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eruschka was no ordinary ’60s model; a German countess, she could be anything from Greta Garbo to a leopard in a tree. Now, at 66, she is still an inspiration.

Announcing herself (“Here I am”) at the studio of the David Bailey-esque photographer (played by David Hemmings) barefoot and in a black mini-dress, she proceeded to seduce the photographer’s lens by writhing on the floor like a wildcat, while he sat astride her, snapping furiously.“She moves like nobody on earth,” Hemmings sighed afterwards.

In real life her photo shoots were no less extraordinary; US Vogue editor Diana Vreeland would give Veruschka carte blanche to conceive fashion stories with her then lover, the Italian photographer Franco Rubartelli.
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