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Marie HelvinMarie Helvin was first photographed for Vogue in1971, after fashion editor Grace Coddington spottedher walking the runway for Kansai Yamamoto. “I hadonly just been scouted in Tokyo, and I was a completefashion novice,” the Japanese-American beauty recalls.She could hardly have had a more auspiciousbeginning to her career. The resulting shoot withClive Arrowsmith caught the eye of David Bowie,who based his Ziggy Stardust costumes on thephotographs. The following decades have seenHelvin, now 65, grace dozens of Vogue covers andshoots, and act as a muse to everyone from DavidBailey (her ex-husband) to Yves Saint Laurent. Afterall of her accomplishments, however, it’s the islandlife that she craves – with plans to move from Londonback to Hawaii, where she grew up, in the near future.“That’s one of the joys of getting older: you’recompletely aware of who you are and what mattersto you,” she says. “I know now thatI belong in a place where thereare only two directions: mauka,toward the mountains; or makai,toward the ocean.” Q``````64VOGUE DA R L I NG“One of the bestthings about beingsingle is that you’refree to travelwhenever, wherever.I’ve fallen in lovewith Greenland –I take a Ponantcruise there to visitInuit communitiesand trek acrossthe glaciers.”``````“I adore Japanesecinema, especiallythe works of directorKenji Mizoguchi, whomade beautiful films withstrong female protagonistsfrom the 1920s onward.My favourite is The Lifeof Oharu [left], about aconcubine during theEdo period.”``````“A perfect dayin London for meinvolves droppinginto the NationalGallery with myclose friend, theartist Sophiede Stempel, thenheading for anindulgent lunchat J Sheekey.”``````Marie wears woolpoloneck, £950,Lanvin. Wool trousers,£1,330, AzzedineAlaïa, at Selfridges.Earrings, from £835,Céline. Gold-platedring, £280, Alighieri.Photograph by LeonMark. Styling byFlorence Arnold``````“My favourite editorial shoot was for the January 1975 issue of Vogue[above, from top]. It was called ‘the down under special’, which waswhy the cover portrait was inverted. Grace Coddington met me inHonolulu, then we joined David Bailey in Australia – but not beforeGrace bought a lei, which she gave me to wear for the shoot.”``````“My stylepin-up wouldhave to beLoulou de laFalaise.I remembermeeting her ata birthday partyfor Yves SaintLaurent atMaxim’s in Paris,and she hadthreaded liliesthrough her earsso that theflowers wereher earrings.”``````“One of my mosttreasured booksis Lartigue:Life in Color[Abrams, £27].It roundsup all of thephotographerJacques-HenriLartigue’slater work.”``````“I drop everything intomy giant Louis Vuittonbag when I leavethe house (it’spracticalbutstylish),and I alwayswear my Hermèswatch – it’s morereliable than mymobile, whichI accidentally-on-purpose forgetmost of the time.”``````“I use retinolon my skin. Thebest creams are theones from Frenchpharmacies –I bulk-buy A313whenever I’min Paris.”``````Canvas bag, £895,Louis Vuitton.Right: watch,£2,075, Hermès``````INTERVIEW BY HAYLEY MAITLAND. HAIR: PHILIPPE THOLIMET. MAKE-UP: THOM WALKER. NAILS: PEBBLES AIKENS. WITH THANKS TO SPRING STUDIOS. DAVID BAILEY; REX/SHUTTERSTOCK