Rosita Missoni, 1931 – 2025

Italian knitwear designer Rosita Missoni, 93, died on Jan. 1. She and she and her husband Ottavio (who died in 2013) started their house in 1953, and their wildly colorful ready-to-wear clothes became popular through the 1950s-60s (though they have that bright jazzy look that screams “1980s”). Working out of Milan, the Missonis extended their line from sweaters to dresses, and they were championed by Vogue’s Diana Vreeland; they also designed costumes for Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. Rosita grew up in a textile-manufacturing town, and said that “There among the fabric and the patterns, I learned all about fashion, cutting it out in silhouettes.” Today, the Missoni brand is run by Rosita’s and Ottavio‘s children and grandchildren.