Italian Bazaar asked me to find a model to bring down to Mustique for a shoot. At that time Cindy Crawford was Chicago's top model, but unknown to the rest of the world.

I had tried once before to book Cindy Crawford for a fashion shoot for Bazaar (U.S.A). Tony Mazzola, then Editor of Bazaar denied my request (no one outside of Chicago really new Cindy) saying "I don't want photographers using their girlfriends." (I should have been so lucky!)

Again I wanted to use Cindy, but this time her agency told me she was unavailable (essentially Cindy was on a "permanent" hold for a celebrated Chicago fashion photographer, Victor Skrebneski).
So I went to New York, and had some of the agencies there send some models by my hotel. The model I selected for the trip was an unknown by the name of Jill Goodacre.

So we flew to Mustique where we shot for Bazaar Italia as well as Bazaar France (which was being published at the time).

Giuseppe Della Schiava ("Pepone"), Bazaar's Italian publisher had photographers on "rotation." A photographer, and several models would shoot in Mustique for a week , then another photographer, and models would be brought in replacing the aforementioned talents.

But when my week was up, Pepone kept Jill in Mustique to work with the next photographer. Then Pepone had Jill go to Italy where she was photographed, and featured in ads for the superb designer, Valentino over the course of the next year.

Most remember Jill as their favorite for Victoria's Secret. Jill went on to marry the multi-talented Harry Connick, Jr.

Yet I cannot fail to believe that if I had been able to book Cindy Crawford for the shoot in Mustique, Cindy might have become famous...just a little bit sooner!