Loris Azzaro, 70; Created Perfumes, Fashions for Film Stars

Fashion designer Loris Azzaro, 70, who made clothes for actresses Raquel Welch and Sophia Loren, died of cancer Thursday in Paris, his company said.

Azzaro, also well-known for his perfumes, arrived on the fashion scene in the 1960s as a specialist in fun party clothes. He had abandoned a career as an academic.

Despite his fame, Azzaro never designed haute couture clothing and was not a member of the elite Chambre Syndicale, which groups the top designers showing in France.

In addition to Welch and Loren, Azzaro’s creations were also worn by Marisa Berenson, Claudia Cardinale and Isabelle Adjani.

Nicole Kidman is reportedly a fan of his vintage pieces.

Born to Italian parents in 1933 in Tunisia, he studied politics in Toulouse, France.

He arrived in Paris in 1962 and began a fashion company three years later.