fashion related

Legendary fashion journalist Hilary Alexander has died at the age of 77.

The socialite – who is said to have coined the term ‘supermodel’ – passed away on her birthday on Sunday.

A self-confessed workaholic, the New Zealand native became a trainee reporter at the age of 16 and worked her way up to fashion editor of the Daily Telegraph in 1985.

She remained at the publication for the following 26 years and was appointed fashion director in 2003. 

Hilary became a familiar face on television over the years, with regular stints on Lorraine, GMTV and BBC Breakfast.

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Heartbreaking: Legendary fashion journalist Hilary Alexander has died at the age of 77 

Hilary was often seen on fashion-related shows and documentaries and was held in high esteem by the industry.

The journalist was also featured as a stylist on Britain’s Next Top Model for the 2005 and 2006 series and later returned for the 2016 series.

In 2011, she won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) special Eugenia Sheppard Media Award with designer Diane Von Furstenberg calling her ‘an incredible force’.

Fellow designer Michael Kors presented Hilary with the award and called her ‘unsinkable’. 

She was close friends with many highly regarded designers including Gianni Versace, Alexander McQueen and Julien Macdonald. 

Hilary was twice named British fashion journalist of the year and was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to fashion. 

British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful paid tribute to Hilary, saying: ‘I remember she was really kind