So finally it’s here! It’s time to create what i have worked long and hard for over the last two years, my final year collection!
After thinking and changing my mind several times, I have finally decided to create a collection of eveningwear inspired by style icon Isabella Blow.
After researching my muse, I uncovered her incredible yet tragic story.
Isabella Blow’s life was one of extreme tragedy and inspiration. Convinced she was ugly, she always wore a hat, head piece or mask that would cover her face.
Tormented by a childhood tragedy, riddled with insecurities, unable to have children, and diagnosed with cancer, she spiralled into depression. Working as Anna Wintour’s assistant and stylist at US Vogue, she climbed to the top of the fashion scene after discovering Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Sophie Dahl and Stella Tennant. She fostered talent whilst nurturing desperate personal unhappiness.
Isabella was never going to blend in with the crowd. Her outrageous and larger than life personality masked an inner pain. After repeated attempts at ending her life, she finally succeeded after drinking weed killer. She was 48.
My design brief is to create a collection of eveningwear inspired by Isabella Blow and her life. I wish to create 6 incredible dresses, each with a headpiece or masks covering the face, while the dresses expose the inner layer through sheer fabric. This is to symbolise that as much as she tried to hide her deep depression, she was still transparent.
My collection will portray the tragic aspects of this style icon’s life and how she hid them behind an emotional mask.