Carolyn Murphy

[MartiniKiss]

US Elle September 2014

Carolyn Murphy by Max Vadukul

fashiongonerogue.com

 

[Stereo_Flo]

Shinola F/W 14.15
Model: Carolyn Murphy


ebook3000

 

[MartiniKiss]

US Elle September 2014

Model: Carolyn Murphy
Photographer: Max Vadukul
Stylist: Vanessa Chow
Hair: David Von Cannon
Make up: Kristi Matamoros


photocouture-show.com via Oxymore

 

[MartiniKiss]

Tatler Russia September 2014
glossy.ru

Photographer: Patrick Demarchelier
Stylist: Anya Ziourova
Models: Carolyn Murphy


journal-plaza.net

 

[GlamVal]

US Vogue November 1999 (Millennium Special) : Supermodels by Annie Leibovitz

Models: Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, Lauren Hutton, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Amber Valletta, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Lisa Taylor, Paulina Porizkova, Carolyn Murphy, Patti Hansen


vogue.com​

 

[MartiniKiss]

instagram/carolynmurphy

 

[rubydon]

Vogue Italia | Sept. 2014



lekiosk.com via flashbang

 

[helligirl]

El Libro Amarillo Otoño - Invierno 2014 / Mujer
Ph: Alexi Lubomirski

soytotalmentepalacio.com.mx

 

[justaguy]

Gianni Versace Fall/Winter 1996/97

Photo Bruce Weber
Models Mark Vanderloo, Jason Smith, Shalom Harlow & Carolyn Murphy





uomoclassico.com

 

[versustito]

Muse Magazine
Muse Fall 2014 Cover

Models.com

 

[versustito]

musemagazine.it

 

[helligirl]

Muse Fall 2014
Photography by Dan Martensen
Styling by Beth Fenton
Hair by Kevin Ryan
Make-up by Chiho Omae


mapltd.com

 

[MartiniKiss]

^ Love it.. and waiting for HQ


instagram/carolynmurphy

 

[versustito]

Vogue Italia September 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCz5zm1L_Nc

 

[Nymphaea]

The Edit by Net-A-Porter
September 25, 2014

Murphy's Law
Model Carolyn Murphy
Photographer Yelena Yemchuk
Styling Tracy Taylor

After a 20-year career, campaigns for Moschino, Louis Vuitton and Estée Lauder, and covers for US Vogue, Sports Illustrated and now The EDIT, CAROLYN MURPHY remains an enigma. JENNIFER DICKINSON tries to solve the riddle.

It has been something of a personal mission to get Carolyn Murphy on The EDIT’s cover. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, promised her agent, she’s just hard to pin down, a free spirit. Which is, of course, precisely why I wanted her so badly. There is something about Murphy, a contradictory warmth and restlessness behind her almost perfect, classic beauty that is utterly compelling.

It is a beauty that has increased as the years have passed, today’s 40-year-old Murphy running metaphorical circles around the 20-something version of yesteryear. Often such beauty creates a barrier, making its wearer seem someone to be admired but not approached. Not so, in Murphy’s case. The beauty is lit, given a kick that is impossible to manufacture, by the woman within. She singles out everyone on the shoot for attention, from the stylist (they met in a coffee shop months ago, Murphy recalls) to the runner (who also works in a local boutique; the dress she helped Murphy pick out, says the model, is a favorite of her boyfriend, restaurateur Lincoln Pilcher). She seems too good to be true.

Born in Panama City, Florida, Murphy spent every minute she could outdoors. “I dreamed of a life like The Swiss Family Robinson and if I wasn’t escaping through books, I was climbing a tree,” she says. “My earliest memory of bonding with my mother is riding bareback when I was five, and fishing for hours with my brother and father.”

Modeling then, seems something of a leap, though no one was as incredulous about it than Murphy herself. “From my mother entering me into charm school so I’d be less of a tomboy, to showing up to the end-of-course modeling convention in cut-off shorts, a men’s T-shirt, braces and glasses,” she smiles, “we all thought it was a mistake.” Even as she flew on Concorde with Madonna, posed for Steven Meisel and starred on the cover of US Vogue, Murphy kept pinching herself to prove it was real.

Her fairytale isn’t without its twist, though. On a surfing trip to Costa Rica with some girlfriends, the model fell in love and promptly put her career on pause, swapping shows and shoots for teaching at a local school, surfing and swimming.

