Most runway models are one-quarter her age, but that doesn’t stop Carmen Dell’Orefice, who, at 81, was a star of the Norisol Ferrari Spring 2013 show during New York Fashion Week.

“I don't know if it's good or silly," she told US TODAY of her modelling career. "It's what I enjoy doing, and I'm able to do it.”

Carmen’s modelling career started when she 13, after being approached on a bus by the wife of a photographer. Two years later she was on the cover of Vogue.

Carmen is represented by Trump Model Management, and agency president Corinne Nicolas says her glamour and presence has helped redefine what society regards as beautiful. “She's an independent woman, and she has been able to transcend time,” she says.