The fashion world is mourning the loss of a true original. Antony Price, the ultra-glamorous British designer who crafted iconic looks for music legends and royalty, has died at the age of 80. Known as a maverick 'image maker', Price blended music, theatre and fashion, creating the visual identity for bands like Roxy Music and Duran Duran, and later becoming a favoured designer for Queen Camilla.
The Architect of Rock & Royal Style
Price's career spanned an incredible 55 years, yet he staged only six official shows, which he preferred to call 'fashion extravaganzas'. His recent return to the London catwalk last month, after a 30-year absence, was in collaboration with the label 16Arlington. The show made headlines when singer Lily Allen modelled a striking black velvet 'revenge dress'.
In the 1970s, his boutique in London's World's End, with its distinctive dark blue glass front, stood as the glamorous counterpart to Vivienne Westwood's punk-inspired 'Sex' shop further along the King's Road. Broadcaster Janet Street-Porter famously coined the term 'result-wear' to describe his hyper-sexy, corseted designs, which fused Rita Hayworth's classic glamour with futuristic technicolour and helped define an era.
From Mick Jagger to the Royal Wardrobe
Born in Keighley, Yorkshire, Price studied at the Royal College of Art in London. His first major job in menswear at Stirling Cooper led to an iconic early commission: cutting the buttoned trousers worn by Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones' 1969 Gimme Shelter tour.
His legacy is cemented in music history. He styled all eight of Roxy Music's album covers, with frontman Bryan Ferry hailing him as a 'master craftsman'. Price created the pin-up looks for the 'Roxy Girls' like Jerry Hall and designed the band's sharp aesthetic. He later defined the sharp, broad-shouldered 'yacht rock' tailoring for Duran Duran and worked with David Bowie. He is also credited with designing the men's cap-sleeve T-shirt featured on the back of Lou Reed's 1972 album, 'Transformer'.
Price's rare ability to excel in both menswear and womenswear saw him dress stars like Kylie Minogue and Paula Yates. Jerry Hall wore a Price wedding dress for her non-legally binding marriage to Mick Jagger. In the 1990s, his technical prowess with boning and corsetry earned him the nickname 'the frock surgeon'.
This expertise led to a long-standing relationship with Queen Camilla, for whom he created made-to-order pieces, including outfits for her first US tour as Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.
A Lasting Legacy of Individuality
Tributes have poured in from across the industry. Milliner and collaborator Philip Treacy posted on Instagram, calling Price 'a king in the world of fashion' and a 'true visionary' whose genius was not fully recognised in his lifetime.
The British Fashion Council, which awarded him the Evening Glamour Award in 1989, praised him as 'a true original'. They highlighted that Price was 'a champion of individuality and an encourager of young talent' long before formal mentorship programmes existed, believing fiercely in London's creative spirit.
Antony Price's unique vision—a blend of historic technique and futuristic fantasy—has left an indelible mark on British fashion, music, and culture, proving that true style is about creating a powerful, unforgettable image.
