Gia Carangi's Most Memorable Fashion Photos

Full-length portrait of American fashion model Gia Carangi (1960 - 1986) as she sits in front of a lit fireplace, dressed in a semi-transparent short with metallic coloured dots, a thin wrap-around belt, and a short skirt, late 1970s to mid 1980s. (Photo by Andrea Blanch/Getty Images)

On November 18, 1986, supermodel Gia Carangi died from AIDS-related complications; making her one of the first famous women to die of the disease.

The American beauty, who was only 26-years-old at the time of her death, was considered one of the top models of her day. Some of her career achievements included being on the covers of British Vogue, Vogue Paris, American Vogue and Cosmopolitan, as well as being the muse of the best designers including Armani, Christian Dior, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

Gia stood out from other models not only because of her beauty; which was considered "exotic" during a time when blond-haired, blue-eyed girls were in vogue; but because she wasn't scared of taking risks.

Her star-turning moment came in 1978 when she went nude for photographer Chris von Wangenheim, who directed her to pose behind a chain-link face. The iconic photo would be recreated in the 1998 HBO movie "Gia" starring Angelina Jolie, who would later go on to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.

Although her life ended way too soon, her legacy lives on in her many beautiful photo shoots. "I think God has a plan for me," she once said.

Here are Gia's most memorable moments in fashion (Warning: some photos are NSFW):

The photo that made her famous