Mirella Petteni

Happy Mardi Gras! To celebrate the last day of Carnival, here’s a look at the star of Helmut Newton’s 1966 Venetian shoot: Italian model and socialite Mirella Petteni Haggiag.

Born in Bergamo, Mirella Petteni moved to Milan to work as a model. As the wife of film producer Robert Haggiag, Petteni was also a society figure with residences in Venice, Tuscany, New York, and Rome’s Palazzo Mengarini. (See T magazine.) She retired from modelling to become an editor at Vogue Italia.

Mirella Petteni in *Queen*, August 1966. Photo: Helmut Newton. Image: Sweet Jane.

Petteni can be seen on many Vogue Couturier Designs by Italian designers.

Mirella Petteni in Pucci — Image: PatternVault shop.

Vogue 1397 by Pucci, March 1965 retail catalogue. Image: Pinterest.

Petteni also appears in a Vogue holiday editorial that includes two Vogue Special designs (Vogue 6084 and 6054):

Vogue 6084 and 6054 as worn by Mirella Petteni in Vogue, 1963 — In Vogue 6084 and 6054, *Vogue*, December 1963. Photos: Irving Penn? Image: Youthquakers.

Here she wears Galitzine’s halter and culotte:

Mirella Petteni in Vogue 1393 by Galitzine — Vogue 1393 by Galitzine (1964) Image: Etsy.

Here, in Pucci’s bestselling cape-jacket ensemble, Petteni’s aspirational hair is an added bonus:

1960s Pucci pink ensemble pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1394 — Vogue 1394 by Pucci (1964) Image: Etsy.

In white dresses from Fabiani and Forquet:

1960s Forquet 2-piece dress pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1402 — Vogue 1402 by Federico Forquet (1964). Image: Etsy.

1960s Fabiani dress pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1866 — Vogue 1866 by Fabiani (1967) Image: Etsy.

1960s Fabiani dress pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1899 — Vogue 1899 by Fabiani (1968) Image: Etsy.

Sorbet colour-blocking from Pucci:

1960s Pucci culotte pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1865 — Vogue 1865 by Pucci (1967) Image: Etsy.

1960s Pucci dress pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1955 — Vogue 1955 by Pucci (1968) Image: PatternVault shop.

In Forquet’s short, half-bias evening dress:

1960s Forquet dress pattern feat. Mirella Petteni Haggiag - Vogue Couturier Design 1957 — Vogue 1957 by Federico Forquet (1968) Image: Vintage Pattern Wiki.

Here she poses with Benedetta Barzini in early Valentino:

Benedetta Barzini and Mirella Petteni in Valentino, at Agnese Bruguier's apartment in the Palazzo Borghese, Rome, 1968 — Benedetta Barzini and Mirella Petteni in Valentino, at Agnese Bruguier’s apartment in the Palazzo Borghese, Rome, *Vogue*, September 1968. Photo: Henry Clarke. Image: tumblr.

Mirella Petteni in Queen, August 1966. Photo: Helmut Newton — Mirella Petteni in *Queen*, August 1966. Photo: Helmut Newton. Image: tumblr.

3 thoughts on “Mirella Petteni”

Considering how many “looks” a successful model can have, and your amazing ability to identify so many models, I think the people who are developing AI facial recognition programs ought to study you! There’s an interesting TED talk by MIT grad student Joy Buolamwini, who demonstrated that some current recognition programs have 99 percent accuracy recognizing white male faces, but don’t do nearly as well on women and women of color…..

1394 (the cape with cuffs) is fun, but ridiculous to wear (raise your arms even a little and the world can see so much….).
As ever, thank you for this blog.

Peoples lives are so fascinating. How glamorous was this woman? I am struggling with the last picture. Is she hugging someone else – the head looks like a man looking the opposite way to the body. Weird no?