Isabella Blow

(Isabella Blow in a Philip Treacy hat, photographed by Donald McPherson; a public domain image.)

In her Friday links, The Glamorous Housewife mentioned the friendship between fashion designer Alexander McQueen and his muse, Isabella Blow.  I was again reminded of my fascination with the eccentric woman who once graced the society pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair.  Isabella Blow was something of a fashion genius herself, and is credited with discovering both McQueen and Philip Treacy, the famous hat designer.

I remember reading of her fascinating life and tragic death, by suicide in 2007.  Blow suffered from depression for years and tried many times to end her own life, even as her friends and family struggled to help her.  And McQueen, too, would eventually take his own life in 2010.  It does seem that the most creative geniuses are often also plagued with irreversible depression, and the designer and his muse were no exceptions.  (Kate Middleton chose McQueen’s creative director, Sarah Burton, to design her wedding dress in 2011.)

Blow created an entire world of her own eccentricities, ruled by fashion, of course.  She threw lavish parties at her estate, expecting her guests to dress in the same over-the-top manner she did every day.  Blow worked for Anna Wintour at Vogue, and even did a stint in Texas while working for designer Guy Laroche.  I wish I knew more about that period of her life.

I’ve added two Blow biographies to my list of summer reading, and I’m hoping to learn more about her soon.  I was able to find the text of the Vanity Fair article I remember reading, and this piece is a great introduction to the life of Isabella Blow, as well.