Marisa Berenson Seating in the Back of a Car With Leopard Seats, 1969

It’s November 1969, and a radiant looking Marisa Berenson — fully clad in Chanel, of course — relaxes on the leopard-skin rear seats of her photographer and lover Arnaud de Rosnay’s Rolls-Royce. The scene typifies the glamorous, eccentric, and whirlwind life of the young socialite.

Model and fledgling actor Marisa Berenson is no stranger to the limelight. She first appeared in Vogue aged just five, alongside her sister, and she’s been forging a reputation as an ‘It girl’ since she was a teenager. And she’s still got an enduring and successful career sprawling ahead of her — in just a year’s time, legendary director Luchino Visconti will cast her as the female lead in Death in Venice, and she’ll earn Golden Globe and BAFTA award nominations for her role in Bob Fosse’s Caberet. It’s no small wonder Yves Saint Laurent will hail her as the girl of the 1970s. 

(Photo by Arnaud de Rosnay, via Classic Driver Magazine)