French fashion designer Ted Lapidus dies at 79

PARIS – Ted Lapidus, the fashion designer who redefined chic with the 1960s unisex look, has died in France. He was 79.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, in an homage to the designer, said Lapidus "democratized French elegance and classicism" and "made fashion accessible to men and women in the street."

Lapidus died of pulmonary problems Monday afternoon at a hospital in Cannes on the Riviera, his sister Rose Torrente-Mett said. He also suffered from leukemia.

Born Edmond Lapidus on June 23, 1929, in Paris, the son of a tailor, Ted Lapidus created his label in 1951, and in 1963 he became a member of the prestigious Paris fashion club that runs haute-couture, La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

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