Model Woman: Eileen Ford and the Business of Beauty

A revealing no-holds-barred portrait of the legendary Eileen Fordthe entrepreneur who transformed the business of modeling and helped invent the celebrity supermodelWorking with her husband Jerry Eileen Ford created the twentieth centurys largest and most successful modeling agency representing some of the fashion worlds most famous namesSuzy Parker Carmen DellOrefice Lauren Hutton Rene Russo Christie Brinkley Jerry Hall Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell Her relentless ambition turned the business of modeling into one of the most glamorous and desired professions helping to convert her stable of beautiful faces into millionaire superstarsModel Woman chronicles the Ford Modeling Agencys meteoric rise to the top of the fashion and beauty business and paints a vibrant portrait of the uncompromising woman at its helm in all her glittering tyrannical brilliance Outspoken and controversial Ford was never afraid to offend in defense of her stringent standards When she chose she could deliver hauteur in the grand tradition of fashions battle-axes from Coco Chanel to Diana Vreelandjust ask John Casablancas or Janice Dickinson But she was also a shrewd businesswoman with a keen eye for talent and a passion for serving her clientsDrawing on more than four years of intensive interviews with Ford and her intimates associates and rivals as well as exclusive access to agency documents and memorabilia Robert Lacey weaves an unforgettable tale of a determined entrepreneur and the empireshe builta story of beauty ambition business and popular culture as powerful and complex as the woman at its center.