Isabella Blow

One of the world's leading creative women, Isabella Blow vitalized the fashion industry and her suicide in 2007 left it bereft. Countless high-profile fashion talents owe their start and status to Isabella Blow's ceaseless mentoring and encouragement. It was Isabella Blow who discovered Alexander McQueen and purchased his entire graduate collection for £5,000, paying it off in weekly £100 instalments. She spotted Sophie Dahl (who she described as 'a blow up doll with brains), and launched the model's career. She also nurtured and inspired many artists and designers across the industry, Philip Treacy and Hussein Chalayan among them, as well as being a unique stylist, collaborating with world-class photographers on breathtaking and controversial shoots. Martina Rink, former personal assistant to Isabella Blow, has brought together reminiscences and anecdotes from all those who loved Isabella, in a volume that celebrates not only the ecstasy and tragedy of her life but also her outrageous personality, which left an indelible mark on all who met her.