Designer Sonia Rykiel, known for a relaxed style, dies at 86

PARIS >> Sonia Rykiel, a French designer dubbed the “queen of knitwear” whose relaxed sweaters in berry-colored stripes and eye-popping motifs helped liberate women from stuffy suits, has died. She was 86.

President Francois Hollande’s office announced her death in a statement Thursday, praising her as “a pioneer” who “offered women freedom of movement.” His office didn’t provide further details, and the Sonia Rykiel fashion house in Paris wouldn’t comment.

For the generation of women who came of age in the heady 1960s and ‘70s, Rykiel, with her hallmark bright orange hair, came to symbolize the new era of freedom.

She also penned several novels — including one about a dress and its various incarnations — and figured in director Robert Altman’s satirical 1994 look at the fashion industry, “Pret-a-Porter.”

Designers, fashionistas and French cultural figures offered tributes to her and her influence Thursday, including on multilingual posts on her house’s Facebook page.