“He is a Wild Bird, and I Think he Makes Clothes Fly”

Isabella Blow and Lee McQueen’s relationship was undoubtedly the most colossal yet tragic combinations between two professionals the fashion industry had ever seen. Their understated unique understanding of each other created an energy on another level which ultimately amounted to Blow’s downfall. At McQueen’s Graduate show at Central Saint Martins, London, Isabella was seated on one of the lower steps, struggling to find a seat. She immediately devoured over his MA collection describing it as “the most beautiful thing I had ever seen”. It was a collection epitomising  “savatage and tradition” what the nineties represented. Following his graduation, Blow took off where the College left and purchased his entire MA collection for £5,000, paying it off in weekly instalments of £100. She desired his talent so badly as to her it brought something “modern and special” to the repetitive fashion cycle at that time, a step that would challenge her career for ever.

Lee McQueen was the son of a taxi driver, raised in east London he was one of the industry’s wildest anarchists. He announced from an early age he wanted to be a designer and left school with only one O-level in Art. His friends often described his younger mindset and style as “Donatella Versace goes skateboarding” an unusual juxtaposition of words which represented his homemade designs. He later went on to work in an apprenticeship at a Saville Row tailor, Anderson and Sheppard, which allowed him to gain the skills and knowledge which epitomises his precisely cut British bespoke tailoring throughout his label. While at his apprenticeship it was rumoured he drew on the canvas of Prince Charles’ jacket, however the small sketch was never found. McQueen later went on to apply for a job as a pattern cutter at Central Saint Martins but was declined the opportunity as he would have been be the same age as his students. He returned the following day with samples of his work and was immediately offered a place at the prestigious college.

When Blow took Lee on as her second protégé she encouraged him to produce controversial, eccentric collections that would produce an uproar among the press. His Autumn/Winter collection, named ‘Highland Rape’ epitomises Blow’s words of shock tactics, as McQueen sent distressed, violently angry models down the catwalk. Dressed in torn and dishevelled fabrics, this collection delved deep into McQueen’s soul, showcasing his sister’s violent and brutalised youth. Blows words of wisdom ultimately produced great things for the designer, staging the majority of his catwalk collections in dimly lit warehouses, a far ride away from the glamorous fashion week tents in central London. This captured the sharp words of the press but as Isabella advised, gave him publicity, despite being controversial or not. Blow and McQueen’s flair for showmanship combined with the outrageous bespoke designs led the label to a twice-yearly spectacle, when Isabella declared the labels name would be changed to ‘Alexander McQueen’ due to her pet name ‘Alexander The Great’ for him. Ultimately Isabella was the best thing that could ever have happened to Lee McQueen, disappointingly leading him after years of friendship with Blow to sell fifty-one percent their jointly treasured brand to the Gucci group in 2001. A hard hitting deal that brought Blow into despair when Lee disregarded her as he transferred to Paris. This sent Blows traumatic and turbulent private life into the foreground when her manic depression began to peak. A few months over a year after Blow’s suicide, McQueen hung himself in the wardrobe of his Mayfair home a few days short of fashion week. This extra-ordinary collaboration is for me clearly represented in one of McQueen’s most memorable quotes, “fly that close to the sun, you’ll burn the wings and melt the wax”.



After Isabella's death McQueen and Treacy, two of the most treasured people in Blow's life collaborated in Spring/Summer 2008 to produce McQueens catwalk collection dedicated to Isabella's life.