Isabella Blow: A Fashionable Life

By Ben Stephens.

Sometime in the late 1990’s, sporting a fascinator made of coiled barbed wire, Isabella Blow stood back stage with a lit cigarette in hand about to be interviewed by a young journalist from Videofashion TV. The first question put forward ‘What does fashion mean to you?’, sees Blow take a deep huff of her cigarette and answer after a well timed pause… ‘its my life’. Sadly, in 2007, Blow took her own life, shocking the fashion world and leaving behind a body of work that is a muse for so many.

Izzy was at the forefront of the contemporary fashion scene; she has been credited with championing Alexander McQueen’s career after purchasing his entire line from his first college show. In the 80’s Blow found it interesting to wear odd shoes, which lead Andy Warhol to question if she had to purchase both pairs of shoes, to which she matter-of-factly replied ‘yes’. From this rather small interaction, a close-fitting and life long friendship begun. She kicked it with the best in the fashion industry, like when she started working with US Vouge as the assistant to Anna Wintour in the early years or the nights out later on with Lady Gaga, a huge fan of Blow.

Drawn from the collection held by the Isabella Blow Foundation, Isabella Blow: A Fashionable Life is a personal exhibition of the late fashion icon’s collections, showing off many of Blow’s own pieces of intriguing headwear that shaped her persona. Developed for an exclusive season at the Powerhouse Museum, the exhibition showcases many never-before-exhibited pieces from the early works of McQueen, Philip Treacy and Hussein Chalayan and more. This collection is a rare glimpse into the life of a fashion inspiration for so many. Head over to the MAAS website to secure your tickets. Hot Tip: sign up to the MAAS newsletter to gain priority access to this and many more exhibits.

This private collection will be on display for a strictly limited season, but fear not! We’ve pulled together a stylish QT weekend away with tickets to the exhibition, a tour with a Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences curator and a premium “Hands Free” shopping experience at Westfield Sydney. Check out the A Fashionable Weekend package here.

Isabella Blow: A Fashionable Life is on 14 May until July 17, 2016.