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Mary McFadden, the fashion designer known for her dark hair, fair skin and creative homage to ancient cultures, died on Friday at her home in Southampton, New York. She was 85.
The New York Times She reportedly died of myeloma dysplasia.
Born in New York on October 1, 1938, she had a privileged upbringing. Her brother told The Times: “She was [boarding school] Then I came out, went to Europe, came back and did a charity ball.”
After living in Memphis, she studied at the Travaganza School of Fashion, Columbia University, and the Sorbonne in New York. To break into the fashion industry, she worked as a PR director for Christian Dior, earning her pay in the form of haute couture.
Already an avid art collector, her design career blossomed after she married De Beers executive Philip Harari in 1964. Living in Harari’s native South Africa, she was inspired by objects she found in markets and developed a passion for Sumerian and Egyptian design.
More than a decade and one marriage (she divorced, then remarried, to art gallerist Frank McEuen, followed by three more husbands) later, a stint at Vogue led to a feature that established her trademark chic exoticism and earned her endorsements from the likes of family friend and trendsetter Babe Paley.
Jacqueline Onassis was also impressed with her looks, and McFadden became a regular at parties and nightclubs, becoming a prominent figure on the international stage.
Eventually, her A-list clients passed away, and she closed her business in 2002. Her looks were not suited to a pop star.
After her death, Popular She is remembered as the “high priestess of fashion,” a former editor of the venerable magazine and past president of the CFDA.
McFadden was preceded in death by her longtime partner, Murray Gell-Mann, in 2019, and her daughter, Justin Harari, in 2023. McFadden is survived by her brother.
