A body found in the Hudson River by the NYPD scuba team is believed to be that of the missing celebrity fashion designer Michele Savoia.
Savoia, 55, who lived on a yacht moored in the river near Pier 59, had been missing since 3:54 a.m. Thursday, when he was last seen leaving the trendy 10th Ave. Marquee nightclub in Chelsea.
The scuba divers, working in frigid conditions, found the heavily tattooed Savoia “about 20 feet from his boat,” Sunday afternoon, said a police spokesman.
Foul play is not suspected, although the death remains under investigation.
The flamboyant Savoia specialized in designing and tailoring retro stage wear for male performers including Robert De Niro, Mickey Rourke and Ricky Martin, according to press reports.
On June 15, 2012, Savoia posted a note on a Facebook page devoted to his Essex Street custom clothing shop, House of Savoia, saying that he was forced to close his three-year-old store “due to another greed driven landlord. …The show will go on without the store front.” His passion, he wrote, was making “beautiful hand made clothing” and “making men look their best one suit at a time.”
