New York City Missing Designer To The Stars, Michele Savoia, Found Dead
Missing New York City men’s fashion designer to the stars Michele Savoia has been found dead at the age of 55, according to police.
Savoia was last seen around 4 am on February 13, after leaving a party hosted by Paris Hilton at the Manhattan nightclub Marquee, according to CNN. His driver reported him missing on Saturday morning.
His body was found near his boat house in the frigid Hudson River waters on Sunday afternoon, the New York City police department said.
It is unclear how he died and why he was in the water, but authorities believe he might have slipped as he was trying to get into his home. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
The New York City police authorities investigating Savoia’s death could not immediately say whether he was the victim of a crime, however close friend, Kevin James Dalton, said it appeared that the 55-year-old slipped on the aluminum ramp leading to his boat at Pier 59 and fell into the water after a night of partying.
Aside from designing flashy, vintage men’s clothing, Savoia also made costumes for Broadway shows including Swing, Promises Promises, and Evita starring Ricky Martin.
He was not a widely known designer, but his client list included Robert DeNiro, Mickey Rourke, and Chris Noth.
New York City police authorities were directed to the Hudson River waters around the yacht in which Savoia lived and a team of divers finally recovered his body at around 1 pm Sunday, still wearing the raccoon coat he was seen in the prior night.
“I knew he was in that water. I am so glad they found his body,” Savoia’s distraught girlfriend, Juli Berg, 47, told the Daily News.
Savoia had his own style, reminiscent of New York City from the 1930s and 1940s with staples such as fedora hats, wide lapels, and pinstripe trousers not made for waist height wearing.
Even though the cause of death is yet to be determined, New York City police believe there is no foul play involved.
A source close to Savoia revealed that he recently suffered a stumble while getting back in the yacht and Berg said she often worried about her boyfriend living there.
“It’s icy, snowy and windy. And the water was really, really rough,” Berg — an editor on the History Channel series American Pickers— said and added that the gangplank leading to the boat house is usually slippery and icy.
“I messaged him Thursday to check on him, (writing) ‘Are you OK in the storm?'” an obviously upset Berg said. “I didn’t hear from him.” She said she knew something was wrong when he stood her up on Valentine’s Day.
New York City was slammed with the latest winter storm on Thursday, the day Michele Savoia went missing.
