Anna Piaggi, a fashion journalist known as much for her exuberant outfits as for her writing, has died aged 81.
Piaggi, a native Italian, rose through the ranks at Vogue Italia but became well-known for her eccentric and colourful approach fashion. Often described as a muse for fashion designers, she was creatively close to Karl Lagerfeld and was well know for wearing hats by milliner Stephen Jones. In 2006, the Victoria & Albert museum in London exhibited clothes from her personal wardrobe, dresses from which were said to number in their thousands.
Her passing provoked a number of tributes from around the world. Vogue tweeted: "Our deepest sympathy to the family and fans of one of the world's grandest style icons", while Ari Seth Cohen, who runs the blog Advanced Style, said: "Anna Piaggi was a great inspiration on me. What a brilliant and original woman. May she rest in peace."
Piaggi died at her home in Milan. More on Piaggi's remarkable life to follow.