Early 20th Century body shapes – which decade are you?
I have previously written about the three basic body types – straight, semi-shaped, and shaped. This describes the actual position of the body structure and is nothing to do with how fat or slim you are.
In my opinion it is easier to explain about the shapes that flatter your figure type best if we refer to vintage dress making patterns. These normally show clearly how the optical illusion is achieved.
The basic idea with dressing for your shape which is the most important aspect of looking your best is to choose shapes which emphasise the best aspects of your body (legs, waist or bust for example) and disguise the less attractive parts. By choosing an era to suit you will be able to find contemporary patterns or outfits that have some of the features, but feel free to use vintage patterns. If you use modern fabrics, and get the length right for you will not look like you are in a play!
Let’s have a look at the typical body shape of the key decades of the 20th century. Because there are so many pictures I will do this post in two parts. More tomorrow!
1920s
Here is the typical 1920s silhouette. The focal point in all these dresses is the dropped waist/high hip, with the actual waist and bust de-emphasised. The long, column like silhouette was finished at both ends with neat hair and shoes, making the wearer appear as tall and thin as possible. It is easy to see which body shape works best with this style, isn’t it? The straight body where the hips and bust are relatively slim, with strong shoulders and not much waist. When this shape came in it was a real departure from nearly all previous styles in Western dress, where femininity and curves were emphasised, even if you didn’t have them, through the use of corsets and highly shaped skirts and jackets. If you have a straight, athletic body then variations on this look are great for you. The open or V neck keeps it fairly simple around the face with buttons, asymmetric detailing, showy belts, or long necklaces bringing the eye down to the hip.
1930s
In the 1930s there was a move away from this very distinctive shape, in that the waist was now emphasised again. But the shoulders are generally emphasised with gathered sleeves, shoulder pads or lots of detail above the waist. The lower parts of the dress are very slim and often cut on the bias to really cling to hips, thighs and legs. A great look if you have a slim hips, broad shoulders and nice long legs. Generally this style suits the straight body shape as well, although if you have a semi-straight body with a good waist it will also work well. If you have a round bottom and hips it just looks wrong.
1940s
By the 1940s the curved figured women eventually get a break. The shoulder emphasis remained (I think all of these dresses would have a shoulder pad) but more to balance out fuller hips.The clear emphasis on the waist, and the fullness of the skirt provides a perfect disguise for the shaped figure with full bust and hips. If you are an hour-glass or a pear go for the 1940s. I personally love these shapes are have always been attracted to them, buying and wearing original 1940s and war-time frocks in the 1970s. If you have a nice slim waist these styles are very flattering.
Tomorrow I will cover the 1950s to the 1980s.
Do you have a decade you prefer?
What to wear to work when it is baking hot
One of my popular posts was how to look elegant in bad weather, as it addressed how to dress in London most of the time.
Conversely this post is only relevant in the UK for ten days a year.
Or so I believed. Apparently the number of hot days the UK experiences each year has increased from about 10, on average, in the 1960s, to about 25 a year during the past decade. And, according to the Financial Times this week “hot summers are expected to become far more frequent in the next few decades”.
So for a nation that finds air conditioning unnecessary and too cold, and rarely takes off its vest, this will require some adaptation. We will have to get into the habit of carrying sunglasses and sunscreen, rather than a compact umbrella, in our handbags. We might have to consider actually sun bathing on beaches rather than just whipping off our jumpers, and hitching up our skirts, on any bit of suitable green land. And maybe our wine will stop being a joke (to the French at least).
So what to wear, to work, when it is 37 degrees? Should you go for a see-through version of your usual outfit?
For me the last few days have been brilliant. I have managed to get some wear out of my favourite dresses. I have worn my hand painted floral SWAP dress, my YSL Mondrian dress and the Geoffrey Beene white dress. Without a jacket or cardigan! With my flat pink or brown leather ballet flats. It felt so lovely to walk around with bare arms and legs – not something we experience regularly in London.
Here are two of my colleagues from Notting Hill Housing looking absolutely appropriate at work yestrday. Haroon and Eve are members of our super IT team. Don’t they look great? Like models! Haroon is wearing a dark shirt and shoes with a pair well cut light stone trousers. And Eve has a nice comfortable but smart jersey dress in a similar light neutral shade. The yellow shoes and scarf and interesting earrings just set this outfit off to perfection. We have the air conditioning on and the scarf is useful if it turns cooler on the way to and from work.
