Karen Elson Biography

Karen Elson is a British fashion model who in 2005 married Jack White of the rock group The White Stripes. Easily recognized by her tall frame, flaming red hair and pale skin, Elson began her career as a model when she was a teenager. After modelling in Europe and Japan, she settled in New York City when she was 18. She made a splash in the fashion world when she appeared on the cover of Italy’s Vogue magazine, her hair bobbed short and her eyebrows gone — a look that earned her the nickname “Le Freak.” Despite critics turned off by her unusual looks, Elson proved herself as a top model for establishments such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Victoria’s Secret. While filming the music video for The White Stripes song “Blue Orchid,” Elson met Jack White, and in June of 2005 White announced that the couple had been married in a canoe at the confluence of three rivers in Brazil. A year later the couple announced the birth of a daughter, Scarlett, born 2 May 2006; a son, Henry, was born in 2007. Elson co-founded The Citizens Band in New York, a troupe of entertainers rekindling vaudeville-type entertainment.