Elaine Irwin Mellencamp
Encyclopedia
Elaine Irwin Mellencamp (born August 26, 1969) is an American model, and formerly worked as the face of Almay Cosmetics
and Ralph Lauren
.
. At 16 she left home to pursue a modeling career. After her photo appeared in Seventeen
in 1985, the Boyertown honor student and varsity
letter-winner in track and cross country was a much sought-after face for magazine covers, advertisements and commercials. In 1989 she appeared in New Order
´s video Round & Round
. Within a few years, she became one of the Ford Models
and had graced the cover of dozens of fashion magazines, including Cosmopolitan
, Glamour
, Self
and Elite. Her American Beauty
Vogue
cover was shot by Richard Avedon
.
She made her move onto the runway for Victoria's Secret
and Calvin Klein
and soon became a favorite subject of photographers like Herb Ritts
, Irving Penn
, and Steven Meisel
for her natural, soft look.
Irwin made history on May 27, 2001, when she became the first woman to drive the pace car at the Indianapolis 500
.http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2001/05/31/022192.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=CeCxyf0BpgUC&lpg=PA296&ots=To9i6WZ_iw&pg=PA296#v=onepage She was also an at-large delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention
.
. The two met when she was hired to appear on the cover of Mellencamp's Whenever We Wanted
album (and appear in the music video for "Get A Leg Up." Within 10 weeks, they were engaged. The couple have two sons, Hud (born 1994) and Speck (born 1995).
On December 30, 2010, it was announced that she and John Mellencamp were separating after eighteen years of marriage, but both were choosing to stay in Indiana to raise their two children.
On January 14th, 2011 John Mellencamp filed for divorce and requested that Elaine be returned to her maiden name 'Irwin'.
On August 12, 2011 their divorce was finalized.
Almay
Almay is a cosmetics brand owned by Revlon, along with other brands including Revlon, Ultima II, ColorStay, Flex, New Complexion, Revlon Age Defying, and Charlie.- History :...
and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
.
Early life and career
Elaine Irwin was born in Gilbertsville, PennsylvaniaGilbertsville, Pennsylvania
Gilbertsville is a census-designated place in northwest Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Douglass Township at the junction of Routes 73 and 100...
. At 16 she left home to pursue a modeling career. After her photo appeared in Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
in 1985, the Boyertown honor student and varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
letter-winner in track and cross country was a much sought-after face for magazine covers, advertisements and commercials. In 1989 she appeared in New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
´s video Round & Round
Round & Round
"Round & Round" is a song by New Order and the second single from their 1989 album Technique. It was re-recorded for single release with Stephen Hague, who had previously worked with the group on their hit "True Faith". It is one of the group's most dance-centred songs, with few guitar or bass lines...
. Within a few years, she became one of the Ford Models
Ford Models
The Ford Modeling Agency, or as it is known today Ford Models, is a modeling agency in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen and the late Gerard W. Ford.-Company:...
and had graced the cover of dozens of fashion magazines, including Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
, Self
Self (magazine)
Self magazine is an American magazine for women that specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, beauty and happiness. Published by Condé Nast Publications 12 times a year, it has a circulation of 1,486,992 and a total audience of 5,541,000 readers, according to its corporate media kit. The...
and Elite. Her American Beauty
American Beauty
American Beauty may refer to:*Rosa 'American Beauty', a hybrid perpetual roseAmerican Beauty may also refer to:*The American Beauty, a 1927 film by Richard Wallace*American Beauty , a 1931 novel...
Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
cover was shot by Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was an American photographer. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century."-Photography career:Avedon was born in New York City to a Jewish Russian...
.
She made her move onto the runway for Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
and Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
and soon became a favorite subject of photographers like Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
, Irving Penn
Irving Penn
Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his portraiture and fashion photography.-Early career:Irving Penn studied under Alexey Brodovitch at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art from which he was graduated in 1938. Penn's drawings were published by Harper's Bazaar and he...
, and Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex...
for her natural, soft look.
Irwin made history on May 27, 2001, when she became the first woman to drive the pace car at the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
.http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2001/05/31/022192.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=CeCxyf0BpgUC&lpg=PA296&ots=To9i6WZ_iw&pg=PA296#v=onepage She was also an at-large delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated John Kerry and John Edwards as the official candidates of the Democratic Party for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, in the 2004...
.
Personal life
Elaine was 23 when she married musician John MellencampJohn Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
. The two met when she was hired to appear on the cover of Mellencamp's Whenever We Wanted
Whenever We Wanted
Whenever We Wanted is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's eleventh album, and the first to be credited simply to Mellencamp's given name ....
album (and appear in the music video for "Get A Leg Up." Within 10 weeks, they were engaged. The couple have two sons, Hud (born 1994) and Speck (born 1995).
On December 30, 2010, it was announced that she and John Mellencamp were separating after eighteen years of marriage, but both were choosing to stay in Indiana to raise their two children.
On January 14th, 2011 John Mellencamp filed for divorce and requested that Elaine be returned to her maiden name 'Irwin'.
On August 12, 2011 their divorce was finalized.