If you don’t wear lipstick , I can’t talk to you. You need to have lips-they are important for getting men. – Isabella Blow
All this talk of Isabella Blow is extremely sad, her birthday earlier this month would have made the extraordinary visionary 51. For those of you that have never heard of Isabella Blow, she was single handily Responsible for discovering talents such as: Model Sophie Dahl, whom she called her “A blow up doll with brains”. Philip Treacy, and Alexander McQueen, she even paid for his entire graduating collection in weekly increments. She later became his muse, but drifted in the later years when Alexander McQueen sold his brand to Gucci.
Isabella started as an assistant to Anna Wintour, and eventually worked herself up to Fashion Director of Tatler. Over her rise in the fashion industry she became extremely depressed. After failing In Vitro fertilization treatments several times, she and her husband Detmar separated for eighteen months. In that period she was diagnosed Bipolar disorder, and was given electric shocks as a form of treatment. Soon after she reconciled with Detmar , Isabella was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Leading to her to become even more depressed, she desperately wanted to die. And “wouldn’t shut up about it” Hamish Bowles remembers.
Her desire to die was finally realized in May 7, 2007, when she drank a hefty dose of weed-killer. She last said to Detmar “That she used to be a ray of sunshine”, as he replied “You always are, darling, and that was it. “ Isabella Blow was a fashion risk taker, she was what Lady Gaga imitates. She was an amazing visionary that loved fashion more than life. Her style was very elaborate and extreme with a fascination of extraordinary hats. She was by no means the must beautiful person in fashion. But most true artists in fashion aren’t. Anna Wintour, whom she started working for as an assistant several years prior eventually became her good friend and even spoke at her funeral.
Even Alexander McQueen devoted an entire collection to her, calling it ‘Chasing darkness”, with several dark themed clothing, and signature extravagant hats on each model. Soon to be released is two biographies about the late Isabella Blow, the one we are dying to read is Blow by Blow co written by Detmar Blow , and Isabella’s former assistants brother Tom Sykes. It’s due to be released in Spring 2010.