Here are my suggestions – For women
- A light weight sleeveless knee-length (or slightly longer) dress in cotton, linen or silk
- Cotton underwear – just a bra and pants
- Tights are not necessary so long as the skirt is not too short
- Smart leather sandals in a complementary colour, matched to a belt or jewellery
- A cardigan, shawl or very light jacket in your bag in case of a sudden change in the weather
The Trades Union Congress has suggested what they want to see the working classes wearing in this weather: shorts and a vest. I am not sure about the vest but shorts are definitely acceptable.
Here is Notting Hill Housing Officer Lyron looking perfectly dressed for the weather. It is a very casual look, but suitable for visiting tenants at home, checking on repairs and generally making sure his customers are happy. I like the way he has chosen shoes that work with his polo shirt and shorts.
For men
- Shorts are OK but tailored is best, with waist band, fly and pockets
- Alternatively light weight linen or cotton tailored trousers in a light or neutral shade
- Don’t wear a vest but do wear a collared T-shirt, cotton or linen shirt. Short sleeves are fine in very hot weather
- Ties are absolutely not necessary
- Include some accessories such as a leather belt and watch strap
- Loafers or leather sandals and no socks
- Sports shoes are OK if you are young and stylish. Again without socks
Take your sunglasses and a hat and enjoy eating your lunch outside.
Any other tips?
Thai Fisherman’s Trousers
When we went to Thailand I discovered Thai Fisherman’s Trousers. Here are some pictures of the type of thing.
The ones I brought back were in slightly heavier cotton, and I have worn them a lot; around the house, for sleeping in, and for yoga. Esme likes them and borrowed a pair when she appeared in a short film (to promote breast feeding). I really like the two pairs I have but the colours are fairly nasty – faded terracotta, and mossy green.
I know that wide legged trousers are supposed to suit me but when I try tailored styles I just hate them. The nice thing about this style is that they sort of celebrate the fullness of the leg allowing an unstructured look. I am not really into “art teacher chic”, or “Lagenlook” at all, but there is something I really like about these trousers. Elegantly simple in their design; adjustable and easy to customise; traditional; easy to make; quirky but comfortable.
So, just before our walking holiday in Romania, I thought I might make up a pair or two, but shorter. Let’s see how I got on.
Making a pattern
Firstly – a pattern. There are lots of diagrams on the internet, and Burda has a free, downloadable pattern. But having looked closely at the pairs I already have I think it is really very simple to make these without a paper pattern. If you create the four (five or six if you want pockets) oblongs of fabric by tearing there is only one bit to actually cut (the crotch). The pants are the same at the back and the front.
These pants will fit lots of people from s8 to s16 UK. They are pretty baggy on slim figures and more fitted on bigger bodies. They work for men too.
- One piece (with a selvedge for the top waist) 50″x11″. This forms the top yoke section.
- For the leg sections you need two pieces 30″ x 26″, with the longer edge joining the top section, and 26″ representing the length from the bottom of the yoke to the ankle. At 10cms from the top, curve up to 25″ and down to 21″ at the hem. This creates the crotch shape. If you want knee length shorts then an oblong of 32″x 20″ is required. For short shorts then 32″ x 11″ will suffice.
- Optional pocket (one or two). I made patch pockets from a piece of fabric about 9″x11″.
- One long piece 50″x3″ for the ties.
I tore all the pieces rather than cut them. This ensured I was on grain throughout and also reduced the cutting out time. The only cutting you do is two cuts to create the crotch piece.
Order of work
I used my overlocker to make this a quick job. You can use a normal machine stitch but consider flat felled seams or French seams as these items are robust and go into the washing machine.
- Make the tie by folding in half, pressing, then turning in the edges. (Like making bias tape, but on the straight grain) This enables you to stitch on the outside so you don’t need to turn through.
- Make the pockets by folding in the edges and a deeper top, pressing, then top stitching.
- Centre the tie, about one-third up from the bottom of the yoke, and attach it to the yoke piece. Sew down around 8″ – 4″ each side of the CB.
- Stitch the two legs together at the CB seam, press to one side. Fold the hems under, press and stitch.
