Antony Price, Famed for Creating Looks for Bowie and Duran Duran, Dies at 80.
The British designer Antony Price, the visionary British fashion designer who crafted a series of unforgettable images worn by musical icons like Bowie and members of Roxy Music, as well as Queen Camilla, has sadly died at 80 years old.
Price was best known for his defined forms and theatrical styles, most notably the soft-colored suits that featured in rock band Duran Duran's landmark music video for "Rio".
"They honored him as a 'visionary' and a 'kind, intelligent and razor-witted friend,' the group posted a remembrance online."
Price's death comes shortly after he unveiled his most recent collection in London, which was his first major show in over 30 years. The performer Lily Allen walked in a dress evoking the famous black velvet "dress" made famous by the late Princess Diana.
A Pioneering Career
Hailing from Yorkshire, where he was born in 1945, Price headed for London in the early 1960s to attend the esteemed Royal College of Art.
Upon completing his studies, he began designing menswear at the label Stirling Copper and was the creator of the form-fitting, button-fly pants that rock legend Mick Jagger sported during the band's "Gimme Shelter" tour in the late sixties.
He founded his own label in 1979 and presented his inaugural collection a year later. The show opened with outfits on the famed model Jerry Hall, who also wore the bridal gown Price created for her for her wedding to Sir Mick Jagger.
Partnerships with Stars
A key creative partner of the late David Bowie, Price designed the distinctive jacket the star wore for his "the song As The World Falls Down" music video in 1986.
His characteristic talent to fuse tailoring for all genders along with his masterful technique in designing sculptural silhouettes established him as a "true original," as stated by the British Fashion Council.
By the 1990s, he started creating ensembles for the then-Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, such as various looks for her tour of the United States following her marriage.
Following a profession lasting more than five decades, Price presented his final runway show in London last month in partnership with the label 16Arlington.
- Architectural Forms: A hallmark of his work.
- Performative Style: Defining an era of music fashion.
- Boundary-Pushing Tailoring: Blurring lines between clothing for men and women.
- Clients from Stage to Palace: From David Bowie and Mick Jagger to Queen Camilla.
Design circles mourns the loss to a true visionary whose impact on fashion and music remains indelibly etched.
