Antony Price, fashion guru to UK pop stars, dies at 80

British designer Antony Price, known for his work with pop legends, has died aged 80. Photo / Getty Images

The fashion world has paid tribute to British designer Antony Price, who crafted sharp, stylish looks for pop legends such as Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Duran Duran, after he died aged 80.

Fashion house 16Arlington, which collaborated on Price’s final show, said he was “a singular creative force and one of the most influential British designers of his generation”.

Price died on Tuesday, only a few weeks after the show, in which singer Lily Allen made a splash wearing a black velvet dress said to resemble a famed look worn by Princess Diana.

The November show was his first in more than three decades, and was carried out in collaboration with 16Arlington creative director Marco Capaldo.

16Arlington said the collection of 16 looks was “a body of work that now carries special significance as his final project”.

Price was known for his bold designs, which he created for UK pop stars in the 1970s and 80s, including Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music and heartthrobs Duran Duran.

“He was a visionary fashion designer, with extraordinary technical skills. Nobody did glam better than Antony,” Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in an Instagram message.

Born in Keighley, Yorkshire, in 1945, Price studied at Bradford School of Art and then the Royal College of Art’s Fashion School, graduating in 1968.

A year later he designed a pair of figure-hugging trousers for Jagger for the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” tour in 1969.

“Often called the ‘Rock Couturier’, Price’s work fused his wizard technical skills with an unparalleled flair for showmanship to create exceptional clothes,” fashion journalist Alex Fury wrote on Instagram.

‘Criminally overlooked talent’

From the sharp suits worn by Ferry and Roxy Music to the pastel-coloured silk ensembles donned by Duran Duran in their Rio video, Price defined the pop looks of the era.

Price was “a pivotal figure in the fusion of fashion and music,” said magazine Industry.fashion.

He “revolutionised fashion by integrating style into music, creating iconic visuals for bands”, it added.

10 magazine said in their tribute that Price “was a criminally overlooked talent, whose impact on fashion, taste and popular culture far outweighed his name recognition”.

Price set up his eponymous label in 1979 and staged his first fashion show in 1980, with Jerry Hall modelling some of his creations. He also designed the American model and actress’ wedding dress for her marriage to Jagger.

More recently, Price became the go-to designer of Queen Camilla, according to UK media.

After his November show, British Vogue wrote that Price was “the image shaper who helped rock stars look like rock stars in the ’70s”.

- Agence France-Presse