Prudence Glynn

Early life and career Prudence Loveday Glynn was the youngest of four children born to retired army officer Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Trevor Wallace Glynn and Evelyn Margaret Glynn (née Vernet). She grew up in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire and was educated at The Downs School, Seaford, Sussex.

Glynn left school and went straight into a job in advertising. Her first foray into the world of fashion was working for the eveningwear house of Frank Usher. From there, she moved into journalism, writing for women's magazines and then becoming fashion editor of Woman's Mirror.

In 1965, Glynn married the Conservative Party politician and Anglo-Irish peer David Hennessy (the 3rd Baron Windlesham), who later became managing director of the ATV television broadcaster.

Appointment to The Times Glynn was recruited to The Times in 1966. Then editor William Haley was working to broaden the paper's image and had appointed Susanne Puddefoot to supervise a new daily women's page. Implicit in her brief was to make the paper more attractive to female readers, previously provided with occasional home cooking tips and Bond Street fashion. It was she who recruited Glynn as the paper's first fashion editor. The first page authored by Glynn appeared on 3 May 1966.

Glynn – who was herself married to a peer of the realm – sometimes poked fun at British tradition. Writing of the perils of dressing for the summer race and garden party season, she described the problem with investing in 'occasion outfits': "Look at the photographs taken at the Derby. The weather couldn't have been more unpromising, yet there were the British ladies staunchly parading the British Special Occasion Outfit (Subsection: Race Meetings) – Sling back shoes, wind-torn Bretons clapped onto untidy damp hair, nodding and smiling away under tons of artificial pansies and draped tulle...So now, as millions all over the country are feverishly stitching a million flower petals onto a thousand flowered hats, this is a last plea for self control."

Influence on British fashion Glynn was a vociferous supporter of homegrown fashion talent and promoted many of the new designers emerging in the 1960s. In particular, she supported Jean Muir and was a champion of Ossie Clark; she attended Clark's first fashion show in 1966, chose his silk trouser suit with Celia Birtwell print for the Dress of the Year award in 1968 and regarded him as one of the brightest talents the UK had ever produced.

In her articles, Glynn frequently reported on the state of the British fashion industry – sometimes criticising British officialdom for not recognising the value of its brands. Commenting on a British export drive to Tokyo in 1969, in which a variety of British industries were being showcased, she highlighted a lack of research into the Japanese market, adding: "talking to relevant officials in our consulates abroad confirms my gloomy view of too many of our export tactics". Her commentary on the key issues facing designers and manufacturers helped to raise the profile of British fashion and led on to a variety of government initiatives.

Her influence spread beyond the UK; she secured a rare interview with Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1971. It was only the second – and also the last – interview of his life.

Other roles Although she was influential and respected as a fashion commentator, Glynn did not always see eye-to-eye with colleagues at The Times and she was moved from the role of fashion editor to weekly columnist. In the year before her death, she began writing for The Guardian.

Outside journalism, Glynn held a number of advisory roles. She was a member of the council of the Royal College of Art (1966–1977) and the Design Council (1973–79). She joined the Council for National Academic Awards committee for art and design in 1972 and became a member of the Crafts Council (1977–1980). She was elected fellow of the RSA in 1974.

Later years Prudence Glynn had a series of health problems that affected her later career. She was legally separated from her husband at the time of her death, from a brain haemorrhage, at St Charles Hospital, Kensington. She was 51.