Wet Hot Summer with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

British model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is affectionately known as “Rosebud” to her family and friends, yes for those lips, but also due to her endearing disposition. On the set of VIOLET GREY’s June Issue cover story shoot, however, a black leather trench coat, red lips and matching elongated nails radiated a different sort of energy.

Her supermodel stature was never something she had to grow into. By the age of 16, she signed a contract with an agency. By 21, she was wrapped up in textured trench coats for Burberry’s fall campaign and soon became the face of Burberry’s fragrance, Body. She has appeared on numerous magazine covers including British Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar UK, and was summoned to walk the runway for the likes of Marc Jacobs (Louis Vuitton) and Olivier Rousteing (Balmain).

The legendary Jerry Weintraub was gracious enough to invite photographer Emma Summerton and the VIOLET GREY production team into his Palm Desert home for the photo shoot, describes the model’s appeal more succinctly in the inscription he signed for her in his autobiography:

To Rosie, 
Same name as my mother, 
different look.

The home of a Hollywood mega producer was a fitting backdrop for the shoot since the model and actress has mogul trajectory in her own right. She has starred in the highest grossing film for Paramount Studios,Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon (2011), and will next year appear in Mad Max with Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. Her Marks & Spencer lingerie line, Rosie for Autograph, is one of the most lucrative collaborations for the English retailer. Rosie, as it turns out, is infinitely bankable. Rosie, the Rosebud, finds true fulfillment in her work with UNICEF UK. Earlier this spring, she traveled to Cambodia on behalf of the foundation to raise awareness for the Soccer Aid fund. It’s that amalgam of wholesome sweetness, unlimited earning potential, and arresting, seductive allure that makes her so impossible to ignore.

On location at Weintraub’s sleek desert oasis (which was once used as a location for his film Ocean’s Eleven), as her endless legs unfold beneath her vintage chiffon dress and her blonde hair gleams in the desert sun, Huntington-Whiteley is no sugar, all spice. Rosebud is nowhere in sight. And if there’s one thing about her that everyone can agree upon, it’s that this girl’s got range.

Violet Inquires: What Is The One Question You Want To Ask Rosie?

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR?

— RACHEL ZOE, STYLIST

Whether or not I look rested and healthy.

IF YOU COULD SNAP YOUR FINGERS AND BE QUALIFIED FOR ANY OTHER OCCUPATION, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

— JESSICA PARÉ, ACTRESS

I would love to have the patience to be an interior designer, but I also like the idea of being a physiologist.

I AM INSPIRED BY HISTORICAL BEAUTY AND CLASSIC IMAGERY, IF YOU COULD CHOOSE TO BE CAST AS ANY CLASSIC FEMME FATALE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

— KATE LEE, MAKEUP ARTIST

I love Elizabeth Taylor. She always strikes me as the ultimate femme fatale.

WHAT BEAUTY PRODUCT IS UNDERRATED?

— JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS

SPF & Blusher.

Read the complete Q&A with Rosie on The Violet Files at VIOLET GREY.

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