- Attach the leg pieces in one straight line to the yoke. Press downwards.
- Pin the pockets half way across the leg piece(s) ensuring the top of the pocket lines up with the yoke seam, and sew to the trousers.
- Now stitch the CF seam from the top of the yoke to the base of the crotch, making sure to match the yoke seam.
- Finally stitch up the inner leg seam from one hem edge to the other in a big arch.
Pocket placement
I used a rectangular patch pocket and lined up the top with the yoke seam, and so that the pocket was half to the back and half to the front of the leg.
Fabric choices
The full length pair were made out of a nice, stable Dutch Wax print, that I had used before. I really like using this fabric, not least because it is printed on both sides, so it was perfect for this project, where the yoke folds down over the ties. These are comfy – ideal around-the-house pants, and fun to wear.
I was keen to see if there was a version of these trousers that could be semi-formal, and good enough to go out in. The knee length pair are made from some mid-weight grey-blue linen I got at Simply Fabrics for £5 a metre. These are dressed up, ready for work. I really like this length on me. I think they look Japanese with the waist folds. Origami – yeah.
The third pair short shorts were made from a nasty old Boden wrap around skirt I got in a charity shop. I liked the fact it was linen and the colours were pretty. I think I have used this colour way before. However I don’t think these work too well. Mainly because the big fold is so dominant with the shorter length. Because the top folds over I was forced to reverse the fabric so that the right side showed at the top. I kept the fringed edge (from the orignal skirt) but it just looks frayed. OK to wear when bathing a chocolate covered boy, but not to wear out. These will be in the Oxfam bag tomorrow.
Developing the pattern
Since making these up in three different lengths I have been thinking of making an all in one, which might look something like this. I like the way the fold comes across the body which is then cinched in with the wide belt. I will work on it – I like the way the pockets are embedded in the folds – and let you know how I get on.
Kondo 0.9 The Sewing books
Kondo suggests books are dealt with as a category of their own as many people hang on to every book they have ever read.
I remember in the 1970s and 1980s that all the erudite folk I knew had bookcases through out their homes. On the walls, going up the stairs, books in the toilet, books piled up by the bed. There was a fad for making bookshelves out of bricks stacked in piles with planks on top.
It was a way of showing you were knowledgable and wise. People came round and were impressed that you had read Proust, the Iliad and Gombrich on Art. You may also have read some good novels – Gormenghast, The Hobbit, Gunter Grasse, Jack Kerouac and Norman Mailer. An AJP Taylor History of the Second World War and a Readers’ Digest book of birds. An ostentatious Oxford English Dictionary in more than one Volume. A few well known kitchen-sink plays and Cider with Rosie. If one of your A levels had been a modern language you would have French books with their tasteful restrained covers. Lots of maps from your trips to Afghanistan and the Outer Hebrides. And a few outsize books with colourful plates by Hieronymous Bosch and Andy Warhol, on their sides.
If they are still there, according to Kondo, it is time to let them go. Let someone else have the fun of discovery.
I am not that person. Years ago I decided I was never going to read the books that had supported me as I grew up and learnt about the world. I passed them all on and reduced my book collection to a few paperbacks I would read on holiday. And I made a point of handing each paperback on to another person, once read. This meant I could give them pleasure and keep my home tidy at one and the same time. Then I got a Kindle and now on holiday I just take my small reader with several books on it and I find it very convenient and much easier and lighter to hold. It gives me great pleasure to carry it in the back pocket of my jeans.
However I do have a need for a few sewing books. Not many. Just a few to help me learn new skills – draping, pattern cutting, sewing techniques, fitting. I do use these books as reference, although a huge amount is available on the internet. I have maybe 20 or so. Last time I sewed (1980s) sewing was not such a popular hobby and I had dozens of really beautiful vintage sewing, drafting and fashion books, mostly acquired for a few pence in charity shops. I got rid of them years ago, but I have a hankering for these old books which are still more or less relevant. So I admit I am starting to collect a few old books, in a sense to replace a loved, lost item…
Anyway I tidied my books this weekend, and I am pleased with my achievement. You will see my wax pot is there too. It is not exactly the right place for it. But it is a perfect spot. One nice feature of my cupboard is that the shelves are movable so I can accommodate four sizes of books. Nearly all these books are second hand, or note books, some of which I covered myself. There is one novel I bought at a station on one of those annoying buy-three-for-the-price-of-two offers. I will read it when I have finished my current book (one of the others from that special offer).
