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French fashion designer Ted Lapidus dies from leukemia

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

French fashion designer Ted Lapidus dies from leukemia

French fashion designer Ted Lapidus is reported to have died on Monday from leukemia, at the age of 79. He was in hospital in Cannes in France at the time.

Edmond Lapidus, who was commonly known as Ted, opened the doors of his fashion house in 1958. He became famous afterwards for pioneering the unisex look along with the safari suit in the swinging 1960s, and for military epaulettes becoming fashionable on clothes.

French actress Brigitte Bardot and actor Alain Delon were among the top stars that helped make his fashions so popular.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to the famous fashion designer by saying that Ted Lapidus had "democratised French elegance", and described him as "the poet of high fashion".

Lapidus was the son of a Russian immigrant tailor, and keeping fashion and design as a family business, his son Olivier Lapidus now runs the label, with many accessories like sunglasses and Ted Lapidus perfume and cologne as well as clothes.

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