Patricia Prunonosa and Rose-Marie Le Quellec joined the house of Fath at around the same time, as part of the house’s second wave of mannequins. And Prunonosa was, in fact, three years Le Quellec’s junior. But where, in Jacques Fath’s world of feminine archetypes, Prunonosa was the exotic sophisticate, Le Quellec was his incarnation of the French jeune fille — and the two might as well have been born a generation apart.
Rose-Marie Le Quellec in the 1950s
So while Prunonosa modelled Fath’s streamlined tailoring and dramatic gowns, Le Quellec wore his breezy evening jackets and bouffant skirts. She was heralded as the embodiment of the new Parisian ‘Cat Girl’ look — pale makeup, flicked eyeliner, cropped hair.
And in the late Fifties, she was the only French name to make the list of top photographic models in Paris (alongside Elga Andersen, Ann Gunning and Barbara Mullen). She would enjoy international success well into the mid-Sixties — shooting Revlon campaigns, and working with photographers like Karen Radkai, Jerry Schatzberg and William Klein.
These glamorous photos captured portraits of Rose-Marie Le Quellec as a fashion model in the 1950s.
Rose Marie in a cocktail ensemble by Jacques Fath, photo by Regina Relang, Paris, 1953
Rose Marie in beautiful fluid chocolate satin and crêpe de Chine evening dress with long stole of same material, by Lanvin-Castillo, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1954
Rose Marie in white satin evening gown, bodice crosses into v-neckline, the skirt is narrow and folds over , the long stole is lined in mink, by Hubert de Givenchy, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1954
Rose Marie in woven black metal jersey dress, the blouson top is draped at the waist, narrow sleeves and pencil skirt accentuates the sinous line, by Jacques Fath, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1954
Rose Marie is wearing hat by Claude Saint-Cyr, dress by Nina Ricci, jewelry by Francis Winter and fur by Max Rèby, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1954
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