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She was surrounded by photographers shooting upwards
to make her skirt look even shorter. She became a cause celebre and subsequently
appeared on the front pages of newspapers throughout the world. It created
a huge controversy in Australia, half the country for her and half against
– with the young people loving it. All over Australia girls started shortening
their skirts. The pictures, which the British newspaper had used, had the
same results back home. Suddenly the mini, which had only had a half-hearted
start in Paris, became fashionable. “Mary Quant rode in on the back of it,
immediately making shorter skirts. Many people gave her credit for the new
craze, but the truth was that the mini took off because Orlon had been stingy
with the fabric.”
In 1967, while in New York, she began an affair with photographer Jordan
Kalfus, who’d previously lived with Ali McGraw, a model who had begun a
new career as a film star. The two lived together for two years, but Jean
pined for London. She ended the affair in 1969. She was now 26 years old
and had been modelling for eight years. The new man in her life was Heathcote
Williams, an anarchic and virtually penniless writer for the Transatlantic
Revue. Their relationship proved to be a volatile one. Jean bought a house
in Darnley Terrace, Holland Park, in which there was a study for Williams
to work in. However, he kept a virtual open house.
She was to comment that he invited many of the people he was working with
to stay; “but they did not contribute to the household expenses, not even
towards the telephone calls they made. I suppose they couldn’t. I was the
only one with any money. I did not take too much notice at first, but when
the money began to run out and I was forced to look for work, I began to
think differently.”
The two argued and split up. Malcolm, a friend of Williams, arrived on her
doorstep one day. She told him that Heathcote didn’t live there any more,
but invited him to stay. They became lovers and the affair lasted for seven
years.
They decided to visit Cornwall where Malcolm had studied at Falmouth Art
School. He also had a Cornish wife and a girlfriend who’d had his baby,
before leaving him. They initially rented a cottage near Penzance, and then
moved on to Wales for a time. The Shrimp's money was shrinking fast, particularly
since she had Malcolm’s wife, girlfriend and two children to consider. After
two years in Wales they moved back to London, sold the big house in Holland
Park and bought a smaller property near Ladbroke Grove. Malcolm became homesick
for Cornwall and, because Jean had come to like Cornwall so much, they decided
to go and live there. |
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