These books sit above my computer at my desk. It makes them very convenient. And when I don’t want to consult them, I just shut the door.
Do you have a library, or a hoard of books? Cookery books? Poetry? Art exhibition books? Vintage books? Books with great bindings?
Finding an evening class in London
My father used to go to “night school” every week throughout my childhood. He had been a Prisoner of War in Poland, having been shot down during the Second World War. Despite this unpleasant experience he was never anti-German and he very much admired their approach to business. He learnt some German during the war and wanted to become proficient. He also spoke enough French and Spanish to get by on, and I am sad to say I did not inherit his ability.
But I did inherit his attitude to life long learning and going to classes after work as an act of self-improvement.
My mother, too, went to learn flower arranging, upholstery, pottery, watercolours, and braille. So you can see that we all enjoy learning and meeting people.
I have tried to encourage my children. When they were small we went to “Family Workshops” which included activities for the children and the adults in the same room, with two teachers. That was bliss. And when she was older Esme went to journalism classes, and sound engineering, and joined me for a term of pattern cutting. Gus and I went to learn about short story writing together. I love the concept of learning together with family members.
At the moment, however, I go on my own, and know that I will always meet interesting people, some of whom will become good friends.
This term I have done the modelling on the stand course, but it will soon be over and I will sign up for something new.
What will it be? I know some readers, especially those that don’t live in big cities, believe that we are spoiled for choice in London. But despite there being thousands of courses I am finding deciding on one that works for me to be something of a challenge.
Here are some of the topics I am considering.
- millinery
Too small top hat - silver jewellery making
New Zealand insect brooch - more modelling on the stand
Draped dress (back view) - knitting
(the other) Kate Davies owls design - tailoring, or couture sewing techniques
Stella McCartney suit
However I am restricted by the timings – in the week Monday and Friday evenings are best for me as work meetings and events are less common on these nights. There are weekend courses too, but I usually like to relax a bit more at the weekends. So I have been searching by the colleges for a suitable topic.
- There is a contemporary millinery course at Morley, but takes place on a Wednesday so that more or less rules it out for me. All their other courses in hat making are sadly in the day.
- The same problem exists with a jewellery making course at Mary Ward – Wednesdays are just too busy for me.
- I have considered doing an Art Foundation course at Mary Ward. This involves doing a range of classes. Some of the textile course students who I met last year were on the Art Foundation course. This is a one year course, with two evening a week being required, plus some weekends, and would be very demanding. I have always thought I might do this when I retire, but I feel it would be amazing to do now. I know I would have to do some courses I am not naturally attracted to like drawing, water colours or sculpture, but I always learn more when I do things that I wasn’t originally attracted to.
- Kensington and Chelsea college do some interesting millinery courses including thermoplastics and fabric hats, both of which appeal, but the dates are no good.
- I have found a six-week pottery course on a Saturday which might be good if Nick wanted to do a course with me, although it would cut into the sewing time.
- There are some amazing one week courses available at Central St Martins which is very close to my Kings Cross office. Taking a week off work to study knitwear design, or couture tailoring techniques is appealing, although I actually prefer doing my learning in chunks with a week to think and possibly practice in between.
- There is a serious tailoring course over 10 weeks, one day a week, at Morley, run by Daniel Kinne. I don’t think I can justify taking the time of work, but if you want a really good course this one is recommended by many people.
- I have searched in vain for knitting courses. I don’t want a beginners course. I can knit quite well. What I cannot do is knit shapes to make clothes with. I have never made a jumper or cardigan and want to know how to get the tension, sizing, shaping, fitting, blocking and joining sorted out, with supervision. There are a few of these but they seem to be based in suburbs – and I don’t really want to be travelling home late at night. I also found a great machine knitting course at the CASS, but I know where that would lead. To the purchase of a knitting machine and then my sewing machine would start crying.
- On Mondays at Morley I could do more draping – skirts with Lynda – which is an attractive option. I have almost completed her draped dress course.
- I am hovering on Vanda’s Intermediate pattern cutting. This is on a Tuesday night at Morley and comes recommended by my friend Galina.
