Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Anita Sarka, a DJ from former downtown NYC institution Mudd Club and friend of Gia told Vanity Fair: “In those days, everyone had this idea that being a junkie was very glamorous.VOGUE 1981 PAULINA PORIZKOVA DAWN GALLAGHER HELMUT NEWTON GIA CARANGI FASHION For Sale A generation of accidental junkies was born, of which Gia was a part. Usually Gia snorted heroin, with the common understanding that people could only get addicted through needles – which was false. The drug trend at that time shifted to heroin, which brought coke users down when they were too high. Though she often did cocaine in the bathroom stalls of Studio 54 and CBGB, Gia’s drug habit began spiralling. You think, God, she didn't need drugs – she was a drug” – Angelina Jolie WHEN WILHELMINA DIED, SHE WENT OFF THE RAILSĬooper became a mother figure to Gia, whose own mum abandoned her when she was just 11, so when she died in 1980 the model was devastated. “When she was free and just being herself, Gia was unbelievable. She also starred in an iconic music video, for Blondie’s 1980 hit “Atomic”. The shoot was her breakout moment, and led to her modelling for labels including Versace and Dior, and legendary photographers like Helmut Newton and Arthur Elgort. One of her first shoots saw her pose nude behind a chain-link fence with make-up artist Sandy Linter for photographer Chris von Wangenheim. Gia embodied the contrast that the fashion industry craved during that era – in a sea of blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful women, Gia had no filter, wore no make-up and took risks. When she arrived in the city, Gia met with Wilhelmina Cooper, who was floored and signed her immediately. Gia initially got her start with a local photographer in Philadelphia who saw her dancing, and began appearing in local newspaper advertisements, before heading to New York at 17. SHE WAS THE ANTITHESIS OF OTHER MODELS OF THE ERA Now, as the film turns 20, we look back at Gia’s dramatic and ultimately tragic life. Jolie admitted that she despised Gia at first, but in the end, confessed to The New York Times in 1997: “I’d like to date Gia. She was supposed to be the ‘bad model turned good’, but shortly before her slot, Gia snorted heroin backstage. In one, Gia was interviewed on an evening news show about the dark side of modelling and its ties to drugs. Jolie played Gia with raw emotion throughout, exploring her drug addiction, childhood issues, and relationships with unfaltering sensitivity – having spent hours studying Gia’s TV appearances before filming began. Her portrayal won her a Golden Globe, as she appeared alongside Hollywood heavyweights Faye Dunaway, who played modelling mogul Wilhelmina Cooper, and Mercedes Ruehl who played her mum, Kathleen. Twelve years after her death, Gia’s tragic story was committed to a film, with a young, almost unknown Angelina Jolie taking on the role of the troubled model. Struggling to cope with the pressures of her new career, Gia turned to heroin, and, despite kicking the habit a number of times and staging multiple comebacks, in 1986 she died of Aids-related complications at just 26. While her blue-collar background gave her an edge in the world of high fashion, and appearances on the runways of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Armani saw her experience a meteoric rise to fame, behind the scenes all was not well. Gia’s life echoed the classic rags-to-riches story, only, eventually, the riches made way for rags again. Arguably the world’s first supermodel, Gia Carangi paved the way for Campbell, Turlington, and Crawford – with the latter billed ‘Baby Gia’ when she made her runway debut. Before Peter Lindbergh immortalised Naomi, Cindy, Claudia, Linda, Christy, and Tatjana on the cover of Vogue in 1990, and launched them in their ascension to icon status, there was Gia.
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