David Downton and Carmen Dell'Orefice

This week saw the opening of Carmen: A Life in Fashion at the Fashion Space Gallery at LCF; the first ever exhibition to document the life and work of the world’s most enduring supermodel, Carmen Dell’Orefice.

The preview of the exhibition on Tuesday 15 November was packed with guests keen to see the photographs from Carmen’s personal archive, which tell the story of a shy, skinny New Yorker who began her modelling career aged just 13, in 1945.

Professor Frances Corner OBE Head of London College of Fashion who commissioned the exhibition spoke movingly about Carmen’s enduring beauty and style, her incredible energy and sense of humour and thanked her for her friendship and support for LCF. Carmen in turn spoke of how overwhelmed she felt about the incredible reception there had been to her exhibition in the Fashion Space Gallery and the honorary doctorate which she was awarded by the University of the Arts London in summer 2011.

Colin McDowell, Carmen & Prof Frances Corner OBE

Guests included Yorick Blumenfeld (son of the great Erwin Blumenfeld who Carmen worked with), Jake Parkinson (grandson of Norman Parkinson who worked with Carmen in the early 60s and was responsible for bringing her back in the 1980s), Selina Blow, Serena Rees, Harold Tillman CBE, Mrs Joan Burstein, Simon Burstein, Philip Treacy, Colin mcdowell, Maria Grachvogel, David Gant, Nicky Haslam and fashion photographer Ali Mahdavi who was the latest in a long line of famous photographers to photograph Carmen. Ali’s images which take centre stage in the exhibition were shot on location in Paris and were commissioned by LCF to celebrate Carmen’s 80th birthday.

Celebrations continued last night (Wednesday 16 November) with LCF hosting an exclusive VIP party at the fashionable SW1 venue Il Bottaccio. The star of the night who everyone had come to see was of course the stunning Carmen Dell’Orefice who looked beautiful in an outfit by American designer Ralph Rucci. Lit with candles, in the beautiful Georgian surroundings of Il Bottaccio, guests enjoyed champagne and canapés of spiked goats cheese truffle lollipops, tea smoked lamb with a beetroot houmous on an edible spoon and zesty lemon mini tartlets.

Carmen being interviewed for VogueTV by Jade Parfitt

Guests at Carmen A Life in Fashion Private View

• The exhibition Carmen: A Life in Fashion is open at The Fashion Space Gallery until 14th January 2012
• More images to follow on the LCF Snapshot blog