STYLE FILE // isabella blow

The embodiment of a fashion fantasy, Isabella Blow's incomparable style is celebrated in the exhibition 'Isabella Blow: A Fashionable Life' at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. As an English stylist, editor and muse she nurtured and supported many designers such as Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan and Julien Macdonald. A true visionary, she saw their talent and wore their designs and now you can see complete outfits of her clothes, hats, shoes and jewellery.

This exhibit is a beautiful tribute from her friend Daphne Guinness who purchased Blow’s collection and has now shared this personal story about the woman behind the clothes. You can feel the true bonds with her fashion friends, clearly reflected in the number of Alexander McQueen pieces on display along with Philip Treacy hats. Her devout friendship with McQueen is touchingly on show with a video of them on the grounds at her Gloucestershire estate, where a young McQueen learns to handle a falcon while a fabulous Blow in all her finery walks across the fields.

Her sincerity is accurately shown in this quote. "Fashion is a vampiric thing, it's the hoover on your brain. That's why I wear the hats, to keep everyone away from me. They say, 'Oh, can I kiss you?' I say, 'No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye.' I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love." A woman who loved the fashion world but truly adored the creators who had become her friends.