Mila Schön

Mila Schön (born Maria Carmen Nutrizio; September 28, 1916 – September 5, 2008) was a Dalmatian Italian fashion designer. Her surname was also spelled as Schoen.

Early life Maria Carmen Nutrizio was born in Trogir to wealthy Dalmatian Italian aristocratic parents; her younger brother was journalist and newspaper editor Stefano "Nino" Nutrizio. With the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, her family lost their estates. The family moved to Italy where her father managed a pharmacy.

During World War II, Mila married Aurelio Schön, an Austrian precious metals dealer, whom she met in Milan. In the postwar period, Schön enjoyed a brief return to wealth. She became a client of the most prestigious Parisian couture houses such as Balenciaga and Dior. The Via Monte Napoleone shop was decorated with modern furniture by Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen.

Style and influence Her clothing was often geometric and according to Frances D'emilio at The Boston Globe, "fashion-world examples of cubism." Schön signatures included intricate beading and wool coats that eschewed traditional linings in favor of “double facing” (two layers of wool stitched together). and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Shortly after Schön's death in 2008, Milan's Palazzo Reale exhibited a retrospective of her work. At Truman Capote's 1966 black-and-white ball, Marella Agnelli was voted the best-dressed guest in a kaftan embroidered by Schön's craftswomen. The third in the best-dressed guest contest was Lee Radziwill in a sequined Schön shift.