On Monday, media reports have informed that Richard
Blackwell, a famous Hollywood fashion critic, had died at age 86, while in
a hospital in Los Angeles.
After a fall at his home in L.A., Blackwell had been in a coma
ever since August and died on Sunday afternoon, the cause of death having been complications
from an intestinal infection.
The fashion critic had issued, over a
period of 48 years, an annual list consisting of Hollywood stars whom he deemed
as being worst-dressed.
In 2007, he listed „Spice Girls” singer Victoria Beckham, soul
singer Amy Winehouse and actress Mary-Kate Olsen as the top three who should get
the biggest pieces of the worst-dressed cake.
More commonly known just as Mr. Blackwell, the critic was
also a journalist, a television and radio personality, an artist and a fashion
designer, having had his own clothing line for 35 years.
At age 38, he started to present-in January each year-his „Ten
Worst Dressed Women” list, which managed, only three years after it premiered
in 1960, to get worldwide media coverage.
Blackwell wrote two books, „Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos” and an autobiography called
„From Rags to Bitches.”
As a designer, he worked with Yvonne DeCarlo, Jayne
Mansfield, Dorothy Lamour, Jane Russell and former United States first lady
Nancy Reagan.
Last year, his list also featured, after the three
aforementioned stars, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica
Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim. His 2006 number one, Britney Spears,
did not appear on the list, Blackwell stating he considered it to be inappropriate
for him to add her, concerning the personal issues the singer was facing at that time.
Blackwell was born Richard Sylvan Selzer on August 29, 1922, in a tough
part of Brooklyn, New York and spent several stints in homes for
troubled boys.
He had modest success as an actor on Broadway and in Hollywood, and
credited aviation entrepreneur and movie producer Howard Hughes with
changing his name to Richard Blackwell - a name he said sounded
"theatrical, polished, memorable."
He started designing clothes for actresses and singers in 1949, but
found his glamorous style out of favour in the 1960's as mini-skirts
and jeans became fashionable. Blackwell closed his fashion business in
the mid-1970s but kept on collating his lists and his fashion barbs to
the end
