Amy M. Spindler, NY Times style editor and IU grad, dies

NEW YORK -- Indiana native Amy M. Spindler, the style editor for The New York Times Magazine who became known for her pointed criticism of the fashion industry, has died. She was 40.\nSpindler died Friday from a brain tumor at her home in Manhattan, according to her husband, Roberto Benabib.\nNot afraid to tell the truth, Spindler built a reputation as a tough reporter. Unlike other fashion writers prone to flattery and sympathetic reviews, she demanded more from designers in columns that could be witty and tart.\nDesigners responded favorably. Tom Ford, the creative director of Gucci, told the Times. \n"She explained to us how we really feel about fashion."\nIn addition to her pointed criticism of clothing lines, Spindler exposed unflattering industry trends.\nIn 1997, after fashion photographer Davide Sorrenti died from a drug overdose, Spindler upbraided magazine editors for promoting "heroin chic" on their pages.\n"What Mr. Sorrenti's death has revealed is that fashion photography is indeed a mirror of the tight-knit world that produces the photographs. And as long as drugs are unchecked in the industry, that image will be difficult to change," Spindler wrote.\nBorn in Michigan City, Ind., Spindler graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism. She then moved to New York, working in entry-level jobs at several Conde Nast magazines. She later moved to Paris and became associate fashion editor of W Europe.\nSpindler joined The New York Times as a columnist in 1993 and was named fashion critic a year later.\nIn 1998, Spindler became fashion editor of The Times Magazine, a position she relinquished in November.