EXHIBITIONS
Isabella Blow: Fashion
Galore!
Curated by Alistair O’Neill and
Shonagh Marshall
Somerset House, London
uniqueness of her clothing and appreciate
how it made her one of the 20th century’s
most influential British fashion heroines.
Being invited into her wardrobe is
an enlightening experience in itself. It
gives her legacy a timeless influence on
modern fashion lovers and encourages
individuality among those who would
T
his exhibition is a celebration of
the short life of a young woman
often described as “one of the last
true fashion eccentrics”. Someone who
was driven by a pure love of fashion in
daring and unique ensembles, rather
than by a need for public recognition in a
competitive social media sphere.
Isabella Blow was an inspirational
British style icon, fashion editor, talent
spotter and muse. She sought pleasure
in helping others and played a large role
in launching the careers of Alexander
McQueen and Philip Treacy.
The tragic irony of Blow’s life is that
though she was so influential in nurturing
the lives and careers of others, she was
actually the one in need of help. She took
her own life in 2007 after suffering from
depression, which stemmed from a family
tragedy in her early childhood.
Yet this exhibition puts aside her own
personal tragedy, and honours what Philip
Treacy said in 2010 was a life that should
not be looked back upon with sadness,
because “nothing about her was tragic, she
was triumphant”.
The show, curated by Alistair O’Neill
and Shonagh Marshall, focuses on Blow’s
relationship with her famous protégés,
Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy.
The bulk of the show centres around
Blow’s eccentric and fabulous clothes.
You are invited to marvel at the
Tragic though her short life was, Isabella Blow
exerted a strong influence on her generation
merely follow current fashion stereotypes.
This is one of the most poignant aspects
of the exhibition, and for that, Blow’s close
friend, Daphne Guinness is responsible.
Guinness stopped the 2010 auction of
Blow’s wardrobe by Christie’s by buying
the whole collection in anticipation for
such an exhibition being used to continue
Blow’s influential role in the fashion
industry after her death.
The exhibition features six intriguing
pieces from a young Alexander McQueen’s
1992 graduate collection titled ‘Jack the
Ripper stalks his victims’. McQueen’s
collection embodies the essence of
his individuality in design, combining
traditional Victorian styles and cuts,
but with a modern twist. Moreover,
it established his distinctly narrative,
autobiographical approach to design –
one of McQueen’s relatives owned an inn
that housed a victim of Jack the Ripper