LOS ANGELES —  A publicist says acid-tongued fashion critic Mr. Blackwell has regained consciousness in a hospital as he battles a serious infection.

Publicist Harlan Boll says 85-year-old Richard Blackwell was given antibiotics to treat the unspecified infection.

He had collapsed at his home and was unconscious when he was brought to a hospital on Tuesday.

Blackwell was a noted fashion designer in the 1950s and 1960s who dressed the likes of Jane Russell and Dorothy Lamour.

However, he is best-known for his annual list of worst-dressed women.