Carol LaBrie

Carol LaBrie Rose ( December 27, 1946 – February 18, 2021) was an American model who attained success in the 1960s and 1970s. LaBrie was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Vogue Italia in 1971. She began her career as a dancer before she became a model and a Warhol superstar. LaBrie was a muse to fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez and fashion designer Kenzō Takada.

Biography

Carol LaBrie was born to Sears LaBrie and Wilda Simien in El Cerrito, California on December 27, 1946.[1]

Her sister Alice LaBrie Hille was a television producer who was married to radio personality Hal Jackson.[2][3]

In 1965, LaBrie was a model on the game show The Price Is Right.[4]

LaBrie decided to leave her Wall Street secretarial job and relocated to Los Angeles, where she began dancing at the popular nightclub Whiskey-a-Go-Go.[5] She had previously taken ballet for seven years.[5] In 1967, she was booked as a dancer at the Tropicana in Las Vegas.[6]

LaBrie gave up her career as a dancer and began modeling again with the assistance of film director Bob Rafelson.[5] "He called Nina Blanchard, the top Los Angeles agent, and when she saw me, she said, 'Great, let’s do some pictures.' So I got pictures done, and my first job was a TV commercial," she recalled.[5]

When she went to New York, she met Gilles Raysse, a French producer of TV commercials, through designer Fernando Sanchez.[5] Three days after meeting, LaBrie and Raysse were married, and they later had a son.[5][1] On her wedding night, LaBrie flew to Paris for a meeting with designer Yves Saint Laurent.[5] He wanted her to become one of his house models but she turned down the offer because that meant she "couldn't do anything else."[5]

LaBrie appeared in a spread with fellow Black model RoAnne Nesbitt in the February 1969 edition of Vogue magazine.[7]

By 1970, LaBrie was part of pop artist Andy Warhol's ensemble of superstars.[8] She appeared in his film L'Amour (1972).[9] LaBrie was aslo supposed to star in a movie that Warhol had planned to produce about Walt Whitman during the Civil War.[8] Paul Morrissey, Warhol's film collaborator, reportedly tried to pitch the movie but the film studios wouldn't back the project.[10]

LaBrie and Raysse were photographed by Francesco Scavullo for the March 1970 edition of Harper's Bazaar.[11] LaBrie had difficulty with bookings because of her fair complexion so she moved to Paris and became one of "Antonio's Girls," a muse of Puerto Rican illustrator Antonio Lopez.[12][13][5] After Raysse became the business partner of Japanese-born French designer Kenzō Takada, a friendship blossomed between LaBrie and Takada.[14] She taught him English and modeled exclusively for his brand "JAP."[15]

LaBrie became the first Black model to appear on the cover of Vogue Italia when she was featured in the magazine's July/August 1971 edition. [16][17]

LaBrie had a minor role in the French film Body of My Enemy (1976), but she gave up her modeling and film career to focus on being a housewife and mother.[5] "Modeling was not my greatest joy... Models have to have other goals and ideals, to do something and help other people. Be a role model. Be beautiful, be Black, but be what you are because you're beautiful as you are," she said.[5]

LaBrie was married photographer Ulie Rose and they had four children.[1]

LaBrie died at the age of 75 in New Lebanon, New York on February 18, 2021.[1]

References

1. "Carol Rose Obituary (2021) - New Lebanon, NY - New York Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
2. Schalk Johnson, Toki (August 7, 1965). "Toki Types". New Pittsburgh Courier. p. 7.
3. Jackson, Hal; Haskins, James (2001). The House That Jack Built: My Life As a Trailblazer in Broadcasting and Entertainment. New York: Amistad Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-06-019847-3.
4. "What's All The Fuss About?". Jet. 30 (5): 32. May 12, 1966.
5. Summers, Barbara (1998). Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models. New York: Amistad Press ; New York: Distributed by St. Martins Press. pp. 21, 87, 169–171. ISBN 978-1-56743-031-8.
6. "Night Club Reviews: Tropicana, Las Vegas (Blue Room)". Variety. 249 (4): 53. December 13, 1967.
7. "Two young naturals: Ro Anne Nesbit and Carol La Brié". Vogue. 153 (4): 106–115. February 1969.
8. Wilson, William (1970-05-11). "Warhol on L.A.: 'Everyone's Crazy'". The Los Angeles Times. pp. Part lV pg 1, pg 6. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
9. Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York, NY: Warner Books. p. 594. ISBN 978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: August 8, 1984
10. Wolf, Reva (1997-12-08). Andy Warhol, Poetry, and Gossip in the 1960s. University of Chicago Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-226-90491-7.
11. "Fur Marches Into Spring". Harper's Bazaar. March 1970. p. 250.
12. Cochrane, Lauren (2017-10-08). "Antonio Lopez: the fashion illustrator who revolutionised the industry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
13. Padilha, Roger (2012). Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco. Internet Archive. New York : Rizzoli. pp. 117–119. ISBN 978-0-8478-3792-2.
14. Morris, Bernadine (July 12, 1972). "Designer Does What He Likes—And It's Liked". New York Times.
15. "Kenzo Designs It and You Make It!". Mademoiselle. 75 (3): 102–109. July 1972.
16. ""Supreme Models", the book dedicated to the black models who revolutionized fashion". nss magazine. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
17. Lane, Guy (2020-10-05). "Fashion designer Kenzo Takada's catwalk – in pictures". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-22.