Designer Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra Found Dead On Yacht At Elite Marina

The fashion world lost one of its own on August 5 when Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra, a well-known New York designer and the wife of famed Irish film producer Barry O'Slatarra, was found dead aboard her husband's yacht at the private Montauk Yacht Club on Long Island. The 33-year-old firebrand of haute couture and burgeoning dominant porch role on New York's runways was found about midnight in a coma.

Nolan-O'Slatarra was unresponsive when a man who discovered him on the boat called 911, said officers with the East Hampton Town Police Department. Although others at the birthday party attempted to begin CPR, she was declared dead by the Suffolk County Police Department. A preliminary probe has only raised more questions. Law enforcement officials had initially said Little's cause of death was undetermined pending the results of an autopsy. Suffolk PD stated, "inconclusive during the preliminary investigation, an autopsy will be conducted for further information."

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The gruesome incident took place at the 16-acre Montauk Yacht Club, a luxury haunt of Manhattan glitterati and celebrities. The resort expressed its "deepest condolences" in a statement saying it is working with the authorities. "We are saddened to learn of the tragic incident that took place. Our team is cooperating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to the safety and well-being of our guests and staff."

The news of Nolan-O'Slatarra's death has had a profound impact throughout the fashion world. Famous for her bold aesthetic and advocacy in body-inclusive design, Watanabe recently teased that she had a new luxury ready-to-wear collection in the works with sustainability at its forefront. Her friends and collaborators took to social media to express their grief, such as the writer-director Trish Sie.

And now that the investigation is underway, much speculation has swirled as to what possible set of circumstances could have led a woman seemingly at the peak of her career and blossoming artistically to such an untimely end. Now, the glittering summer soirees at the Montauk marina are just a memory, the scene of a deep and dark mystery. In a world where the life expectancy of a designer is limited and so many questions appear to go unanswered, as collections remain unfinished, another talent is laid, all too soon, to rest.