relationship with Greek shipping heir Alexander Onassis, whom she began an affair with after separating from her husband, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva. Onassis had invited Campbell-Walter, 16 years his senior and his mother’s friend, to a dinner party. The relationship reportedly ended after the intervention of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Take a look at these fabulous photos to see the beauty of young Fiona Campbell-Walter in the 1950s.
Fiona Campbell-Walter in fitted suit “Berne” from Ledux, Vogue UK, May 1951
Fiona Campbell-Walter wearing Dior’s fishscale evening gown with black velvet bow accent, photo by Henry Clarke, 1951
Fiona Campbell-Walter, photo by Henry Clarke, 1951
Fiona Campbell-Walter, photo by John French, 1951
Fiona Campbell-Walter in baggy-topped taupe wool coat with deep beaver collar and saucer buttons that mark the diagonal fastening, hat, all by Worth, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, September 1952
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