Tuesday, July 31, 2012

PBC Hall of Fame - Angela Dorian (1967)

As my fans know, all Playboy models who garner an A+ rating from me are on the right-hand side of this blog, featured in my Hall of Fame. To honor these ladies in retrospect, I'm doing a review of each one, using my usual 5-category letter rating system. Enjoy!


In the early second decade of the Playmate era, back when women took on a whole different look from the girls we see today, the times truly reflected the display of the female body in art and print. The early 1960's featured Playmates who were shorter, with girls of 5' 5" and shorter being the norm, with a less balanced body type than we saw throughout the 80's to the present. Women had a thicker upper body, with generally larger breasts and smaller hips.

One girl that truly rocked the blueprint for the 1960's archetype was Miss September 1967 and 1968 Playmate of the Year, Angela Dorian. Angela was a true shoo-in for being the year's overall winner, facing minimal competition from the likes of Lynn Winchell and Kim Farber. It was not a particularly strong era in Playboy history, with a sea of very pretty faces masking the fact that there wasn't very much talent to go around.

Angela broke the mold, in every sense of the word. First, figure that Angela's body was immaculate and unheard of at the time. Her bombastic proportions were truly unseen (36"-21"-35", a 0.6 waist-hip-ratio), especially among the body types of the time. Heck, a 0.6 ratio would put a fight into most of the ladies nowadays, with far wider hips and narrower waists in general.

It's hard to isolate Angela's sheer quality by just looking at her unusually toned and slim body - her overall look is mesmerizing. Angela's face is angular in all the right ways, being perfectly symmetrical and having a level of mystery that was lacking at the time. Her overall look and talent was undeniable, as she put on one of the best shows of the time.


  • Face: A+
    Angela's face was one of the most attractive of the entire 1960's, and that's saying something. The era was one of the best times for spectacular mugs, with Angela's uniqueness shining through. Her eyes are wonderfully interesting, with a perfectly shaped face and gorgeous, flowing hair.
  • Body: A
    Angela's body was unusually tight for the time - the typical 1960's body lacking a decent butt and such a shapely set of breasts. Angela brought a nuanced, curvaceous body with slim contours reminiscent of girls in the 70's and later. Her body was ahead of its time, which truly set her apart.
  • Talent: A+
    Angela's style is that of subtle talent. While never being a bombastic, over the top Playmate in following suit of the girls of her time, Angela also brought a level of sophistication and sensibility in her posing, taking control of every photo. She looks otherworldly in some of them, becoming an instant star.
  • Pictorial: A
    Miss Dorian's superb pictorial truly set her apart from other ladies in 1967, en route to her PMOY win. The pictorial had great variety in posing and costuming, and while it lacked the true punch of Playmates of the current day, it was far beyond the passivity of the old days.
  • Centerfold: A
    Although not the best centerfold of 1967 (that honor goes to Fran Gerard, who had one of the greatest pics in history), Angela's would have otherwise shone through all the way. The outstanding shot of her laying in a hammock was exemplary of the high-quality centerfolds of the time. The dark lighting and great silhouette are mind-blowing.
  • Overall: A+
    Angela did not redefine the Playmate of the 1960's - she came in at the tail end and truly broke the monotony. She was ahead of her time by years, and perhaps a full decade. Angela's strengths lie in all aspects of her as a model, from her body to her posing style, which was never aggressive, but always just right for her persona. Her innate beauty was unmatched, and along with Cynthia Myers the next year, she carried the torch for outstanding 60's Playmates. Even today, Angela's pictorial is a breath of fresh air, choosing to go for art and style rather than outright, brash nudity.

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