[1] Her father's family, of Alsatian origin,[2] was socially and politically prominent; her grandfather was life senator Charles F. Dietz-Monnin,[3] and her grandmother Adèle is featured in a painting by Edgar Degas.

[4][5] Because of their social standing, her choice of a stage career was considered newsworthy.

[6] Clarens was a stage actress and singer in Paris before 1920, a colleague to Cécile Sorel Geneviève Vix, and Yvonne Garrick.

[7] Like them, she was considered a stylish beauty,[8] and she was often featured in fashion photographs in magazines and on postcards.

[11] Later in life, Clarens was a writer, publicist, and journalist,[12] author of D'avant-hier à aujourd'hui (1962).