Daphne Selfe, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living model, is dead at 97.
The British catwalker’s death was announced on her Instagram account Tuesday by her three children and four grandkids.
“Her final working day was last June when she graced the Vogue luncheon at Royal Ascot Ladies Day,” their message said. “What a way to bow out, fashion, people, and horses… her main loves.”
Guinness World Records acknowledged Self’s unparalleled longevity in December 2023.
“Her modelling career spans more than 70 years and includes appearances for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, Nivea, Olay, Tata-Naka and Michiko Koshino,” that organization said. “As well as featuring in Vogue and Marie Claire, Selfe has been photographed by some of the most renowned fashion photographers, including Mario Testino, Nick Knight, and David Bailey.”
Selfe’s daughter Rose Wordsworth told the New York Times that her mom died Saturday in a London residential care home.
The 5-foot-7 beauty’s career reportedly slowed down in the 1950s while she focused on her new family. But she continued doing ads and was cast in small roles for the 1980s James Bond movies “Octopussy” and “A View to a Kill.”
Selfe turned her attention back to modeling after her husband’s death in 1997, according to People. She walked in London Fashion Week and signed to the prestigious Models 1 agency.
Her appearance was met with a standing ovation, according to the Telegraph, which said her Fashion Week appearance marked the start of an enduring comeback.
Selfe chronicled a life in fashion in her 2015 memoir “The Way We Wore: A Life in Clothes.”