Consuelo Pauline O'Brien O'Connor Crespi (May 31, 1928 – October 18, 2010) was an American-born Italian countess who served the world of high fashion as a style-setting model and editor of

Vogue (magazine) ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center One World Trade Center (also known as One Wor ...

and ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. It's been in publication since 1964. Name ''Vogue Italia'' was first published as ''N ...

''. During the same period, her twin sister Gloria Schiff was a major influence on fashion as editor for the American edition of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine. She was also a member of the

International Best Dressed List The International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine '' Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the List af ...

since 1959.

Biography

Crespi was born on May 31, 1928, in

Larchmont, New York Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village was 5,864 at the 2010 census. In February 2019, Bloomberg ranked Larc ...

, along with a twin sister Gloria. She grew up in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and was spotted as a potential model when she moved back to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with her mother and sister, appearing on the cover of ''

Look To look is to use sight to perceive an object. Look or The Look may refer to: Businesses and products * Look (modeling agency), an Israeli modeling agency * ''Look'' (American magazine), a defunct general-interest magazine * ''Look'' (UK ma ...

'' magazine in 1945. She was introduced to society as a

débutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

in 1947 and met Count Rodolfo (Rudi) Crespi (São Paulo, 1924 – New York, 1985), grandson of wealthy industrialist Count Rodolfo Crespi (1874–1939) and Countess Marina Crespi (''née'' Regoli, 1879–1964), on a blind date in a New York City restaurant.Martin, Douglas
"Consuelo Crespi, Aristocrat of Fashion, Dies at 82"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 23, 2010. Accessed October 24, 2010. They were married three months later, on January 22, 1948, in a ceremony held at

Church of St. Ignatius Loyola The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola is a Catholic parish church located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, administered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York, and wa ...

on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

of Manhattan. The couple had two children, Brando Crespi and Pilar Crespi.

An ambassador of Italian fashion

Through her choices in attire and in publishing, Crespi played a major role in influencing the fashion world and giving a boost to the careers of designers such as

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

and

Missoni Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, and known for its colorful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953. History Early beginnings The business was founded in 1953, when O ...

. Valentino credited Crespi with giving him a break into the fashion industry and it was a Valentino dress worn by her twin sister that convinced

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

to try out the designer. In addition to her role as editor of ''Italian Vogue'', Crespi's appearances at social events such as the

Black and White Ball The Black and White Ball was a masquerade ball held on November 28, 1966, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Hosted by author Truman Capote, the ball was in honor of ''The Washington Post'' publisher Katharine Graham. Impulse Truman Capote decide ...

thrown by

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

in 1966 were widely reported. In a best-dressed list published in 1958 by the New York Dress Institute, Crespi was ranked third, behind the

Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a ...

, but ahead of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in fourth place and

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...

in fifth. She was included on the

and was recognized by the Fashion Hall of Fame for her "faultless taste in dress without ostentation or extravagance". In addition to her editing duties, Crespi and her husband both did public relations for major designers. Her husband had been involved on the editorial staff of ''Vogue Brasil'' and ''Vogue Mexico''. After returning from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1961, she received notice from the fashion world by wearing skirts that were four to five inches longer than the prevailing fashion, helping to promote a new line from the designer Fabiani, saying "I now can't stand the sight of my knees showing" after donning the longer skirts. The government of Italy bestowed its highest-ranked civilian award to Crespi for her assistance in promoting the fashion industry in that country. Crespi lamented the decline in Italian social life among the wealthy and aristocratic crowd in the 1970s in the wake of social unrest and a wave of kidnappings, telling ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine that "In Italy now you want to feel rich and look poor".

Legacy

Crespi died at age 82 on October 18, 2010, at Mount Sinai Hospital in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

due to a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. She was survived by a daughter, a son, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her husband had died in 1985. Her daughter Pilar Crespi was an assistant editor at Vogue and has spent most of her career in the fashion industry, and her granddaughter Chloe is a fashion photographer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crespi, Consuelo 1928 births 2010 deaths American magazine editors Women magazine editors American socialites Italian countesses Writers from New York City People from Larchmont, New York American twins Italian magazine editors Italian women editors Fashion editors