BREAKING: Iconic fashion editor and TV personality passes away aged 77

Hilary Alexander, the fabled Fleet Street journalist, fashion editor, and TV personality, passed away at the age of 77.

 

Hilary Alexander, the iconic British fashion editor and journalist, passed away on Sunday, February 5. The TV personality died on her birthday at the age of 77. She was widely regarded as the person who coined the term ‘supermodel’.

New Zealand-born Alexander started out at the tender age of 16 as a trainee reporter. Her rise to become The Daily Telegraph’s fashion editor in 1982 is legendary in Fleet Street, where she was one of the pioneering fashion journalists. She subsequently stayed in that post for an incredible 26 years.

Her position brought Alexander into regular contact with the likes of legendary designers including Gianni Versace, Julien Macdonald, Lee McQueen, and Zandra Rhodes, with whom she struck up not only business relationships but also friendships.

A special deal had been brokered among these icons apparently where as long as ‘Hils’ was given the prestige of breaking their stories first, she would keep their upcoming projects secret until it was time to release them to the public, as reported by metro.co.uk.

As a result of her role, Alexander regularly appeared on shows such as Loose Women and Lorraine. Known as a workaholic, she also worked with the BBC and CNN with whom she shared her vast knowledge of the fashion industry.

Alexander twice picked up the coveted British fashion journalist of the year, in 1997 and 2003. A party in her honour was thrown jointly by British Fashion Council and The Daily Telegraph in June 2011. In 2013 she was awarded an OBE for services to fashion.

Richard Eden, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor tweeted: “So sorry to hear that @HilaryAlexander has died aged 77. It was a joy to work with her at the @Telegraph for many years. When she retired, the paper gave her a wonderful party attended by the fashion world’s finest. #HilaryAlexander”.

Louise Stewart posted: “I’m so sad to hear of the death of @HilaryAlexander I followed her avidly as Fashion Director of ⁦@Telegraph. I met her with ⁦⁦@debbritz at ⁦@BreastCancerNow show which she supported for so many years. Inspirational woman. RIP #hilaryalexander”.

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