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Michelle Harper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michelle Violy Harper
Harper in 2026
Born1977 or 1978 (age 48–49)[1]
Colombia
OccupationsBrand consultant, businesswoman, entrepreneur
Known forFashion and style
Spouse
(m. 2014)

Michelle Violy Harper is a Colombian-born American brand consultant and entrepreneur known for her presence in the fashion world.[1][2][3] The New York Times described her "genuinely original and fantastical style of dressing",[1] and Harper was named on the International Best Dressed List in 2012.[4]

Early life and education

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Harper grew up between Barranquilla, Colombia and Manhattan's Upper West Side in a 2,100-square-foot (200 m2) triplex overlooking the American Museum of Natural History.[1][2] Her father, Henry Harper, and stepfather, Frederico Sève, are art dealers.[1] Her mother worked at J.P. Morgan before founding Violy & Company, which advises businesses on Latin American expansion.[1]

Harper attended the Lycée Français de New York and the Spence School before attending boarding school in Switzerland.[1] She also attended a summer program at the Rhode Island School of Design.[1]

Career

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Business and finance

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Harper spent more than 10 years in corporate finance and business strategy,[3] and worked at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.[1]

She founded and leads the consultancy OWTH, and co-founded the cosmetic company CB LLC.[5]

Fashion and public presence

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In her youth, Harper was a fashion-conscious Club Kid known as Cutie Pie.[1] She has since built an extensive wardrobe of shoes, wigs, and garments that occupies an entire living room wall, which she rotates each quarter.[3]

Harper's style developed through her grandmother's influence and inspiration from architecture, nature, literature, and travel.[6] Her makeup draws from Japanese theater, geishas, and maikos.[6] Her approach to fashion has been compared to that of Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness.[1]

Personal life

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Harper has described herself as "a gay woman".[7] Harper met model and actor Jenny Shimizu at a party hosted by model Karen Elson,[1] where Shimizu challenged Harper to an arm wrestle.[8] The couple married in 2014.[3]

Harper lives in Manhattan.[1]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Trebay, Guy (March 6, 2013). "Michelle Harper, a Woman of Mystery". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 "Michelle Violy Harper". Vogue Italia. February 3, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Anderson-Minshall, Diane (May 7, 2017). "Modern Love: Jenny Shimizu and Michelle Harper". The Advocate.
  4. "The 2012 International Best-Dressed Poll". Vanity Fair. September 2012.
  5. Marfil, Lorelei (February 9, 2017). "London Label Vin + Omi Teams with Michelle Violy Harper on a Capsule Collection". Women's Wear Daily.
  6. 1 2 Rovzar, Chris (September 24, 2012). "The Wildest Looks of Best-Dressed Original Michelle Harper". Vanity Fair.
  7. Glass, JD (2018). "Class of 2018: Women We Love — Michelle Violy Harper". GO Magazine.
  8. "The Secret to a Perfect Partnership". Esquire UK. March 15, 2023.
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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Michelle Harper at Wikimedia Commons
  • Quotations related to Michelle Harper at Wikiquote