Famed Fashion Designer Roberto Cavalli Dead At 83

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, whose penchant for python and flamboyant animal prints made him the darling of the international jet set for decades, died Friday at 83.

via: WWD

Cavalli came from a family of artists, as his grandfather Giuseppe Rossi was a leading figure of the Macchiaioli movement, with works exhibited at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Cavalli brought his artistic sensibility to his fashion designs, after studying at the Art Institute of Florence.

He launched his namesake fashion brand in 1970, unveiling his first collection at the Salon du Prêt-à-Porter in Paris held at the Porte de Versailles.

Cavalli’s own life reflected the glitzy and high-wattage of his fashion collections of bold animalier prints, bejeweled distressed jeans and sexy dresses that made him a household success – even snatching one of the first deals with H&M in 2007. At that time his fame was such that crowds lined up outside the doors of the brand’s Fifth Avenue store and one fan even picked up a cigar Cavalli discarded and saved in a plastic bag as a memento.

He would sail the Mediterranean in his purple metallic yacht RC, entertaining friends and celebrities – and there were many who over the years wore Cavalli on the red carpet, from Charlize Theron and Gwyneth Paltrow to Madonna. Puffing on his cigars, he was never afraid to speak up and voice his opinions, whether questioning minimalism or discussing sex, copycats or what he viewed as bad fashion.

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