“An Affair With No Sex”

Blows infamous role in British fashion society was difficult to place, she darted from unofficial roles in Vogue and Talter writing the odd article and headhunting for their latest issue. Her eye for talent was remarkably understated, especially when she first discovered Philip Traecy in 1989. Blow first fell upon Traecy when he turned up at Talter carrying a green crocodile hat. Isabella instantly leaped at the opportunity to mentor her new discovery by asking him to design her wedding hat, to Detmar Blow. Treacy created a stunning gold laced headdress over a flesh coloured wimple. It created a dark, medieval aspect in comparison to her purple velvet dress hand embroidered in necklaces. Blow later asked Treacy from her honeymoon to “come and live in my house and make hats”. It appeared Blow led a fairytale lifestyle, inviting her distressed protégés to come and stay in her enchanted castle where she would wave her magic wand making them into icons in the fashion industry overnight. Treacy’s work clearly has a prominent role in the fashion industry, with a variety of blue bloods falling at his feet to design a head piece for their latest function, he also, often crosses the boundaries into ‘visual-art’. He describes millinery as an ‘intricate craft’, inspired by his favourite artist, Picasso, and his ‘bric-a-brac’ structures. This inspirational distinction is clearly shown their is eccentric and unusual designs and their structures. After studying at the Royal College of Art, Treacy was mainly influenced by his vivid imagination, surrealism, religious and historic imagery. His specific milliner’s process begins by forming erratic structures using “un-boring” fabrics such as feathers and fringed edging. He places a strong influence on the precise execution and tailoring of his products, creating lines and structures above the head to form an “extra accessory” that ultimately over powers the outfit. Isabella Blow constantly exhibited Treacy’s pieces for a reason more than its whimsical appearance, but to hide her vulnerability behind the veil of her appearance of ‘effortless wealth’.

When asked why she wore Treacy's designs she describes his studio like a plastic surgeons office, if she had a bad day she would go to see Phillip for a creation to hide her face, Blow also later admitted his extravagant designs were to prevent people she’s did not love from kissing her.