At first glance, it was a story like a fairy tale. Although, as it turned out, rather gloomy and definitely devoid of a happy ending.
Maurizio Gucci met Patrizia Reggiani at the University of Milan. They were both 22 years old. He was the shy and withdrawn son of a famous actor, a member of one of the most famous families in the history of fashion, Rodolf Gucci. She - a beautiful daughter of a waitress, pampered by her stepfather. A hot feeling connected them immediately.
House of Gucci movie trailer
And this is actually the fairy tale part of the story. Maurizio hated his father and was eager to oppose him at all costs. That's why he disobeyed when his parent advised him against having a relationship with a spoiled girl. But while it is misogynistic to say that women only care about money and status, in this case Rodolfo was right. The Party has mastered the use of its innate charm. She lived under the conviction that her riches and affects were written. Maurizia easily wrapped herself around her finger . In 1972, the couple got married. An angry Rodolfo immediately threw his son out of the house and disinherited him.
This turn of events was obviously not to the taste of the freshly baked Mrs. Gucci. Patrizia had to try a little harder to gain access to her spouse's wealth.
The Taming of Rodolfo
Skilled in building relationships with men, she decided to win over her father-in-law at all costs. And it worked:while her husband was finishing his law studies, Patrizia came to an agreement with Rodolfo. And with his education just acquired, Maurizio turned out to be a valuable asset to the House of Gucci. Everything is back to normal. Patrizia could finally enjoy the victory and benefit from the money of fashion moguls.
Maurizio Gucci
Soon she became famous herself as a "regular of salons". The term seems perfect, though perhaps a bit too modest. Patrizia Reggiani was considered wasteful even in the opulent world of Milan's rich. She was nicknamed Tutankhamen because she was always covered with gold jewelry. She dressed in the most expensive clothes and never got into a car other than a limousine. It was she who announced: "I'd rather cry in a Rolls-Royce than be happy on a bicycle" . With Mauriz, she had two daughters:Alessandra, born in 1976, and Allegra, who was five years younger than her.
From the rain into the gutter
While young Gucci was in charge of the company, he himself was "managed" by the imperious Patrizia. The spouse soon began to remind him of his father's despot. In this context, it can be understood, in a sense, that from his 1985 delegation to Switzerland simply… did not come home. He sent a friend to his wife who told her that the marriage was over. But parting wasn't that easy. Formally, Maurizio and Patrizia remained a couple for almost a decade. "The third" contributed to the final divorce decision.
In 1990, Maurizio stayed at a private club in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. There he met his childhood friend Paola Franchi. The model and interior designer also had an unsuccessful marriage with copper magnate Giorg Colombo. Perhaps it was the convergence of experiences that brought the two together? Officially, the information about the affair leaked to the media in 1993 . A year later, Patrizia divorced Maurizio. He and Paola were already living together in a luxury apartment on Corso Venezia in Milan. They were making plans for a wedding on the Gucci Estate in Saint Moritz.
Maurizio agreed to pay his ex-wife $ 1.47 million annually. Instead, was stripped of her right to use the Gucci name. She ostentatiously ignored this prohibition . As she stated: "I still feel like Gucci - actually, most like Gucci of all" . There was only one problem that had to keep Patrizia awake at night. If Maurizio actually marries Paola, the amount of maintenance will be reduced. And that's a lot…
In affect
On March 27, 1995, Patrizia wrote only one word in her diary:the Greek paradeisos which is paradise. On the same day, a paid killer shot Maurizio Gucci on the steps of the office . The crime shook the fashion world. It was close, and no one would ever know who was behind hiring a hitman. Patrizia was betrayed by too much haste. The day after the murder, Paola Franchi received an eviction order from Mrs Reggiani. As experts later showed, the document was written no later than three hours after Maurizio's death. As soon as Paola disappeared, Patrizia moved into the ex-husband's apartment with her two daughters. She lived there for two years - until her arrest in 1997.
Patrizia Reggiani, wife of Maurizio Gucci at the funeral of Maurizio
But this is not the end of the evidence. Some say the phones in Maurizia's apartment were wiretapped. This is where the services learned about the mysterious conversations in the days following the murder. Unknown men demanded a bonus for the shooting of someone as high in status as Gucci . Moreover, in Patrizia's diary on the page of March 26, it was read that: "there is no crime that cannot be bought" . The picture was completed with a $ 400,000 transfer from Patrizia's Monaco account.
The crime of vanity
From the very beginning, the media was not favorable to the woman, who was quickly hailed as a "black widow". Two years after the crime, the police arrested Patrizia. The sentence was passed that same year. The motive was a mixture of jealousy, anger at the ex-husband, and greed. The reduced maintenance payments in the event of Maurizia remarrying (which were to be - a trifle - $ 860,000 a year) Reggiano described as "a packet of dragees.
The investigation revealed that the murderer, Benedetto Ceraulo, was a pizzeria owner in debt. He was hired to kill Gucci through the fortune-teller Giuseppina Auriemma. Taking into account all the circumstances, the court sentenced Patrizia to 29 years in prison, and the fairy intermediary - to 25 years. The restaurateur was sentenced to death.
Patrizia's stay behind bars was, of course, not without incident. Her requests to reduce her sentence to 10 years on the grounds of a brain tumor were rejected. She managed to "win" only three years less in prison. In 2000, in an act of desperation, she decided to reduce the penalty on her own. Prison guards found her hanging on a sheet. However, her life was saved. Finally, in October 2011, Patrizia was given a chance to be released early from prison through a work program for inmates. But then… she refused. She stated that "she has never worked in her life and sees no reason to start now."
Photo of Patrizia Reggiani from police custody
Eventually Patrizia Reggiano left the prison in 2016 due to good behavior . She also decided to work as a fashion consultant at Bozart. She currently lives in Milan, where she is seen with a parrot on her shoulder. One time, she was caught on the street by a crew of TV reporters. One of them asked: Why did you hire a murderer to kill Maurizio Gucci? Why didn't you shoot him yourself? "To which Patrizia replied," I have poor eyesight, I didn't want to miss.
Bibliography:
- Forden S. G., The House of Gucci:A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamor, and Greed , New York, 2000.
- Haworth A., The Gucci wife and the hitman:fashion’s darkest tale , "The Guardian" July 24, 2016, accessed November 22, 2021.
- Nolasco S., Maurizio Gucci's ex-wife says she was' very happy 'after slaying:' I am not guilty, but I am not innocent ’ , Fox News Documentary 17/07/2018, accessed 22/11/2021.
- Stanley A., Former Wife Given 29 Years for Ordering Gucci Slaying , "The New York Times" November 4, 1998, accessed November 22, 2021