Fashion designer Alfred Fiandaca dies aged 72

Fashion designer Alfred Fiandaca, who was responsible for many of Ann Romney’s campaign outfits, has died at the age of 72.

Alfred Fiandaca – whose designs were favored by Ann Romney during the 2012 Presidential race – died Saturday of a major stroke in West Palm Beach, Florida.

He divided his time between Boston, New York and Palm Beach, and is survived by his daughter, son and spouse, Carl Bartels.

After founding his eponymous line in 1960, Alfred Fiandaca opened up his first shop in Boston, Massachusetts.

His tailored skirt suits and elegant dresses soon attracted the attention of political figures in Washington, among them Joan Kennedy and Lady Bird Johnson.

Actresses Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn also wore his creations.

Ann Romney, 63, had been a supporter of his ever since her husband Mitt was governor of Massachusetts.

On the campaign trail, relatively unknown Alfred Fiandaca earned recognition for being the go-to designer for the Republican candidate’s wife.

Ann Romney wore a crisp cream-colored skirt suit from his fall 2006 collection to the first presidential debate.

And the edgy black leather skirt suit she sported on the Jay Leno show was also one of his creations.

Although Alfred Fiandaca was a Democrat, he had no qualms about dressing the wife of the former Republican hopeful, both of whom he counted as friends.

In an interview with New York Magazine last year, Alfred Fiandaca’s rep described him as “apolitical”, noting that he had dressed just as many Democrats as Republicans.

Alfred Fiandaca’s designs are sold in boutiques in Boston and Palm Beach, as well as an atelier in Manhattan’s Garment District.

He was known among friends and in social circles in New York and Palm Beach for his outgoing and friendly demeanor.

A third-generation member of the garment trade, Alfred Fiandaca began cutting clothes when he was only nine.

His glamorous designs have earned him recognition in the art world as well as the fashion world.

In 2000, the Massachusetts College of Art presented an exhibition on Alfred Fiandaca’s forty years of work, as well as creating a scholarship in his name.