Inspiring Icons/ Isabella Blow

Left: Isabella's coffin adorned with Philip Traecy hay, Right: Portrait of Isabella Blow, Photography by Gavin Evans

Left: Illustration inspired by Isabella Blow, Left: Photo of Isabella Blow, Photography by Phil Poynter, 1992

Isabella's London Apartment, Featured in The World of Interiors Magazine, March 2009
Photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg

Photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg

Left: Photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg, Right Isabella in Lobster hat, by Philip Traecy

Photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg

Left: The rose named after Isabella, personally chosen by Alexander McQueen simply named "Issie"
Right: Isabella in Philip Treacy orange acrylic disk hat, 2002

Left: Illustration Of Isabella Blow by Dawn S, Right: Isabella 

Isabella wearing Chinese Garden hat by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen, Spring/ Summer 2005

Alexander McQueen/ Philip Tracey's Spring/ Summer show dedicated to Isabella Blow, 2008

Left: Portrait of Isabella Blow, Photography by Sean Ellis
Middle: In 2005, MAC launched a lipstick inspired by Isabella named BLOW
Left: Illustration of Isabella for the exhibition "When Philip met Isabella", Sydney, 2003  

Isabella Blow, It’s nearly been 5 years since Isabella sadly took her own life on May 7th, 2007. To me as a Stylist and Editor, she was an incredible inspiration. Even though some would say her methods were not always easily defined or understood immediately, it seemed she was a powerhouse of wild and passionate ideas and she rode her spirited horse in and out of the fashion world too quickly but with such a legacy behind her.

To me it’s very sad that like many creative people, Isabella fell into the hands of deep depression, I have read her husband’s Detmar Blow’s book on Isabella’s life Blow by Blow which is a fascinating read and it gives great insight with much honesty and love, her life and times. Isabella was truly one of a kind and while her life was short and often at times dark, I feel it’s important to acknowledge her contribution to the world of creating defining imagery of a generation.

While I don’t directly work in the world of Fashion, my world’s are connected as Interiors and Fashion often are and while having studied a brief stint in Fashion Design (without completing) I can’t say I ever submerged myself totally in clothes and that industry but it’s the ideas, the ability to recognize talent and the guts and glory approach Isabella took to Styling and Editing that really resonate with me.

One of her discoveries, the brilliant Alexander McQueen who also sadly took his life in 2010, dedicated his Spring/Summer 2008 show to Isabella. Philip Treacy, the also spellbinding Milliner who Isabella also championed collaborated with McQueen to produce typically ambitious hats that were inspired by Isabella’s eccentric aura and allure, the show was sadly sensational.

For me as an Interior Stylist, Isabella’s homes were as an important indication of her spirit as any of her outfits, Isabella Blow's London apartment was featured in The World of Interiors in March 2009. It is a pastiche of color, life and the love of objects. While she spent much time at Hilles, Her husband Detmar’s family estate of which few pictures seem to exist, Her London apartment is so personal and a clear indication of her tastes and fondness of the gathering of pieces that really meant something to her, something I try to do with my own spaces.

Isabella Blow died, age 48. Her friend actor Rupert Everett spoke at her funeral in 2007, He said " You are a one off, a genius friend, your own creation in a world of copycats and I will miss you for the rest of my life."

Blow is also credited with discovering Hussein Chalayan, Honor Fraser, Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl. Isabella during her lifetime worked at U.S Vogue, Tatler and The Sunday Times Style Magazine, Also working Freelance in other capacities for a number of high-end Fashion clients.

Sadly missed but never forgotten, She is one of my most inspiring icons. 

Fashion Settings

An aspect of my work that often allows me to fuse décor with another medium is Fashion. Quite often I am called upon to design sets for Fashion Shoots. I enjoy this aspect of my work because it involves wearing a different cap. While fashion models can talk, walk and move, my usual subjects; food and chairs can’t, so the energy on a Fashion Shoot can be quite different!

The other challenge is allowing the clothes to be the hero, often in commercial Fashion Shoots, this is important. While I would personally love to see a set full of wonderful props, others are looking at Fashion pages to buy clothes. Often on Fashion Shoots I can design highly elaborate sets that can be out of focus or cropped out entirely, but on a fashion shoot the main focus is on the model, Its my job to make sure the background is working and that compositionally it is all coming together. This can be a challenge when the Fashion Photographer is jumping all over the place, but if you can try and design a set to look good at any angle, this helps. Often it does require me to be jumping around after them as well, making sure that pillow behind the model is sitting exactly right on the chair, that the logs she is carrying through the door is piled just right in her hands.

The shoot featured here is in the current November issue of “Better Homes & Gardens”, a regular client who requested that for one shot that I design an entranceway with a front door, which would look like an average American home. We were shooting in a studio with blank white walls and no front door in sight, so I had to create an entranceway using fake walls and floors. We sourced the antique door from a Brooklyn savage yard; the hooks and doorknocker came from Urban Outfitters, urbanoutfitters.com. We had the baskets sprayed white from IKEA, ikea.com and sourced birch logs from the flower district in Manhattan. The bench featured was sourced from a Prop House. For another shot we sourced a beautiful chandelier made entirely from twigs, deannawish.com.

I get to work with Andy and the wonderful team at Empire Set Shop, empiresetshop.com, who help build the sets for me, This set is a relatively simple one, but you can see more complicated examples of their work on their website.