Blow By Blow
In homage to Isabella, I wear one of the very first vintage hats I bought: a green velvet turban, trimmed (by myself) with a vintage rhinestone brooch and feathers; feather capelet by Sportsgirl, purple blouse by Cue.
Last weekend I was chatting with a (very) young fashion designer and mentioned I was reading the biography of Isabella Blow. “Who?” he asked in bewilderment. I was dumbfounded. A fashion designer who hadn’t heard of Isabella Blow? But when I mentioned she was the woman who discovered (among others) Alexander McQueen, understanding dawned on his youthful face. He hadn’t heard of Philip Treacy either (one of her first discoveries), another shocking lapse. Really, what are they teaching kids today?
Rare Bird, Paris. Fringe hat. Silver peacock feather fringe, black satin and Swarovski crystal. ‘This hat was designed to accentuate the eyes; Isabella has beautiful eyes.’ Photo: Mario TestinoI picked up the book in a local bookshop and immediately bought it. I was long a fan of Isabella Blow simply because of our shared love of hats, and of course for her outrageous and daring personal style, and the styling work she did for various magazines. Her career spanned 33 years, beginning at American Vogue as Anna Wintour’s assistant, but she was truly made iconic through her championship of her discoveries, and images of her wearing their designs.
She also discovered models such as Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl, and the book describes her encounters with them: Dahl she found crying on her doorstep, and instantly took her under her wing. She must have seemed like a fairy godmother to many.
(Left) Detmar and Isabella Blow at Hilles, Gloucestershire. Overblown Rose hat; both wear Alexander McQueen clothing; Isabella’s Marie Antoinette shoes by Manolo Blahnik. British Vogue Nov 1992, photo: Oberto Gili. (Right) Hamish Bowles dressed for a surrealist ball, 1990. Bouquet of Roses, silk roses with white cotton organdie ‘wrapping paper’. Photo: Mario TestinoHowever, I had no idea of the tragedy in her past, and the fact that there were many common threads in her husband, Detmar Blow’s life. Depression also dogged her, and towards the end she became ill with cancer, before she finally succumbed to suicide in 2007.
Written in an easily-read style, the story of Isabella’s life is told by her husband Detmar (with assistance of writer Tom Sykes) with great tenderness. It is an insightful, fascinating and inspiring portrait of a courageous woman who determined to cultivate creativity and beauty wherever she found it, even in the face of impossible circumstances.
(Left) Stefan Bartlett, Philip Treacy, Isabella Blow and Mr. Pig at the Hanover Grand Club, London. Flapper Pink Face Veil, pink veil, hand-curled duck feather ‘flowers’; McQueen dress, Givenchy coat. British Vogue, Dec 1999; photo: Mario Testino. (Right) Isabella and Philip portrait at Claridges, 6 May 2002. Tiffany pink DuPont Lycra stretch disc with feather arrows; McQueen clothing; photo: Donald McPherson.
(Left) Isabella Blow at the yew hedge, Hilles, Gloucestershire. Deer Horns; her own antlers, which were ‘meant to look as though they were coming out of the skull of the wearer’, McQueen clothing; photo: Juergen Teller. (Right) Isabella Blow with lipstick on her teeth, Queen Mary Toque, blood red velvet, pleated silk, mink, lacquered black feather and Swarovski crystals; Galliano jacket. American Vogue, Sep 1996; photo: Richard Burbridge.
… an insightful, fascinating and inspiring portrait of a courageous woman who determined to cultivate creativity and beauty wherever she found it …
Blow By Blow, The Story of Isabella Blow by Detmar Blow and Tom Sykes. Find it somewhere near you, somewhere online, and you’ll zip through it.
Additional images from Philip Treacy ‘When Philip met Isabella’, published by Assouline 2002. (Out of print, and secondhand copies are very expensive.)