‘Diva of Shoulder Pads’ and QVC Designer Kathleen Kirkwood Dies at 62

Former QVC personality Kathleen Kirkwood, who was known as the “diva of shoulder pads,” died Nov. 5 at age 62 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The cause of death has not been determined for Kirkwood, who became sick suddenly in September, according to her sister Joann Kirkwood, who said a private Zoom service is being planned. A determined entrepreneur and an early advocate for sustainability practices, Kirkwood dove into fashion after graduating from high school. Born in Laurelton, N.Y., Kirkwood’s mother worked at a nearby fashion boutique, Ronnie’s in Cedarhurst, and her father [Gerard] was a stockbroker. “My mother was always into fashion. There are pictures of them going out. My parents did ‘hustle’ [dance] contests and they went out clubbing. It was always fashion, fashion, fashion,” said Joann Kirkwood, a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate who worked as a children’s wear designer for 31 years until recently. After moving to Manhattan as a teenager, Kathleen Kirkwood started work as a showroom salesperson at Gil Aimbez Static, an acid jeans manufacturer, and later for Philippe Adec. She attended night school to learn how to speak French fluently, her sister said. In 1983, Kirkwood created Kirkwood International. “Her fighting spirit was evident

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