10 Rare Photos of Young Lauren Hutton in Her Days as a Stylish ’70s and ’80s Model
The gap-toothed beauty helped define '70s style
Lauren Hutton was one of the very first supermodels to make a successful crossover into movie stardom. Born Mary Laurence Hutton in Charleston, South Carolina in 1943, she began modeling in the late ’60s, and while she was originally told to cover up or fix the gap between her two front teeth, it soon became her calling card, and contributed to her distinct mix of glamour and approachability.
In 1973, Hutton made history when she signed the most lucrative modeling contract ever up to that point with Revlon. She then appeared in the cosmetic company’s ads for 10 years. Hutton had her debut as an actress in the 1968 film Paper Lion, and would go on to star in movies like The Gambler (1974) and American Gigolo (1980).
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It can often be difficult for models to break into the film world, but Hutton managed to balance acting and modeling with grace, and modeled consistently while also appearing in films and TV shows. Today, at 80, she’s still in high demand as a model, and has been an outspoken advocate for aging gracefully and naturally.
Hutton recently told The New York Times, “Now I’ve been in the business for 60 years. Why do I keep doing it?… I do it because I think it’s useful to wave the flag for full-grown women. I looked around and saw that there were no older women in ads or on magazines. There were all these guys getting old — actors, athletes who still had value — but no women. So I keep working.”
Here’s a look back at Lauren Hutton‘s early days as a fashion icon.
1. Lauren Hutton the mod model
Hutton served up space age style with a minidress, a headpiece and high boots in this ’60s photo shoot.
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2. Lauren Hutton works the ’70s glam
In this 1974 shot, Hutton looked like the poster girl for ’70s glam, which makes it all the more surprising that she’s said, “modeling was never the dream.”
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3. Perfectly made-up
In this 1975 Revlon ad, Hutton poses seductively with a bottle of the brand’s Ultima II liquid blush. Talking to Vogue in 2020, Hutton admitted she takes just 15 minutes a day to do her beauty routine and said, “I’ve always been a skin-care minimalist. I used soap and water for years and years.”
4. Red carpet radiance
At the Oscars in 1975, Hutton wore a dreamy flowing, candy-colored Halston gown. Hutton frequently wore looks by the disco-ready designer during the decade.
5. Preppy chic
Hutton had an Annie Hall-esque look with this blazer, button-down, scarf and trousers ensemble in 1977.
In an interview, Hutton listed her fashion essentials, saying, “Always have a navy blazer. White pants, tan pants, navy or black pants — whatever looks good on you. Well-made T-shirts in long and short sleeves. And a good pair of black heels and camel-colored oxfords. If you can afford to, get high-quality classics so you can wear them forever and ever.”
6. Beautiful in blue
Hutton’s blue blouse here perfectly complements her gorgeous eye color.
7. A trio of style icons
Hutton hung out with many a fellow celebrity back in the day. In this fabulous shot, she wears a gold blazer while sitting front row at a 1982 Valentino fashion show with ballet dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov and model and actress Brooke Shields.
8. Lauren Hutton strikes a press conference pose
This 1983 shot was taken during a press conference for a TV movie Hutton was starring in, but it could easily pass for one of her many magazine photo shoots.
9. Funny fashion
In this Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot, Hutton showed off her sense of humor by flossing her famous tooth gap while wearing a sexy costume.
In Vogue, Hutton recalled how at the beginning of her career she was pressured to cover her gap, saying, “I had already invented a little piece of very soft wax. It was called mortician’s wax, and I could make a little bead out of that and stick it between my two front teeth and then take a butter knife and make a line.”
10. A fashion veteran
Hutton was an inspiration to all the supermodels who came after her in the ’80s and ’90s. Here, she poses with Beverly Johnson, a trailblazing Black supermodel who came up right around the same time she did, and a quartet of the most popular models of the ’90s.
