Italian model Mirella Petteni dies at 85

Mirella Petteni, one of Italy's first internationally renowned models, died on Wednesday 27 August 2025. She was 85. Petteni began her career in Milan after leaving Bergamo, becoming the face of historic campaigns and editorials shot by Gian Paolo Barbieri, Ugo Mulas, Irving Penn, and Helmut Newton. In March 1966, Diana Vreeland put her on the cover of Vogue America. She later worked as an editor at Vogue Italia and a consultant for fashion brands. She married film producer Robert Nissim Haggiag and became a philanthropist, supporting artists such as Francesco Vezzoli and Thomas de Falco. Her Rome apartment, designed by architect Ward Bennett, was noted by Gianni Agnelli. Tributes came from Valentino Garavani, Giancarlo Giammetti, and curator Maria Luisa Frisa.