Anna Piaggi dead, age 81

Anna Piaggi, the eccentric doyenne of the fashion industry, died on Tuesday at the age of 81.

The editor and fashion authority was the subject of an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where a curation of her 2,865 dresses and 265 pairs of shoes she owned where on show.

Piaggi was a champion of young designers and her unique and eclectic fashion persona proved highly influencial during her tenure at Italian Vogue.

Piaggi began her career as a translator for an Italian publishing company Mondadori, then wrote for fashion magazines such as the Italian edition of Vogue and, in the 1980s, the avant-garde magazine Vanity. She was known especially for double page spreads in the Italian Vogue, where her artistic flair was given free expression in a montage of images and text. Since 1969, she used a bright red manual Olivetti Valentine typewriter for her work.

Piaggi's associates in the fashion world included the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who has often sketched her, and Manolo Blahnik, who created many of her shoes. She was also a muse of milliner Stephen Jones.

Vogue Italia put a statement on its website, which read: The news of her death leaves us dismayed and at a loss for words; gone is Anna Piaggi whom we will no longer see collaborating with art directors, graphic designers, photographers and illustrators. She will be sorely missed at the front rows. Gone are her greetings, her always smart and insightful opinions and comments. Anna Piaggi who will no longer be seen beaming posing next to young, or very young, newcomers. She will be terribly missed by the many and many devotees who, year after year, generation after generation, never ceased to find ways to get in touch with her, approach her and exchange a few words. A legend.