Legendary trend journalist and former trend director of The Day by day Telegraph, Hilary Alexander, has died. She handed away on her 77th birthday final week.
Alexander moved to the UK from New Zealand in 1982, first writing for the ladies’s web page in The Day by day Telegraph and occurring to make a reputation for herself within the trend business. Through the years, the editor was twice awarded Journalist of the Yr on the British Vogue Awards (in 1997 and 2003) and later obtained an OBE within the 2013 Birthday Honours record, for her providers to trend journalism.
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Julia Robson, who labored carefully with Alexander for greater than 20 years, describes her as a “Fleet Road trend legend and a complete one-off”, including that she was “most well-known for all the time getting the story first and dealing tirelessly on what she noticed as the gorgeous craft of trend journalism”.
“She all the time knew what was occurring earlier than anybody else,” Robson recollects. “Whether or not that was the most recent pop group or ‘it’ lady. Individuals used to ask me why I stayed working along with her, first as her trend assistant after which as deputy, as a result of she was extremely demanding, however wherever she was you might assure trend was occurring round her. You’d look a technique and there was John Galliano popping in for espresso. In Paris, Isabella Bow would be a part of us for dinner. We’d go to a Versace get together and find yourself dancing with Britney Spears in Donatella’s entrance room.”
Robson started working with Alexander when she was 21 and nonetheless finding out trend at London’s Central St Martins. “All my buddies used to need to hang around along with her,” Robson tells Bazaar. “She cherished being with younger individuals, however really cherished all ages equally. She was forward of her time.”
She continues: “She was into inclusivity and variety in trend lengthy earlier than anybody else caught up. She by no means noticed the color of pores and skin, or no matter class you had been, as in trend on the time there was a hierarchy and aristocracy that dominated the shiny magazines. She simply minimize by way of all of that and she or he was pleased with her Kiwi roots and didn’t have time for pretentious individuals or care the place somebody was from. She had a depraved sense of humour and when she picked up on the scent of somebody she felt had expertise she’d go loopy to assist them. She is answerable for launching the careers of so many.
“Although she was robust, you knew the rationale she was demanding was due to her professionalism. Finally, should you labored for her you had been within the A staff of trend.”
Our ideas are with Hilary’s family and friends.
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