Fashion Influential #91: Richard Blackwell
Fashion critic Richard Blackwell, next to a photo of Victoria Beckham. Photo via Daylife.com.
RICHARD BLACKWELL
Born:
August 29, 1922 in Brooklyn Heights, New York
Died:
October 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California
Best Dressed of 2008:
Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett
Worst Dressed of 2008:
Victoria Beckham, Amy Winehouse, Mary-Kate Olsen, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim
Beginnings.
Richard Blackwell (born Richard Sylvan Selzer) ended his education after the third grade, choosing instead to pursue acting. In his teens, he appeared in the Broadway production of Dead End, and moved out to Hollywood in the 1930s. There, he landed a job with Universal Studios and fell in love with Judy Garland, though he was homosexual as an adult. He also worked as a messenger at Warner Bros., where Howard Hughes signed him to RKO and gave him his new name, Richard Blackwell. RICHARD BLACKWELL
Born:
August 29, 1922 in Brooklyn Heights, New York
Died:
October 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California
Best Dressed of 2008:
Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett
Worst Dressed of 2008:
Victoria Beckham, Amy Winehouse, Mary-Kate Olsen, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim
Beginnings.
Career Highs.
In the late 1950s, Blackwell launched his own clothing line. He was the first person to design for plus-size women, and he was also the first to broadcast a fashion show on television. Though his designer dresses were successful (and even picked up by high-profile women like Jayne Mansfield and Nancy Reagan), he gained real name recognition when he published his first "10 Best and Worst Dressed" list in 1960 for American Weekly. After three years of publishing the annual list, it exploded, and "Mr. Blackwell" became a sensation for his sardonic criticism of celebrity ensembles.
Her bra-topped collection of Madonna rejects are pure fashion overkill.
- Mr. Blackwell, on Britney Spears
Amy Winehouse, on the Worst Dressed list of 2008.Career Lows.
When Blackwell started out as a designer, he rejected most of the trends and fashions of the day, preferring instead to create pieces that appealed to his own sense of what was beautiful. As a result, he was blacklisted by the fashion elite, which was enraged by his insubordination.
Legacy.
Blackwell was essentially the first fashion critic to use biting, funny rants and jabs against his subjects. This style has been often-imitated, by outlets like TMZ’s In The Zone: Mr. Blackwell vs. TMZ and The Sun's Sun Women Online: Celebrity Style Watch. The writing is clever, entertaining and typically ruthless. In addition, Blackwell wrote two books: Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos and his autobiography, From Rags to Bitches.
A 1960 silk dress created by Mr. Blackwell.Get the Look.
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