Karen Elson

Infobox Model
bgcolour = pink
name = Karen Elson


imagesize =
caption = Elson in 2008.
birthname =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1979|1|14
location = Oldham, Greater Manchester, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = 5'10" ; 178cm
haircolor = Red
eyecolor = Blue
measurements = (US) 33-24.5-34.5 ; (EU) 84-62-87.5
weight =
dress size = (US) 4 ; (EU) 34
shoesize = (US) 9 ; (EU) 41
homepage =
spouse = Jack White

Karen Elson (born January 14, 1979 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England) is a British model.

Her trademarks are her red hair and her eyebrows, which fashion photographer Steven Meisel once persuaded her to shave off.

Elson has walked the runways of many top fashion designers including Marc Jacobs (which she did while pregnant), Chanel and Dolce and Gabanna, Versace. She has appeared in international campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Christian Dior, Burberry and Chanel, to name a small number. She has also been on the covers of many international magazines such as "Vogue", "W", "Dazed & Confused", "Numéro", "Marie Claire", "Elle", to name a few.

In 1998 she won model of the year at the VH1 fashion awards (the year after Kate Moss won). In 2005, Elson won the British Fashion Award for Best Model, over fellow catwalkers Lily Donaldson and Danny Beauchamp.

She is also known as a singer and performer. She briefly dated James Iha in 2001. They recorded a couple of songs together which were never released. She sang the provocative "I love you (me neither)" with Cat Power on "Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited", a tribute album to French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Karen is currently a creative director and performer with the New York City based politically minded cabaret troupe The Citizens Band and has performed with them at various night life hotspots as well as at downtown power-house gallery Deitch Projects. Critical response to Karen's performances have been unequivocally positive, with the press frequently commenting on her striking vocal skills. [ [http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=998 Welcome to the Citizens Band - PAPERMAG ] ] As one of the leaders of The Citizens Band she has performed a variety of songs including well received covers of The Velvet Underground, Mimi and Richard Farina, Pete Seeger, and Leonard Cohen and Marlene Deitrich. She has also appeared in many short films and videos, she plays a role in a film called Lay Down Lean with Zooey Deschanel directed by Sarah Sophie Flicker, she also appears in a short video for Nick Knights showstudio website on a swing in a sequined gown singing Marlene Deitrich song Falling In Love again to name a few.

On June 1, 2005, she married Jack White (of the bands The White Stripes and The Raconteurs) in Brazil. The wedding took place in a canoe in the Amazon River and was officiated by a shaman. A Catholic priest later blessed the ceremony. Elson first met White while filming the White Stripes video for the single "Blue Orchid" directed by Floria Sigismondi. Elson gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Scarlett Teresa, on May 2, 2006 in Tennessee. The couple's second child, a boy, named Henry Lee, was born on August 7, 2007. [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050539,00.html Jack White and Wife Welcome Baby Boy - The White Stripes, Jack White, Karen Elson : People.com ] ]

She went to North Chadderton School, in Chadderton, with her twin sister.

References

External links

*fashionmodel|id=Karen_Elson|name=Karen Elson
* [http://www.thecitizensband.net The Citizens Band official site]
* [http://ca.askmen.com/women/celeb_profiles_model/9_karen_elson.html Karen Elson at AskMen.com]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_1_36/ai_n16017100 2006 Interview with The Citizens Band in Interview Magazine]
* [http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=175 Interview with Karen Elson from 1999]
* [http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=998 Feature on The Citizens Band in Paper Magazine 2005]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F1998%2F03%2F21%2Fefels21.html Interview from 1998]