Marit Allen, 66, Vogue Editor Turned Film Stylist

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Marit Allen, who died November 26 at 66, was a Hollywood costume designer whose artful style made such movies as this year’s “La Vie en Rose” required viewing for fashion lovers. She suffered a brain aneurysm while in Australia on the set of the superhero movie “Justice League of America.”

During more than 30 years as a costume designer, Allen created wardrobes for some 40 films. Her taste for feminine, romantic dressing and her talent for stylish period-piece looks made her a favorite of leading directors, including Nicolas Roeg and Ang Lee. One of her first assignments came from Roeg, who asked her to create a wardrobe for actress Julie Christie in “Don’t Look Now” in 1973. More recently, she designed costumes for Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” (2005).

Allen also worked with Mr. Lee on “Ride with the Devil” and “Hulk.” Mr. Lee referred to Allen as “simply the best at what she did.”

In the 1960s, she worked at the London society magazine Queen. She she became a fashion editor at British Vogue, where she helped introduce Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton to international audiences.

Allen married film producer Sanford Lieberson in the mid-1960s and began mixing in the film world. She worked with top English directors throughout her career including Stephen Frears and Stanley Kubrick.


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