In the late 1970s and early 1980s there was no model more sought after than Gia.
Gia Marie Carangi moved to New York City at the age of 17 and instantly took the fashion industry by storm. She redefined the standard of beauty and became one of the biggest models in fashion history. After she became addicted to heroin, Gia's fashionable career rapidly declined. She later became infected with HIV and died in Philadelphia on November 18th 1986 of AIDS-related complications. She was 26 years old.
Today would have been Gia Carangi's 52nd birthday. Here's a look back at 10 memorable images of the supermodel.
Gia's famous "dead" shot that originally appeared as part of a fashion editorial spread in the November 1978 issue of American
. Photographer Andrea Blanch shot the image.
2. The Helmut Newton photos
For the March 1979 issue of Paris
Vogue Helmut Newton shot Gia for his photo layout "Woman Into Man" (or cross-dressing women). The infamous black and photos were taken by the legendary photographer at the George V Hotel in Paris.
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3. The chain-link fence photos by Chris von Wangenheim
In October 1978 Gia had her first major fashion shoot with top photographer Chris von Wangenheim. One of the photos taken that day (above left) appeared in the January 1979 issue of American
Vogue and that image marks the turn in the model's career. After the photoshoot wrapped Chris asked Gia to pose nude behind a chain link fence solo (above right) and later with makeup assistant Sandy Linter, who Gia became infatuated with. The nude shot has since become legendary and was later reproduced in the 1998 HBO film
Gia starring Angelina Jolie.
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4. Gia's first major cover
In 1979 Gia landed her first major cover... the April 1979 cover of the British edition of
Vogue magazine. The UK cover was shot less than a year after the model made her editorial debut in American
Vogue.
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5. Gia's first Cosmopolitan cover
Gia's first appearance on the cover of
Cosmopolitan was the April 1979 cover that featured a shot of supermodel wearing a Lycra bodysuit. The cover was photographed by famed photographer Francesco Scavullo (1921 – 2004), who shot covers for
Cosmo for more than 30 years. Scavullo considered Gia a muse and featured her on five different
Cosmo covers between 1979 and 1982.
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6. Gia's second Cosmopolitan cover
Gia's second
Cosmopolitan cover was the July 1979 issue. Shot by photographer Francesco Scavullo, the memorable cover featured a sultry Gia wearing a yellow gravity-defying swimsuit.
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7. Gia's 1st American Vogue cover
Gia's one and only cover for the American edition of
Vogue. Editor in chief Grace Mirabella personally selected Gia to appear on the August 1980 cover that was shot by famed fashion photographer Richard Avedon.
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8. The Vogue photo with Gia sporting track marks in her arm
By 1981, Gia was using heroin and showing up to fashion shoots high. The November 1980 issue of
Vogue magazine featured an image of Gia (shot by Scavullo) that stirred controversy after people claimed that Gia's track marks were visible in the image. The fashion spread was titled: "The Start of Something Pretty".
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9. Gia's final Cosmopolitan cover
Gia's last official appearance on the cover of
Cosmopolitan was the April 1982 issue. The cover was a gift from Scavullo in an attempt to help her jumpstart her modelling comeback and it is still questioned by fashion lovers. Scavullo maintains that Gia had put on weight and he had her sit on her hands to make her look thinner... however it is widely believed that Gia's arms were placed behind her to hide her track marks.
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10. Scavallo Women
Scavullo Women (Year of original publishing - 1982) contains two full-page portraits of Gia accompanied by a candid Gia interview. One image features Gia looking glamorous while the other is a more natural shot. No shot of Gia is more captivating than the raw image of the model (featured above).
tragic life. I dont particularly find her very attractive but her story is none the less compelling. There are so many with more beauty than this girl and with fewer problems.
Posted by: roberto | 02/01/2012 at 09:04 AM
babalon ,you are so right
That's very sad what happened to her .This is a life lesson.
Posted by: future doctor | 01/31/2012 at 02:35 PM
Yeah, Angelina Jolie playing a junkie; what a STRETCH, eh? Same goes for Girl Interrupted; the reason she was so 'good' in the role is because she was playing "herself"!
Posted by: babalon | 01/31/2012 at 11:38 AM
A lovely woman indeed, and a sad cautionary tale. Stay away from drugs and do not share needles - ever. The telefilm GIA is very powerful; it jump-started Angelina Jolie's career, and she's quite phenomenal in it.
Posted by: Ken/Toronto | 01/30/2012 at 09:21 PM
So beautiful.
R.I.P. Gia.
Posted by: Brenda | 01/30/2012 at 04:38 PM
Thank you for this post. Well done!
Posted by: Lynore | 01/30/2012 at 05:57 AM