PARIS — French designer Jean-Louis Scherrer, who dressed such fashion plates as Jackie Kennedy at the height of his career, has died. He was 78.

The French Couture Federation said the designer died early Thursday in Paris. The cause of death was not immediately known.

After training under Christian Dior, Scherrer launched his own label in 1962, holding his first show in a cellar. The house went on to become a symbol of uptown elegance in the 1980s.

But it went through hard times financially and the house was sold. Scherrer, who had stayed on as artistic director, was dismissed in 1992. The fashion house closed in 2008.

Scherrer's funeral was set for June 26 with a cremation at Paris' Pere Lachaise cemetery.