#WHO’SWHO: ISABELLA BLOW

ISABELLA BLOW

Muse, visionary  and champion of artists, Isabella Blow lived a full life, in her short 48 years.  She began making her mark in the fashion world when she dropped out of Columbia University’s art history program and ran to Texas to work for esteemed French designer Guy Laroche. She worked as Anna Wintour’s assistant at Vogue, then began shooting pages for Tatler and bringing to the forefront designers Phillip Treacy, Alexander McQueen, and model Stella Tennant. All of whom remained close friends.

In 1988 she met the love of her life Detmar Blow, they married the following year and remained together until her death. Her style was a perfect flow of eccentric energy. She became iconic for her wearing of Phillip Treacy hats and her eye for upcoming talent. Blow was a life of the party character from her wardrobe (over 90 McQueen pieces) to her dedication to the industry that made it what it is today.

Through her career she made good friends in with the likes of Andy Warhol, Plum Sykes, Hammish Bowles, and other visionaries. Her success however, could not calm the raging pain inside her. She sprung from a broken home in Marylebone where her mother left when she was 14 and the relationship with her father was less than agreeable. Isabella battled chronic depression. A fight she would eventually loose. In May of 2007 after several previous attempts, Isabella took her life by drinking weedkiller.

Death made Isabella a pillar. Her funeral was attended by over 300 who considered her close; her coffin topped with a favorite Phillip Treacy hat. She will forever remain an icon and a standard for excellence in the world of fashion.

x Courtney