The beloved journalist and champion of emerging talent has died in London, aged 77.
Internationally renowned New Zealand-born British fashion journalist Hilary Alexander — known for her effervescent personality and passion for looking at fashion with an anthropological perspective — died peacefully in London on her 77th birthday on Sunday, February 5.
Hilary was something of an anomaly when it came to her reporting style, putting her years of experience filing to a newsroom deadline into the creative world of fashion, offering her pragmatic, astute, and playfully curious observations along the way. She was also close friend and confidant to fashion greats, including designers Gianni Versace and Alexander McQueen, and was a front row fixture at international fashion weeks around the world.
She honed her passion for writing and reporting at 16, as a trainee reporter for the Manawatū Evening Standard, before becoming a reporter for The Evening Post and The Dominion in Wellington. After leaving New Zealand for Australia, there were stints at the Ballarat Courier and Wollongong Mercury, before heading to Hong Kong to work for China Mail, roles that prepared her for her more glamorous outpost — a 26-year tenure as the fashion director of the Daily Telegraph in the UK, a post she retired from in 2011.
Her thorough research and placing value on fashion reporting in the wider cultural context, saw her being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours, for services to fashion journalism.
Hilary’s extensive knowledge of fashion also extended to books. In 2011, she contributed to Unravel: Knitwear In Fashion, which explored the historical evolution of knitwear in high fashion. Her unpretentious point of view was also captured in the 2018 release dedicated to her favourite print: Leopard: Fashion’s Most Powerful Print, including a foreword from Donatella Versace.
“I am a bit of a fanatical leopard-print aficionado,” Hilary wrote. “I have dozens of leopard-print things in my wardrobe, as well as leopard-print bathrobe, duvet cover, trainers, phone cover, handbags and dresses.”
After that she was involved in various facets of the industry as something of a fashion oracle, imparting her years of knowledge to emerging designers through her role as the honorary president of Graduate Fashion Week since 2019 and as a trustee on the board.
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“A larger-than-life character, cherished by her fashion peers, she was known for her support, incredible writing, wicked sense of humour, respect for emerging talent, and was never afraid to use her voice in support of future of the industry,” read a statement from Graduate Fashion Week. “The lifeforce behind GFW, her legacy, and impact on the fashion and journalism industry has been immeasurable and will continue.”
Along with her contribution to GFW, Hilary also held the title of visiting professor at the University of the Arts London, which oversees Central Saint Martins, the London College of Fashion, and the Chelsea and Camberwell Art colleges.
Her support of emerging talent was also evident in her role as an international guest judge for the 2012 Dunedin iD Awards, alongside fashion lecturer Nicholas Huxley, and designer judges Lutz Huelle and head judge Tanya Carlson.
“Nicholas was my old tutor and sitting in between both him and Hilary was memorable — they were both quite outspoken,” recalls Tanya.
“The students were so nervous and I said to them to just breathe. I remember saying to them, ‘This is possibly the one time in your life you can ask a question of someone of her calibre, so you really have to listen to her. She’s giving out brilliant pearls of wisdom.’”
Tanya’s memory of Hilary also extends to her attendance at the Carlson runway show in Auckland’s Town Hall for the inaugural New Zealand Fashion Week in 2001, where she was one of many high-profile international guests the event has seen over the years.
“I have a video somewhere of Hilary sitting front row at the show. Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves came on and she just started smiling, her feet tapping to the music, taking down notes,” recalls Carlson. “All the other attendees sitting around her looked at her and started taking notes after that. She was the first person backstage and I remember her really understanding the collection straight away. She was amazing at picking up references immediately. I was just fan-girling the entire time.
“For a designer at the bottom of the world to have someone of her calibre understand what I was trying to do — there are so few people in your career who have that ability — was a big highlight for me and I’ll never forget it.”
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Advertise with NZME.In a tribute from British Vogue, former colleague and fellow journalist Julia Robson says Hilary’s New Zealand roots also played a part in her popularity in the wider industry.
“In a fashion world dominated at the time by an elite British circle, Hilary never forgot her Kiwi roots or her cool. Never a snob or sycophant, she was kept informed by a tight circle of fashion friends and remained proudest of starting the careers of those she felt had earned their place in fashion.”
Dame Pieter Stewart, founder of New Zealand Fashion Week, also reminisced during the event’s 20th anniversary of the significance of Hilary’s presence back home, particularly for that very first Fashion Week in 2001.
“Being a New Zealander by birth, she was most encouraging and supportive of our designers and fledgling Fashion Week.”
