The story of the truly original—and truly outrageous—blue-blooded fashion editor Isabella Blow epitomizes what fashion legend is made of. Born in London, Blow moved to America in the late 1970s and cut her teeth at Vogue, initially hired as Anna Wintour’s assistant and later as André Leon Talley’s. With her eccentric wardrobe, eccentric friends (like the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat), and eccentric habits, such as cleaning her desk with Perrier water and Chanel No. 5, she swiftly made an impression on everyone in her orbit. Returning to Britain in 1986, she held prominent positions at Tatler, British Vogue, and The Sunday Times, where she created fashion spreads that didn’t just push boundaries—they broke them. Blow offered readers a glimpse of fashion through her own distinctive lens, with stories that seamlessly blended high style with an avant-garde attitude—a Blow calling card.
Not only was Blow a mainstay on the international fashion scene, but she also possessed the rare ability to spot era-defining talent before said talent even recognized itself. She nurtured her fashion foundlings and became a walking, talking (and wearing) ambassador, while simultaneously introducing them to all the key players in the industry. That roster included designers Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, and Jeremy Scott, as well as the models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl, among others—all of whom Blow took under her wing at the start of their careers and championed long after they’d flown the nest.
After her suicide in 2007, the book Blow by Blow (2010), written by Blow’s husband Detmar Blow with Tom Sykes, recounted the story of her life; her wardrobe went on display for the acclaimed “Fashion Galore!” exhibition at Somerset House in London; and she featured in various McQueen documentaries. So, almost two decades on, it seems only right that Blow is now the subject of an upcoming biopic, The Queen of Fashion, in which she’s played by Andrea Riseborough.
“Isabella was a unique person in every way,” Treacy tells Vogue about the film set to honor his late mentor and friend. “She deserves all of this and more.”
Arriving on set in Cardiff, Wales, for an exclusive sneak peek into a day of filming, I’m met with a frenzy of camera crews, people whizzing around with garment bags, and assistants communicating via walkie-talkies. One of them leads me into an industrial-looking, klieg-lit warehouse with rows of chairs neatly lined up on one side and the man behind it all, director Alex Marx, on the other.