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Woman Begging With Two Children, by an unknown artist, shows what appears to be a denim skirt in 17th-century ItalyThe origin of the world’s most enduringly popular fabric is in ­dispute, as a new exhibition spotlights a claim that firmly links denim with 17th-­century Italy and takes its history back 200 years.Blue denim, that all-American ­symbol of informality and a life lived on the open...

Fashion personality who found fame in her 80s went from copywriter at Women’s Wear Daily to design authority whose projects included the White HouseIris Apfel – a life in picturesIris Apfel, the interior designer and fashion tastemaker who found fame as an octogenarian, has died aged 102.Apfel’s agent, Lori Sale, confirmed her death on Friday, and said “working alongside her was the honour of...