“I don’t think of myself as an icon, the important thing is what I can contribute”: Marisa Berenson

Marisa Berenson In February 1966, he starred on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar photographed by Hiro. The Japanese master captured the profile of a 19-year-old girl with crystal-clear eyes who was just taking her first steps in fashion. Shortly before, she had gone with her father to a party in New York, and Diana Vreeland saw in that girl who exuded melancholy and determination in equal parts, a diamond in the rough.. He posed for the great photographers of the time, from Richard Avedon to Helmut Newton, and made the leap to cinema with Luchino Visconti with Death in Venice. From that young woman who shone in a hedonistic and effervescent New York, Marisa retains her graceful demeanor, that captivating mix of naivety and passion that she can do with everything, and a broad smile with which she breaks down any barrier.

Her grandmother, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli, would be proud of that granddaughter who at 16 wanted to be free and independent and whose style horrified her.. There is no nostalgia in Marisa Berenson’s words, and there is a lot of wisdom, that of someone who has always squeezed every minute of life, every experience, and who is clear that Chasing a dream is the best way to stay young. She tells it while he gets excited thinking about his next role, that of a film producer, which will allow him to get behind the cameras. Accustomed to flashesit is a privilege to see her pose and enjoy a profession in which, almost five decades later, she continues to show the enthusiasm of beginners.

HARPER’S BAZAAR: How do you remember the moment you told your family that you wanted to be a model and actress?

MARISA BERENSON: It was painful because the takeoff of my career coincided with the death of my father. Losing him pushed me to want to live life on my own and in my own way. I came back to New York when I was 16, and the city was incredibly creative. My family was upset and worried about me living there, but I was happy, I felt free doing something I loved. Diana Vreeland protected me, she worked with fantastic people, like Avedon, Penn, Hiro, Newton and Cecil Beaton. We traveled and the atmosphere was very different, less commercial than now, more intimate. If necessary, I did my own makeup. Everything was very personal, very creative, fun, free, more experimental…

HB: Did being Elsa Schiaparelli’s granddaughter have anything to do with your decision to dedicate yourself to fashion?

MB: No, it was destiny. I grew up in boarding schools in Switzerland and England, far from the fashion environment. And when I returned to New York my life exploded. She had it in her DNA, but she was not happy at all, girls from a good family should not be models.

Hand-assembled organza scale cape by GEORGES OBEIKA COUTURE, and B.zero1 rose gold necklace with diamonds and Serpenti ring in yellow and white gold with rubies and diamonds, both from the BVLGARI High Jewelry collection.

HB: She didn’t like your style… did you give him any advice?

MB: I went out with my shorts, practically naked, and my grandmother told me that I looked like a cheap prostitute. She didn’t give me any advice, she was angry with me, but I was independent and she did what she wanted to do, she also did the same.

HB: How did being a model influence your character?

MB: Diana Vreeland told me: ‘Marisa, the most important thing in life is discipline.’ Since I was young I have been very conscious and disciplined with my lifestyle. While people were destroying themselves with drugs, sex and alcohol, I meditated, traveled to India, became a vegetarian. I was a young and vulnerable woman and I wanted to build a strong woman.

HB: Many models talk about loneliness as one of the least pleasant things about the profession. Was it difficult for you?

MB: I grew up alone, and for me loneliness has not been a problem. In fact, I need moments alone because they help me recover. In a business where you have to be everywhere, and which is sometimes superficial, I need calm. Thinking and creating the energy and desire to go out and do my best.

Jacket and skirt, both made of wool and silk, and high leather boots, all from FENDI COUTURE, and Serpenti ring in yellow and white gold with rubies and diamonds from the BVLGARI High Jewelry collection.

HB: You lived through the golden age of Studio 54. Is the world more boring and less creative now?

MB: Today we lack freedom in many ways, we are like programmed robots. People should be able to express themselves, in literature, in cinema… You can’t eliminate something because it is not politically correct to say or think about it. The past is there and it is important to see it to learn from it, not erase it to forget it. I find it disturbing.

HB: Do you feel like a brave woman?

MB: I am brave. You have to face life alone, no matter how well surrounded you are. You have to be strong and dare to do things. I would tell young people to never give up, everything worthwhile is not easy. It takes work, discipline, determination, passion, love, strength, courage… and following a dream.

Berenson poses with a two-tone sequin jacket by CHANEL and metal earrings by MONIES for FAHOMA.

HB: You are an icon of fashion and cinema, how does it feel to be so admired?

MB: I don’t think of myself as an icon. The important thing is what I can transmit and give to people. I have always been very existentialist, when I was 7 years old I asked myself who God was and what my reason for being was. I consider myself privileged for the life I have had, for the people I have met, and I feel humble. I believe that everything you do in life has to have a purpose.

HB: Being a model or being an actress, do you choose one of the two?

MB: I like both. Being a model was a stepping stone, but I still really like fashion, there is something special about it, working with good photographers, with wonderful people, giving yourself again, channeling good energy and giving your best. Being an actress for me is the greatest privilege, simply the best job in the world when you do it with the right people and when you can do it, because it is not an easy profession at all.

Berenson wears a knit bodysuit and leather boots, both from FENDI COUTURE, and a Serpenti watch in white and yellow gold, and a Serpenti ring in yellow and white gold with rubies and diamonds from the High Jewelry collection, both from BVLGARI.

HB: What lesson from the geniuses you have worked with do you keep in your heart?

MB: They have all been great teachers in my life. With Visconti I shot my first film. It was putting a foot in the set and I knew that was my destiny. The first night she told me: ‘If you want to continue in this as an actress, you have my blessing, you are natural in front of the camera.’ That was the best compliment he could give me. When you are recording, that camera becomes human, it is a very difficult feeling to describe. I have also had more difficult moments, but they are interesting because they bring out something that sometimes you don’t even know you have, that is deep inside you.

HB: What makes you have energy and motivation to undertake new projects?

MB: Keep me healthy. I am very disciplined in life to continue doing what I love in the best way possible. And being creative: I like to write, act, design jewelry, take photographs, and I’m going to start producing, I’ll be in front of and behind the camera, and that excites me.

Silk crepe dress and XL headdress in the shape of a gazar rose in silk faille, from the collection A castle VALENTINO Haute Couture.

HB: Aging is a nightmare for many people, how do you experience it?

MB: It’s not for cowards. You have to accept it because it cannot be avoided. The only thing you can control is how long you will be passionate about life, and that helps. It is necessary to cultivate a young spirit. Being old is an ugly expression, really… I feel vital and young, I want to do a million things.

HB: Do you have the feeling that we live too fast? People complain about lack of time, but we spend hours looking at our phones.

MB: It’s crazy, and very destructive for young people. If you look at the way people communicate nowadays, they no longer look at each other, they don’t talk to each other, they don’t touch each other… It’s sad, they are very alone in their own little world. We must read, be interested in culture, enjoy nature and discover each other.

Marisa dances in a dress jacquard lamé from DIOR HIGH COUTURE.

Hairdresser: Manuel Fernández (Cool Productions). Makeup: Jose Belmonte (Cool Productions). Production: Beatriz Martínez Velasco. Photography Assistant: Enrique Escandell.