My aunt Helen Mann, who has died aged 93, worked variously as a secretary, model, writer of a children’s guide to London and as a curator of paintings.
Always stylish, she combined immense practicality with an eye for colour and clear lines; she had a talent for creating beautiful spaces indoors and out. Helen turned her hand to arranging flowers for parties and weddings, making curtains and baking bread when money was short, but her time at the Economist magazine from her mid-50s provided her with a professional life and fellowship to which she remained devoted.
