Micol Fontana (8 November 1913 – 12 June 2015) was an Italian stylist and entrepreneur, co-founder of the
Sorelle Fontana fashion house.
She was 101 years old when she died.
Biography
Born in
Traversetolo,
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, Micol Fontana and her sisters Zoe and Giovanna moved to Rome in 1936 to launch a fashion career. They worked small jobs in the industry and finally opened their own shop, Casa di moda sorelle Fontana, in 1943.
She founded the S.I.A.M. - Italian High Fashion Syndicate in 1953, along with her sisters and other famous fashion designers such as Alberto Fabiani,
Vincenzo Ferdinandi,
Emilio Schuberth,
Jole Veneziani,
Giovannelli-Sciarra, Mingolini-Guggenheim, Eleanora Garnett, and
Simonetta.
In 1957, the sisters designed
Linda Christian's wedding dress for her marriage to
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...
.
Following the deaths of her sisters and the selling of the company and brand to an Italian financial group in 1992, Micol established the Micol Fontana Foundation in 1994 with the goal of discovering and promoting new fashion talents.
Popular culture
As the designer of
Margaret Truman
Mary Margaret Truman Daniel (February 17, 1924 – January 29, 2008) was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry S. Truman a ...
's (daughter of U.S. President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
) wedding gown, Fontana was invited to appear as a mystery guest on the April 15, 1956 episode of ''
What's My Line?
''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...
''. The Truman wedding occurred a few days later on April 21, 1956.
In ''
La Dolce Vita
''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...
'', the tightly moulded priest’s
cassock
The cassock, or soutane, is a Christian clerical clothing, clerical coat used by the clergy and Consecrated life, male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in ...
wore by
Anita Ekberg in
St Peter’s basilica was designed by Fontana.
A two-parts television miniseries based on the story of her fashion house, ''
Atelier Fontana - Le sorelle della moda'', was broadcast on
Rai 1
Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting ...
in 2011, with Micol Fontana making a brief cameo as herself. She was portrayed by
Alessandra Mastronardi.
See also
*
Sorelle Fontana
References
External links
Fondazione Micol Fontana website
1913 births
2015 deaths
Italian women centenarians
Italian fashion designers
People from the Province of Parma
Fashion designers from Rome
Traversetolo
{{Italy-artist-stub