Designer Emmanuelle Khanh has died at the age of 79. Khanh began her career as a model for Balenciaga and Givenchy before going on to work as a freelance designer for Missoni, Max Mara, and Cacharel; she eventually launched her own ready-to-wear line, which soon became known for its fabulous eyeglasses and other accessories.
In a 1964 Life magazine feature, Khan declared, “The couture is dead; I want to design for the street.” As for modeling for Balenciaga, she said, “Other models were shaking silently with admiration; I was bored. Balenciaga treated us like chairs and I think the fact that he couldn’t care less about us — women — reflects on the way he creates dresses. It doesn’t make a woman alive and pretty; it makes her look wealthy and that to me is completely obsolete.”
One of Khan’s creations is currently part of the Paris Refashioned exhibit at the Museum at FIT. It will be on display until April 15, 2017.
