Paco Jamandreu

Francisco Vicente Jaumandreu, also known as Paco Jamandreu (October 17, 1925 – March 9, 1995) was an Argentine fashion designer and actor. He was a friend of Eva Perón and served as a costume designer on several Argentine films.

Early life Jamandreu was born on October 17, 1925, on a farm in Veinticinco de Mayo Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. His father, Francesc Jaumandreu, worked for a local newspaper and his mother, Herminia Giogia, was a school teacher. His friendship with Eva Perón was dramatized in Juan Carlos Desanzo's Eva Perón: The True Story (1996); he was portrayed by actor Horacio Roca. Before her death in 1952, he was asked by Perón to design sketches of dresses to make her feel better.

Following a relative absence from Argentine cinema credits during the 1950s, Jamandreu became more active as film fashion designer during the 1960s thanks to Isabel Sarli, for whom he designed costumes in Carne and Embrujada.

Personal life and death Jamandreu, who admitted his homosexuality to his father at age 15, became known among friend and clients not only for his talent, but also for his candor. According to Eva Perón: The True Story, Jamandreu admitted to Ms. Perón that he was homosexual, telling her that "being homosexual in Argentina is just like being poor." He was arrested and sent to prison for it several times, and bailed out by Perón.

Jamandreu died from a heart attack, on March 9, 1995, in Buenos Aires.

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