L’Wren Scott

Laura "Luann" Bambrough (April 28, 1964 – March 17, 2014), known professionally as L'Wren Scott, was an American model, fashion designer, and stylist. Raised in Roy, Utah, by her Mormon adoptive parents, Ivan and Lula Bambrough, she grew up alongside two adopted siblings. Known for her exceptionally tall frame, she reached 6 feet in height by age 12 and eventually grew to 6 feet 3 inches. Because of her height, she began sewing her own clothes at age 12, gaining early experience in fabric quality and garment construction before graduating from Roy High School in 1982.

Accounts of the start of her modeling career differ. In one version, photographer Bruce Weber discovered her at age 16 during a photo shoot in Utah and advised her to move to Paris. Another account indicates she moved to Los Angeles after high school, where a talent scout with agency ties in Paris connected her to modeling opportunities. Working in Paris under the name "L'Wren," she modeled for Thierry Mugler, Chanel, and Helmut Newton, and was photographed by Guy Bourdin, David Bailey, and Jean-Paul Goude. Her initial commercial success came as the legs on a clock for a Pretty Polly hosiery campaign shot by Bailey.

Scott moved to California in the early 1990s to establish herself as a stylist, initially collaborating with photographer Herb Ritts and later working with Newton, Karl Lagerfeld, and Mario Sorrenti. One of her early notable assignments was styling the campaign for Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds fragrance. She subsequently styled public figures such as Madonna, Julia Roberts, and Tom Hanks for magazine shoots, and designed film costumes for productions including the 1996 remake of Diabolique, Ocean's Thirteen, Eyes Wide Shut, and Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light.

In 2006, Scott launched her first fashion collection, "Little Black Dress," featuring her "Headmistress" dress worn by Madonna. Her designs focused on super-feminine silhouettes, nipped-in waists, and high attention to detail. She also offered practical style guidance termed "L'Wrenisms." Her garments were worn on red carpets by figures including Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Scott expanded her brand into shoes, handbags, glasses, perfume, and cosmetics through collaborations with Lancôme and Bobbi Brown, alongside an affordable ready-to-wear line with Banana Republic in 2013.

Scott was married to property developer Andrew Ladsky from 1990 to 1993, and to Prada franchise manager Anthony Brand from 1993 until their divorce was finalized in 1997. In 2001, she began her longest relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, for whom she also designed stage clothing for concert tours. On March 17, 2014, Scott died by suicide at her Manhattan home at age 49. In 2015, Jagger established a scholarship fund in her honor for fashion design students at Central Saint Martins in London.