Fashion 88 : British Press Jumps to Defend Fergie Against a Bad Rap

The Daily Mirror and other British tabloids have risen to the defense of the Duchess of York, criticizing American designer Richard Blackwell for having “the barefaced cheek” to put her on his worst-dressed list.

The Mirror said Tuesday that Blackwell was “so sensitive about his own precious looks that he’s had them rearranged four times.”

Blackwell had hit out at the former Sarah Ferguson in a preview of his list of the world’s 10 worst-dressed women, saying she has none of the style of her sister-in-law Princess Diana, that she looks “as if she makes beds in Ireland or milks cows,” and that she “walks like a duck with a bad leg.”

Frumpy and Outrageous

Until recently, the tabloids have not been great fans of the duchess’ wardrobe, saying it runs to frumpy, outrageous and ill-fitting.

But the 29-year-old commoner, who married Prince Andrew in 1986, has worked hard to retrieve her svelte figure following the birth of their daughter, Princess Beatrice, and her stylish, well-cut new wardrobe has won plaudits from the tabloids.

For the popular press, which has a near-obsession with royalty watching and prints the minutest pieces of trivia, the attack on the duchess was over the top, and below-the-belt ripostes about face lifts were only to be expected.

“What a Jerk,” bannered the Sun, Britain’s largest-selling daily, on Monday. It quoted American model Marie Helvin as saying nobody “takes a blind bit of notice” of Blackwell. Hardy Amies, a favorite designer of Queen Elizabeth II, was quoted as calling him “a complete ignoramus.”

‘Talking Through His Hat’

The rival Daily Star, under the headline “He’s at It Again!,” accused Blackwell of “talking through his hat.”

The Daily Mirror noted that Blackwell’s attack came “just as the new, slim-line Fergie is winning over fashion critics here . . . in well-cut outfits that suit her figure.”

The newspaper Today said the duchess’ new look had come “just too late to spare her another blasting” from Blackwell.

A Mirror cartoon showed Blackwell strung up to a Christmas tree, the duchess standing on the floor dressed as a milkmaid, and Andrew saying: “Now then, Mr. Blackwell, what was it you said about my wife?”