"Worst dressed" list critic dies

The US fashion critic known as Mr Blackwell, famed for his annual international "worst dressed" list, has died aged 86.

His list of skewered celebrities included Marilyn Monroe and more recently Britney Spears.

Of Elizabeth Taylor, Blackwell wrote, her revealing clothes reminded him of "the rebirth of the zeppelin".

Blackwell - who's real name was Richard Sylvan Selzer - died from complications linked to an intestinal infection.

'Majesty to travesty'

Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was named the worst dressed celebrity in 2008's list as Blackwell commented she stepped out in "one skinny-mini monstrosity after another".

Of Amy Winehouse he said she wore "exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below".

Even he Queen was not spared his sharp tongue as he wrote of her going "from her majesty to her travesty".

The critic's annual list and comments were published in the American Weekly, a syndicated Sunday supplement magazine. Blackwell went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney before working in small Hollywood roles in the late 1930s.

He later worked as a fashion designer but abandoned this in the 1970s to focus on being fashion critic.