Marina Schiano (18 November 1941 - 8 September 2019) was an Italian fashion model, muse, fashion stylist, journalist, photographer and a jewelry designer.

Marina Schiano
Born(1941-11-18)18 November 1941
Naples, Italy
Died8 September 2019(2019-09-08) (aged 77)
NationalityItalian
Years active1950s - 2001
Known forYSL
Spouses

Early life

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Schiano was born in Naples, Italy to parents Michele Schiano and Anna Facciolli.[1] Her father was involved in construction and her mother had an aristocratic background.[2] Her childhood was said to be unhappy, she was described as tall for her age, strong-willed, a deep husky voice and was described as unattractive, especially by her mother.[2][3] At age 14 or 15, she left home and traveled to Milan to become a model.[2] After the death of her father, she moved to Rome where her uncle lived and studied political science at university.[2] Returning to Milan later, she met model Elsa Peretti.[2]

Career

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Sciano arrived in New York in 1967 with her friend Elsa Peretti.[3] There she was said to have been discovered by photographer Yasuhiro Wakabayashi.[1] In 1968, she appeared in a twenty-eight-page feature in Vogue, photographed by Henry Clark.[3] During her time in modelling and fashion, she worked with many photographers including Jeanloup Sieff, Clive Arrowsmith, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon, John Fairchild, Herb Ritts and Grace Coddington.[1][2][3] She appeared in many international editions of Vogue and other fashion magazines.[3] She worked with many fashion designers including Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, in particular a muse to Yves Saint Laurent and François Nars.[1][2][3] As a socialite, she became part of the New York society scene, seen regularly with Andy Warhol, Diana Vreeland and Diane von Fürstenberg.[1]

In 1972, she was hired by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner Pierre Bergé to manage the YSL store in New York.[1] Her responsibilities increased and she became YSL's Communications Director and Vice-President for North America and managed their 52 boutiques and 21 licencees.[2][4] She was responsible for YSL's launch of the perfume Opium in the US in 1977.[4][3] In 1980 she stepped down at YSL, formed her own public relations firm, and managed the company's image.[2] She ended her relationship with YSL in 1982.[1] She then joined Calvin Klein as their National and International Director of Public Relation, attempting to bring some contacts and glamour to the brand.[1][2][3] After three years, she joined Vanity Fair as its Creative Style Director for editor Tina Brown.[2][1] There she would dress Madonna, Cindy Crawford and K.D.Lang for some of the magazine's famous covers.[1] In 1992 she was retrenched from Vanity Fair in a shake-up by editor Graydon Carter.[2] Schiano then began her own line of over-sized jewelry consisting of semiprecious jeweled silver and gold rings, something she had indulged in before, sold in high-end stores.[1] Around 2001, she withdrew from her New York life and friends and moved to Brazil with her husband.[1][2]

Marriage

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Her first marriage in 1973 was to Andy Warhol's business manager Frederick Hughes. The marriage was brief but allowed her to obtain a green card.[1][3][5] Later she married photographer Marcus Vinícius Coelho, with whom she was married for more than forty years.[1]

Death

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Schiano died in Porto Seguro, Brazil from complications following surgery for kidney cancer.[1] She was survived by her husband, Marcus Vinícius Coelho.[1]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Felder, Rachel (18 September 2019). "Marina Schiano, Distinctive Presence in the Fashion World, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Feitelberg, Rosemary; Salibian, Sandra (10 September 2019). "Yves Saint Laurent Muse Marina Schiano Dies". WWD. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Borrelli-Persson, Laird. "Remembering Marina Schiano: Model, Muse, and Magnate". Vogue. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b "YSL muse Marina Schiano dead at 71". Hollywood.com. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ^ Fraser-Cavassoni, Natasha (2017-08-01). After Andy: Adventures in Warhol Land. Penguin. ISBN 9780399183553.
  6. ^ "Marina Schiano". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-09-19.