A reserved, friendly and proud woman who was rarely seen without her signature red glasses and short hair, Claiborne remained aloof from the fashion pack as well as from the latest season's trends, following her own instincts as to what her customers wanted to wear. She was also outspoken about women's inability to break through the glass ceiling in business and, following her retirement in 1989, devoted herself to numerous charities.

As a designer, Claiborne's strengths were undoubtedly her creativity and her interaction with customers. She would go on the road four times a year, get into dressing rooms with her customers and talk to them about their likes and dislikes. In fact, Claiborne would often go into the dressing rooms pretending to be a salesgirl and would tell the customers how to wear the clothes. Later, she'd tell them she was Liz Claiborne.

"She was like a rock star. People lined up in the stores to see her, and touch her and get her autograph," said Jerome Chazen, a former Claiborne chairman and chief executive officer, who is now chairman of Chazen Capital Partners.

"Liz's forte was color. She revolutionized everything with color and the use of different colors together. People were desperate to find out Liz's colors for the season," he said.

Jim Gordon, president and ceo of Gordon Textiles International Ltd., was an original investor in Liz Claiborne and a board member for 26 years until 2003.

"I knew Liz before Liz knew Art, and I knew Art before he knew Liz," Gordon said. "Together as a team they were the most successful, most intelligent and most ethical husband-and-wife team that ever existed in the fashion business.

"Liz should be remembered as an inspiration, representing the highest standards of ethics and creativity in the business," Gordon continued. "She helped to train a generation of designers and textile researchers that has populated the industry."

Born in Brussels in 1929 to American parents, Claiborne moved with her family to New Orleans in the Thirties. Her father didn't consider formal education important, and before she graduated from high school, she was sent back to Brussels and Nice, France, to study fine art in painters' studios. Her parents expected her to become an artist, but she wanted to pursue a career as a clothing designer.