Then Murphy became pregnant and her nascent family moved back to the States. Soon after daughter Dylan’s birth Murphy was working again, taking her blue-eyed girl on the road with her, hating to be parted. Her other half did not have such staying power, and the couple split in 2001. “It is one of the greatest and most challenging rewards I’ve been given in this lifetime,” the model says of single motherhood. “My divorce was horrid. [After it] I spent four years single, focused on healing old wounds and being a mother. We lived on a mini farm north of LA, planted a massive garden, rode horses and cooked.”

Post-emotional and physical retreat, Murphy moved back to the East Coast and found herself as much in demand as ever. In 2012, aged 38, Forbes named her the 9th highest-earning model in the world. Impressive for someone who rejects more jobs than she accepts. “I didn’t turn work down out of laziness or dislike,” she defends, “but my home was in LA for 10 years. I missed the creative outlet and felt guilty for not being available, but I had to let things unfold, so I did what I could.”

Now, Murphy says, she is “in a good place in life”. And while some, particularly those whose income relies on image, might fear the passage of time, she credits it with helping her feel wiser and more confident. But the industry she returned to is a changed place. “[It] has gone from what seemed to be heartfelt, artistic and passionate to somewhat calculated and disconnected,” she notes. “It’s fulfilling to know I was part of an era in the ’90s that represented a melding of fashion, music and art. I wanted to be part of a creative movement. These poor girls today barely have a career and poof, the industry is on to the next.”

It is the likes of Murphy and her ’90s peer, Christy Turlington, who highlight the difference between the iconic supermodels and today’s ever-changing ‘stars’. It can be no coincidence that as fashion re-focuses on quality and unshowy, beautifully made pieces, Murphy and Turlington are amassing high-profile covers and campaigns. “Christy is my hero,” says Murphy. “She embodies reality – a mother, a philanthropist, a leader, a true class act. Brands want women, even if [they are] models, who are relatable to other women.” And Murphy herself, I push, what is it that we relate to in her? “I’m not sure,” she says, uncomfortable with talking about herself in such a positive light. “I can guess being 40 years old has something to do with it, and that I’m a mother and seeker. I don’t portray the perfect lifestyle. I tell my story and I’m honest about hardships.”

Living near the Hamptons, with nature on her doorstep but the city close by, Murphy has found balance. She will shoot for three days straight, then slink back to the peace of home, holing up with Dylan and a good book. And rather than her glamorous career, it is the no-frills side of her life that people appreciate the most. “With social media, I see an opportunity to reveal myself in a way I can control,” she says. “It’s the transparency in authenticity I find interesting – if I post a fashion pic I get the least likes, if I post a ‘real’ moment, I get the most.”

That pared-back approach applies to Murphy’s personal style, too. “My look is super-simple. I need to be comfortable, so this comeback of ’90s minimalism is perfection to me.” On the day of our shoot, Murphy arrives in a gray tee and loose khaki pants by Band of Outsiders. Simplicity, she says, is key when it comes to her go-to pieces: “Vintage Levi’s, a white Tome button-down shirt, Céline pants and Joseph slip dresses.”

It reminds me of a quote on her Instagram: “Beauty is about more than having a pretty face. It’s about having a beautiful soul.” Of course, it is easier to say that when your own face is so much more than pretty, yet it wasn’t her looks that motivated me to pursue Murphy, but the spirit behind them. “True beauty is living with kindness, towards yourself and others,” she explains. “Happiness is in simple things. There is a lure to money and work as a distraction, but precious moments can be lost if you don’t check in. When you go into the druthers, you can either lie on the floor crying over a pack of cigarettes or you can look your demons in the eye. Choosing the latter definitely brings a vivid beauty to what really matters.”

It is that description that finally helps me nail what it is about Murphy that so enthralls. She is a vivid beauty; independent, engaged, following her own passions rather than the whims of others. In the coming months she may star in more campaigns, appear on more covers, or she may embark on an adventure with Dylan, “take a class at NYU or publish a book on bibliotherapy”. Carolyn Murphy chooses with her heart, and that’s something we can all relate to.

net-a-porter

 

[VogueGirl8910]

Vogue Paris May 1996


Model: Carolyn Murphy
Photographer: Raymond Meier

eBay.com/vegas4001

 

[VogueGirl8910]

Vogue Paris February 1997


Model: Carolyn Murphy
Photographer: Michael Thompson

eBay.com/vegas4001

 

[VogueGirl8910]

Vogue Paris June/July 2000


Model: Carolyn Murphy
Photographer: Ruven Afanador

eBay.com/vegas4001

 

[VogueGirl8910]

Vogue Paris June/July 1999


Model: Carolyn Murphy
Photographer: Mario Testino

eBay.com/vegas4001

 

[helligirl]

The Sunday Times Style Autuum/Winter 2014
Ph: Cedric Buchet


artpartner.com