The world famous Isabela Pizana, also known as Isabel Toledo, the first lady of Florentine, and the owner of the most renowned salon in Italy, has died aged 87. She was an entrepreneur who specialized in creating her own line of clothing and she managed it successfully for the last thirty years. She created a series of women’s fashions, which were very much in vogue and were worn by many famous personalities throughout history. Her shop was visited by numerous celebrities and is one of the most photographed shops in Italy.
Partner, which was designed by Pizana for her then-employee Isabelle Costello, soon became an international success with many celebrities joining the cast of the television programme, The Partner. Pizana always remained open to the possibility of having Costello come into her own business and so here she was, along with her son, Piero, creating a line of children’s clothing which was hugely successful in Italy and in Paris as well. It is interesting to note that Costello managed to reinvent himself time again, whilst Pizana remained committed to maintaining her international reputation for high quality products. The firm itself continued to expand, making Pizana one of the most famous hairdressers of our times.
Following her retirement, Pizana lived in Rome and pursued her international stage performance career, travelling to Egypt, Switzerland, Russia, Spain and Germany. She succeeded in turning herself into a leading stylist for both men and women, whilst maintaining the unique aspect of mixing youth and professionalism. Over the years, her portfolio has developed considerably, becoming a favourite with stylists all over the world. Her ability to look at each customer as an individual and build a relationship which centred on their likes, colours, hair texture, hair type, height and skin colour was also responsible for her being so widely accepted into the fashion industry.