Marisa Martelli

Marisa Martelli in David Jones' Art Gallery , Sydney 1953

Marisa Martelli (* 1928 in Florence ) was an Australian fashion icon and copywriter in the 1950s.

Life

Marisa Martelli (standing right) with her parents (next to her left) and other internees of the camp in Rushworth, Victoria 1945.

Marisa Martelli was the daughter of the sculptor and painter Augusto Martelli and his wife Alma Martelli. The immigrant family was in the Australian camp “Camp No. 3 ” interned in Rushworth, Victoria . After the release, the family lived in Melbourne .

In 1949 and 1950 Martelli toured Italy, where she organized fashion shows in Italy, France and Switzerland for the local fashion designers' guild, Centro Italiano della Moda , based in Milan . She returned to Australia to represent the organization. In 1952 she took part in the International Queen Competition at the Legacy's All-Nations Fair in Sydney.

Martelli worked as chief copywriter for what was once the largest department store in the Southern Hemisphere , Hordern Brothers in Sydney . Here she designed advertising campaigns for the fashion that she wore at receptions, parties and art exhibitions, where her presence was also reported in the Australian press. She and her dresses were a popular and often shown photogenic example of a European fashion style that Australian women became increasingly interested in after the privations of World War II . Writer Jackie Dickenson wrote, "In the early 1950s it was difficult to escape from her and her elegant ensembles."

In 1955, as a buyer for the upscale Australian department store chain David Jones, she was significantly involved in the implementation of the Italian Fashion Parade in Sydney. For the accompanying event of an exhibition of Italian paintings in the David Jones Gallery , she brokered pictures by the artist Gaspero del Corso .

In 1959, Morris Barda from the Australian fashion company Sportscraft hired Martelli and the photographer Helmut Newton to film advertising for a new line of products for the company, Fashion Vitality .

Martelli was the mentor of the fashion author Marion von Adlerstein, who wrote for Vogue magazine, among others . She was in a relationship with the film producer and author Edwin Morrisby (1924-2001).

Artist George de Olszanski with Marisa Martelli at Contemporary Group's 26th exhibition at Farmer's, Sydney 1953.
Marisa Martelli at the French Painting Today exhibition , Sydney 1953.
American model Barbara Phillips (left) with Martelli at a fashion show on MV Sydney, 1953.