LONDON — Hilary Alexander, the London-based fashion writer whose personality was as bold as the leopard prints she described in her 2018 book, has died at age 77 after a long illness.
Alexander mentored many British fashion journalists during her long career at The Daily Telegraph, and offered guidance to emerging designers as president of the Graduate Fashion Foundation, the charity behind Graduate Fashion Week, an annual showcase for fashion students.
A bon viveur partial to Champagne and cigarettes whose personality was bigger than her diminutive stature, woe betide anyone who got in Alexander’s way when she was pursuing a story or rushing to the next show. Her voice, made gravelly by those constant cigarettes, could be heard through even the most dense fashion crowd and she traveled the world in the name of fashion, reporting on shows, special events and, naturally, parties.
Related Galleries
That joie de vivre never got in the way of her ambition as she carved a career as a fashion news reporter, features writer and stylist for the newspaper.
She was named Journalist of the Year twice at the British Fashion Awards, and was given an OBE, or Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to fashion journalism.
In 2018, Alexander released the book “Leopard: Fashion’s Most Powerful Print” (Laurence King Publishing). It included a foreword by Donatella Versace, and tracked the history of the famous feline spots.
“I am a bit of a fanatical leopard-print aficionado,” wrote Alexander. “I have dozens of leopard-print things in my wardrobe, as well as leopard-print bathrobe, duvet cover, trainers, phone cover, handbags and dresses.”
She added: “I was intrigued to discover Egyptian women, several thousands of years B.C., would stencil rosettes onto linen or cotton shifts. I was also fascinated to find Kublai Khan went hunting with a tame leopard riding pillion on his horse and that a Texan cavalry commander, Captain Sam J. Richardson, wore leopard skin trousers during the American Civil War.”
Alexander had later planned to follow it up with a book on the history of tartan.
At the time of her death, she was editor-at-large for Hello Fashion Monthly, a sister publication to Hello magazine, and freelanced as a stylist and broadcaster.
Zandra Rhodes described Alexander as “the epitome of enthusiasm and hard work. I am proud to have been her friend. She never gave up, even when fashion was not taken as seriously as it is today. Hilary fought to have fashion taken into the mainstream and published within newspapers and broadsheets. She believed in it as a right.
“She changed the face of fashion journalism as we know it today. She understood the underpinnings and cultural references and was a beacon of knowledge. Intelligent, funny and kind, we will never be able to fill the gap she has left,” Rhodes added.
Designer and artist Daniel Lismore said Alexander’s “eye for talent was extraordinary. She promoted talent no matter how new or established the designers were. Her heart was in uplifting new designers at Graduate Fashion Week,” he wrote on Instagram.
Lisa Armstrong, who stepped into Alexander’s shoes as head of fashion for The Telegraph, described her predecessor as a “ferociously competitive newshound” who always got her story. “She could be terrifying, hilarious and very kind. RIP dear Hilary. You kept us all on our toes,” she wrote on Instagram.
Daniel Marks, founder of Townhouse Consultancy, got to know Alexander well during his career in public relations.
“Hilary drove all of us PRs mad,” he said. “She wanted her story — and woe betide you if you got in her way. Better to stand back. She loved fashion, and her passion was infectious. She was funny, exceptionally kind when she wanted to be, and dedicated to her craft. She was one our great storytellers and makers. When they made Hilary, they broke the mold or, most probably, she did, and then stubbed a fag out on it,” he said.
Douglas MacLennan, chairman of the Graduate Fashion Foundation, said “graduating fashion students enthralled her, their innovation and their imagination always brought her back. Right up until the end the graduates were foremost in her mind. While a fashion light has sadly now expired, the memory of Hilary’s enthusiasm will continue within the work of the charity and its trustees.”
Caroline Rush, chief executive officer of the British Fashion Council, described Alexander’s contribution to the fashion industry as significant. “Hilary had endless energy and enthusiasm for finding something new and unexpected. She tirelessly championed the designers, telling their stories and bringing their collections to life through expert references, and painting pictures with her words.”
Born in New Zealand, Alexander started her career at age 16, as a trainee reporter before working for newspapers in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. She became fashion editor of The Daily Telegraph in 1985, and was promoted to fashion director in 2003.
She retired from the paper in 2011, and that same year won the CFDA’s special Eugenia Sheppard Media Award.
She also held the title of visiting professor at University of the Arts London, which oversees Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion and the Chelsea and Camberwell Art colleges.
With contributions from Hikmat Mohammed and Tianwei Zhang