Benedetta Barzini

Vogue Italia, September 1967. Photo: Peter Knapp. Image via NYMag.

In honour of Labour Day, this models post is devoted to iconic model and political activist Benedetta Barzini.

Benedetta Barzini (b. 1943) grew up in Porto Santo Stefano and New York City. She worked as a model in New York for four years after being discovered by Diana Vreeland. Here she appears on the cover of Vogue Italia’s inaugural issue:

Vogue Italia & Novita, November 1965. Photo: Giampaolo Barbieri. Image via Vogue Italia.

Although Barzini returned to Italy to act, in the early 1970s she left acting and modelling to pursue Marxist-feminist teaching and political activism. She returned to modelling in the late 1980s. As of 2013 Barzini was a Professor of Fashion and Anthropology at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan. (Recent interview here.)

Donna Karan spring 1999 campaign. Photo: Peter Lindbergh. Models: Benedetta Barzini and Annie Morton.

Gianni Penati photographed Barzini for a spring 1965 Vogue Patterns editorial for Vogue magazine. The patterns are Vogue 1429 by Christian Dior and Vogue 6534:

Vogue 1429 by Christian Dior. Vogue, March 15, 1965. Photo: Gianni Penati.

Vogue 6534 in Vogue, March 15, 1965. Photo: Gianni Penati.

I have seen only one Vogue pattern with Barzini on the envelope. In 1967, Len Steckler photographed her in Vogue 1775 by Chuck Howard, a pattern from the new Vogue Americana line:

New Vogue Americana patterns, Vogue Pattern Book, Autumn 1967. Photos: Len Steckler. Models: Astrid Heeren and Benedetta Barzini.

Barzini was also featured on the cover of the Vogue Patterns catalogue for August 1967:

Vogue Patterns catalogue, August 1967. Image via Betsy Vintage.

Happy Labour Day, everyone!