Paul Costelloe, Irish-American fashion designer for Princess Diana, dies at 80

Irish designer Paul Costelloe is applauded by models after his show during London Fashion Week, in London, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Paul Costelloe, the Irish-American designer who dressed the late Princess Diana and became a stalwart of the London fashion scene, has died, his company confirmed. He was 80.

In addition to creating evening wear and other designs for Diana, Costelloe established a fashion house that celebrated luxurious fabrics and creativity. He worked in central London and with a family-owned manufacturing site in the Ancona region of central Italy.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Paul Costelloe following a short illness,” his label said in a statement on Saturday. “He was surrounded by his wife and seven children and passed peacefully in London.”

Born in Dublin in 1945, Costelloe was the son of a tailor who made raincoats at a factory in the city’s Rathmines district. He got his own start in the industry at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture fashion school in Paris, but company lore suggests he learned as much by soaking up the era of designers Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin as he did in the classroom.

Costelloe began his career as an assistant to designer Jacques Esterel and later moved to Milan to work for British retailer Marks & Spencer when it tried to crack the Italian market. Though that effort was unsuccessful, he stayed in Milan to work for the luxury department store La Rinascente.

Costelloe later moved to the United States, where he worked as a designer for the Anne Fogarty label.

He went on to establish his own firm, and the house now features a broad range, including womenswear, menswear, bags and accessories.

In 1983, Costelloe was appointed personal designer to Princess Diana -- an association that continued until her death in 1997.

Costelloe’s royal connection began when one of Diana’s ladies-in-waiting noticed his designs and arranged a meeting, the designer told Irish broadcaster RTE earlier this year.

“I looked out at Hyde Park and I said: ‘God, this is it, Paul, you have made it!”’ Costelloe recalled.

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press