For many people, being told that they dress like their grandmother would be perceived as an insult; for Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann it is an absolute compliment. Wiedemann represents the third generation in a family of women with an iconic style and influence on fashion.
When she was seventeen, Bergman enrolled in the Swedish Royal Theatre, but soon realised she preferred film over the stage. She spent a decade making movies in Sweden, during which time she also married dentist Petter Londstrom. In 1938, after giving birth to a girl named Pia, Bergman made the move to Hollywood.
In 1949 Bergman began working with Italian director, Roberto Rossellini. The two fell in love and began a tumultuous affair. Once word broke out about their relationship, it created a scandal as the two were already married to other people. Bergman became pregnant with Rossellini’s child and soon divorced Londstrom. In 1950, she married Rossellini and the couple went on to have three children: son Roberto (born February 7, 1950), and twin girls Isabella and Isotta “Ingrid” Rossellini (born June 18, 1952).
By the time she was 28, she was booking more and more fashion editorials that appeared Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Elle. However, Rossellini became best known after being named the spokes model for Lancôme cosmetics, a position she held from 1982 to 1996.
She also made a successful venture into the film industry, starring in acclaimed films including Blue Velvet and Infamous. Her love for film influenced her relationships; she was married to director Martin Scorsese from 1979 to 1982 and dated director David Lynch from 1986 to 1990. However, it was during her four year marriage to model Jon
Wiedemann that she had daughter Elettra, born in 1983.
Elettra had inherited the same good looks that had benefitted her mother and grandmother, although her look was much more modern and edgier.
Consequently, one of her first major modelling jobs was for Abercrombie and Fitch.
She was also very successful in Europe; she has appeared on the covers of French Elle, Spanish Glamour, and the Italian magazine Grazia. In 2006, Elettra made headlines when she became the new face for Lancôme, the company that had let go her mother ten years earlier for looking “too old.”
Photos courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
