Model Woman: Eileen Ford and the Business of Beauty eBook : Lacey, Robert: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Kindle Edition
$11.99

Available instantly

Hardcover
$15.40

Paperback
$14.55

Print List Price:	$21.00
Kindle Price:	$11.99 Save $9.01 (43%)
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishers CA This price was set by the publisher.

You have subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we’ll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Model Woman: Eileen Ford and the Business of Beauty Kindle Edition

by Robert Lacey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 130 ratings

See all formats and editions

A revealing, no-holds-barred portrait of the legendary Eileen Ford—the entrepreneur who transformed the business of modeling and helped invent the celebrity supermodel.

Working with her husband, Jerry, Eileen Ford created the twentieth century’s largest and most successful modeling agency, representing some of the fashion world’s most famous names—Suzy Parker, Carmen Dell’Orefice, 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 superstars.

Model Woman chronicles the Ford Modeling Agency’s 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 fashion’s battle-axes, from Coco Chanel to Diana Vreeland—just 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 clients.

Drawing 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 empire she built—a story of beauty, ambition, business, and popular culture as powerful and complex as the woman at its center.

Print length

355 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Harper
Publication date

June 16 2015
File size

15555 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

R.C. Lane
162
Kindle Edition
$8.10
Amy Odell
956
Kindle Edition
$17.99
Brooke Shields
2,413
Kindle Edition
$9.99
Michael Gross
146
Kindle Edition
$11.99
Jim Mahoney
321
Kindle Edition
$9.99
Paulina Porizkova
660
Kindle Edition
$16.99

Product description

Review

“As glamorous and gossipy as one could wish.” -- Slate

“Ford’s status as a controversial, demanding figure isn’t ignored in Lacey’s portrait of one of the hardest working women in fashion. The juicy details of a tell-all are met with the nuance of a memoir in this portrait of the woman he recalls as the ‘matriarch of modeling.’” -- New York Observer

“A high-powered page-turner.” -- Daily Beast

“Unputdownable ... left me not only full of admiration for her achievements but also rather liking her....Lacey weaves riveting narratives into his account of the life of Ford ... with an eye for detail and juicy anecdotes.” -- Financial Times

“Exhaustively and painstakingly researched, yielding a biography that serves as a testament both to this woman’s professional prowess as well as her personal life….In the world of fashion related biographies, this surely ranks up there with some of the best.” -- New York Journal of Books

“A fascinating look at the woman who, perhaps more than anyone, shaped our ideas of what it means to be a sophisticated American beauty.” -- People

“Culled from countless hours of interviews... Lacey diligently maps the agency’s explosive success and skillfully intertwines the glitz and cutthroat melodrama of the modeling world with Ford’s shrewd, intimidating business strategies, uncanny vision, and ability to merge beauty with fame.” -- Kirkus

“In the fascinating Model Woman, author Robert Lacey paints Ford as an intriguing paradox….A wholly entertaining, insightful and slightly bitchy look inside the moneyed world of modeling.” -- BookPage

“An intensive look at a highly competitive business, with fabulous turf battles and clashing egos among the biggest names in fashion.... A compelling portrait of a savvy businesswoman who transformed the modeling business.” -- Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Lacey is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books, including The Queen; Ford: The Men and the Machine; The Year 1000; and Inside the Kingdom. He lives in London.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00QFN1LSQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; Reprint edition (June 16 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 15555 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0062108085

Best Sellers Rank: #1,207,641 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #145 in Fashion Models
- #1,372 in Business & Investing Captains of Industry
- #1,384 in Business Biographies (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 130 ratings

Top reviews from other countries

Susan McGraw Keber

Eileen and Jerry Ford gave me a fantastic opportunity that opened the doors to a multi-faceted and ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

I'm biased...I was signed with FORD MODELS as a 14 year old. Eileen and Jerry Ford gave me a fantastic opportunity that opened the doors to a multi-faceted and life long career in the fashion / publishing / acting business. Today I am still in the business and have had tremendous success as a Classic print and commercial model. There will never be another Eileen and Jerry Ford. I feel honored and blessed to have been a part of their agency. True to the author's account, Mrs. Ford was indeed a lioness and protective of her young charges both personally and professionally. I met with her toward the end of her life and we chatted about the first time we met...I recalled her tweezing my full eyebrows and how it hurt...we had a good laugh. Forever grateful to the iconic Eileen and Jerry...I'll always be proud to have been a FORD MODEL.

Customer image

16 people found this helpful

Keanycaus

Awesome!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

An amazing insight into this woman's life, but, most importantly, a great way to learn about how the modelling profession was born.
Great holiday read.

Mark H J

Not a real overview of this woman or her life.

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2022

Verified Purchase

The only thing I really liked about the book was the seller. They sent a great book mark and a lifesaver, which I thought was very cute. I would buy from them again. The author himself, misses so much about the Ford Family and Eileen. I don't think he captured her at all.

BC

Had Expected Much More Than I got

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

I never engaged with the essence of Eileen Ford. Even after I finished reading the book, I felt I really didn’t know what had made Eileen tick. I knew all about the agencies wars and a few details about some of the famous models but it was not a satisfying read.

Reading Rocks

Interesting look at how the agency got started; but leaves you wanting more!

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is an Eileen Ford bio combined; how the Ford Modeling Agency started; how the agency dealt with the changing times of modeling agencies. I've read lots of other books by Robert Lacey (primarily about England's Royals) so I knew that I would like his writing style - and I did with this book.

The book gets into great detail on her bio + how the agency got started and how it functioned in its first 5-10 years. The detail wanes off when the author gets into the 1960's and beyond. It leaves the reader really wanting more than what is written. The reader learns about how the Ford Agency tried to quash Casablancas from opening in New York and in Paris. The Ford Agency really stomped on anybody trying to open a modeling agency and for the longest time, the Ford Agency was a monopoly. Then ultimately, Casablancas - as did many others - did open an agency in both places.

What this book lacked - and what I thought it would include - was more interesting information and details about the models that the agency worked with. Details about how the bookers worked, how they coordinated a model's schedule, a week-at-a-glance or day-at-a-glance of a model's typical schedule....and of course, more stories about the models. There's a few sentences about a booker at Ford whom Eileen considered the best in the business who left to work for Casablancas' agency Elite. But no back story about why she was the best booker that Ford had other than she handled Cindy Crawford. There are some stories in the book about Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell, Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, and some others -- but just to whet your appetite.

Towards the end it covers Jerry's death, the sale of the agency, and then Eileen's death really quickly. It was like "Jerry didn't feel good, went to the hospital, then died a couple of weeks later..." The last 1-2 chapters is a skim-through -- kind of like the author just wanted to get it over with.

I guess I was expecting more "logistical" information about modeling and with the stable of models that Ford had during its heyday, I thought there'd be more model-stories.

The book still is interesting and offers a glimpse into the steel-iness of Eileen Ford which was balanced by her behind-the-scenes husband Jerry.

12 people found this helpful

See more reviews

Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?

Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?

Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?

Get to Know Us

Make Money with Us

Amazon Payment Products

Let Us Help You

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs		Amazon Advertising Find, attract and engage customers		Amazon Business Everything for your business		Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon		Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations		IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities		Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime		Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands		Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts

		Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food		Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust		Blink Smart Security for Every Home

© 1996-2024, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Amazon.com.ca ULC | 40 King Street W 47th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5H 3Y2 |1-877-586-3230