'60s Model Penelope Tree Is Still A Stunner (& A Runway Star)

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The swinging '60s birthed so many iconic models. While those who aren't too familiar with the world of fashion may only know Twiggy, who has many throwback pics from the '60s that perfectly capture the era's vibe, there were also models like Donyale Luna and Penelope Tree. 

Penelope Tree was one of the ultimate fashion insiders' muses. Photos of the English model confirm she's one of the celebs from the '60s with outfits that defined the era. Additionally, they reveal a unique and enchanting energy that set her completely apart from the rest. And, having turned 76 in 2025, the model still turns heads. In fact, in 2020, she returned to Fashion Week to walk for Fendi, proving that she can still dominate a runway after more than four decades and that her magnetic energy never really went away. 

Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images

In the photo above, Tree can be seen walking the Fendi show during Milan Fashion Week in February 2025. The model, who stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall, looked awfully chic in a structured olive coat that was cinched at the waist with a thin belt and accented with voluminous black leather sleeves. Her chic updo and blunt blond fringe perfectly framed her sculpted bone structure and radiant smile. 

Penelope Tree's peak years in the industry proved just how legendary she was before stepping out of the spotlight. The model was just 17 when she made her modeling debut at Truman Capote's Black and White Ball. Famous photographers wanted to snap her picture, and one fell in love with her. 

The English model would date photographer David Bailey and become his muse. The iconic photo of her posing in front of a lake in Kashmir, India was taken by Bailey for Vogue. Together, the two created some of the most influential editorial spreads of the '60s. It truly boosted Tree's career and made her the ultimate style icon of the Swinging Sixties. 

So one can't help but wonder what could have possibly driven someone at the height of their career and global fame to just walk away from it all? For Tree, behind the iconic magazine covers, traveling around the world, and star-studded parties was a stark and even painful reality. 

There's a reason why the '60s earned the reputation of being a wild, swinging decade. Just taking a look at all of the 1960s-inspired fashion trends that made a comeback in 2025 will help you understand why. While it sounds like a dreamy era, it was anything but for Penelope Tree. She was so deeply affected by her public breakup with David Bailey, along with a skin condition that forced her to give up modeling, that she wrote a work of fiction about it in 2024 titled "Piece of My Heart." 

In an interview that year with Great British Life, Tree opened up about just how much the groovy culture glossed over the extreme power imbalance that young women faced during the decade. The personal experiences she had were what motivated her to write her very own story. "I went up, and then I went plummeting down. It always stuck in my mind as something that was very formative –- I lost so much confidence from that whole period, and I wanted to look at it a bit more closely," Tree shared.

By the early '70s, Tree ended up walking away from the chaotic world of a high-profile life due to a perfect storm of a bad breakup, a drug arrest, and a severe struggle with acne that upended her confidence. "For many years, I felt very insecure and like I hadn't finished something properly, because of the whole thing that happened with my skin and having to leave so abruptly," Tree explained. That sudden departure is what left the model thinking "what if ..." for decades and prompted her return to the runway more than 45 years later. Whether she's writing or walking a show for a major fashion house, Tree's story is one of resilience and grace.