UNITED KINGDOM: Fashion royalty and actual royalty turn out for Isabella Blow tribute

Record ID: 187301

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Fashion royalty and actual royalty turn out for Isabella Blow tribute
  • Date: 20th November 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 19, 2013) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) EXTERIOR OF EMBANKMENT GALLERIES, SOMERSET HOUSE VARIOUS OF MODEL LIBERTY ROSS AND SINGER MARY J. BLIGE VARIOUS OF ACTRESS GEMMA ARTERTON SINGER AND ACTRESS GRACE JONES WITH MILLINER PHILIP TREACY SHOE DESIGNER MANOLO BLAHNIK PRINCESS BEATRICE SIGN READING: 'ISABELLA BLOW: FASHION GALORE!' (SOUNDBITE) (English) VOGUE UK EDITOR, ALEXANDRA SHULMAN, SAYING: "I knew her for a long time before she became the big kind of fashion person she eventually became and she was always a huge enthusiast and understood what motivated people to make extraordinary things." MILLINER STEPHEN JONES AT PHOTOCALL WOMAN IN FACE MASK (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILLINER STEPHEN JONES, SAYING: "There's nobody like that now who is a real mentor and a wonderful figure of inspiration because as well as introducing people she gave people something to dream of as well." JONES AND TREACY AT PHOTOCALL FASHIONISTA DAPHNE GUINNESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) FASHIONISTA DAPHNE GUINNESS, SAYING: "It was when I did the exhibition at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), it was the children that liked it so much because they loved the imagination because it's not about the brands, it's not really about... it's about history, it's about a whole story that's within.... it's not just a label." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILLINER PHILIP TREACY, SAYING: "Fashion, fashion... Isabella taught me that fashion is about beauty and elegance and unfortunately fashion today is about marketing." GUINNESS BEING PHOTOGRAPHED (SOUNDBITE) (English) FASHIONISTA DAPHNE GUINNESS, SAYING: Reporter: What do you think she'd think of all this now? "I think she'd be kind of happy." (breaks down in tears) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILLINER PHILIP TREACY, SAYING: "What resonated most with this exhibition is that five days before she died in a conversation that I had with her, she felt without an ounce of self-pity that she didn't matter anymore, so I'm thrilled tonight to prove her wrong." VARIOUS OF ACTRESS CHARITY WAKEFIELD ACTRESS JENNA COLEMAN DESIGNER GARETH PUGH ISABELLA BLOW'S HUSBAND DETMAR BLOW VARIOUS PARTY SHOTS IN EXHIBITION PAN FROM MANNEQUIN TO TREACY PAN FROM GRACE JONES TO TREACY ISABELLA BLOW'S SISTER LAVINIA VERNEY PEOPLE WALKING PAST MANNEQUINS PAN OF ROOM ARTERTON LOOKING AT DESIGNS ARTERTON LAUGHING WIDE OF EXHIBITION WITH ARTERTON
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6ZB9UDJTUTCQONN5NAXWGXGRC
  • Story Text: The British fashion world paid tribute to one of its own on Tuesday night (November 19) when the exhibition 'Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!' was launched to a celebrity guest list.
    Singer Mary J. Blige, actress Gemma Arterton, and Princess Beatrice were among the attendees to see the collection of memorabilia of fashion eccentric and trend-setter Isabella Blow, who committed suicide in 2007 aged 48.
    Describing the fashion icon who discovered both milliner Philip Treacy and designer Alexander McQueen, Vogue UK's Editor-in-Chief Alexander Shulman said: "I knew her for a long time before she became the big kind of fashion person she eventually became and she was always a huge enthusiast and understood what motivated people to make extraordinary things."
    Her feelings were echoed by famous British milliner Stephen Jones. "There's nobody like that now who is a real mentor and a wonderful figure of inspiration because as well as introducing people she gave people something to dream of as well," he said.
    The exhibition is mostly put together from Blow's personal collection which was bought outright on her death by childhood friend and fellow fashionista Daphne Guinness.
    Talking about what the attraction of the collection was, the Guinness heiress said: "It was when I did the exhibition at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), it was the children that liked it so much because they loved the imagination because it's not about the brands, it's not really about... it's about history, it's about a whole story that's within.... it's not just a label."
    Treacy, who was discovered by Blow, also felt similar feelings about the mechanisms of the modern day fashion world, saying: "Isabella taught me that fashion is about beauty and elegance and unfortunately fashion today is about marketing."
    Treacy said the exhibition was a fitting tribute to Blow.
    "What resonated most with this exhibition is that five days before she died in a conversation that I had with her, she felt without an ounce of self-pity that she didn't matter anymore, so I'm thrilled tonight to prove her wrong," he said.
    When Guinness was asked about what Blow might have thought of the exhibition, she replied: "I think she'd be kind of happy", before being overcome by emotion.
    "Isabella Blow Fashion Galore!" at Somerset House in London runs from November 20 until March 2.
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