So after hours of searching I think I have narrowed it down to either pattern cutting or more draping on the stand. I will let you know what I decide on.
Are you signing up for any courses this autumn? Or do you prefer to learn with videos, from books or just trial and error?
Beginner’s knitting – slipper pattern identification
From the sublime – building a new home – to the ridiculous – a pair of worn out slippers. Have you ever seen anything like this? If so do you know where I might find the pattern?
I know these slippers are very scruffy and rather embarrassing. The knitting is rustic and they are coming apart at the seams. They have attracted bits of cotton thread from the dressmakers’ floor. The colour combination is not very thrilling and I am pretty sure they are made from a low-cost, synthetic yarn.
The reason they are battered is because I have worn them quite a lot. Oh gosh they are so crushed on the soles.
The reason I am asking for the pattern is because I would like to replace them. Possibly in a nicer colour, and maybe in a quality yarn. But of course I don’t actually know very much about knitting at all. I can do a few stitches, and I have made scarves, blankets and very simple baby clothes. I am a beginner knitter.
I would like to get into knitting in a small way. Maybe learn from doing a project like this how to shape knitted fabric, how to join pieces, how to get the sizing (tension) right.
I found slipper patterns on the internet, many (such as the hospital slipper) dating from the Second World War. But none as nice as the ones I have.
I know how many of you love to knit. Do you know of this pattern, or a very similar one? It struck me that knitted nicely, from small amounts of left over wool, these slippers might make an acceptable gift. I know they were a gift I appreciated greatly.
Our new project – Cotswold House 0.1
I mentioned that my husband had been making a butchers’ shop. Now he has a new project.
I am beyond excited to announce that we are going to build our own home. We are currently working on the interior arrangement of the house (which has been designed by Andy Ramus).
For years Nick has been dreaming of getting a place in the country – perhaps in rural France, or southern Spain. Then again we considered Paris or Barcelona. We like the countryside and we love cities. We love travelling and the outdoor lifestyle – eating, drinking coffee, going to see museums, enjoying a different culture and cuisine. We have never done anything about it because I have been resistant to the idea getting somewhere abroad, of feeling obliged to go there every time you get a week off work, of learning another language – while I heartily approve of languages I just can’t get enthusiastic about the effort involved. I don’t really want to know the word for septic tank in Italian.
I, on the other hand, have always wanted to build our own home, designed for our lifestyle. I work in housing and construct 1,500 new homes a year so the design of homes is a topic I do get excited about. My vision has been – Modern architecture, a brand new, eco-friendly and efficient home in a beautiful and peaceful setting. Nick has always wanted to live outside London at some point, ideally at the sea-side, by a river or lake. He loves the water. A place where we can breathe more easily. I have asthma and the air in London is terribly polluted. So after lots of consideration we have decided to invest our pension “pots” in a place in the English countryside. We hope to use it for weekends and holidays, and to share it with our family and friends.
Just over an hour from London we have just bought this small piece of land in the Cotswolds, near Cirencester. It’s hard to make out but it is on the edge of a lake, with a little stream that runs into the River Thames, running in front of the site. The bright green plastic sheet marks the boundary.
There is so much wildlife in the area – birds, fish, beavers, otters and lots of plants including orchids. We are longing to get acquainted with the local area and countryside.
That’s it so far – a little bit of a large field, and a great view.
The house is on two floors with a flat roof. It was designed as a 4/5 bed house with four bathrooms. We have enlarged the bedrooms, shrunk the bathrooms and got rid of one of each. At the moment we talk of nothing else, and Nick is busy with his pencil, ruler, furniture cutouts and camera.
The builder starts in six weeks so there are dozens of decisions to be made. We are doing all we can to get maximum light and sunshine into the house, and I have yet to decide how I will accommodate my sewing machine and ironing board. I will give you an occasional update as we go along.
I can’t tell you how excited we are.
Topstitching the yellow summer jacket (Vogue 7133)
Once my Vogue 7133 jacket was lined and had bias strips attached at the hems, and the hemming was complete, I thought about topstitching.
It’s been fairly long project and there is a sense of “oh no, another stage to complete”. Karen tells me she loves topstitching, and Mary Funt has given me some good advice (take off the pockets and put them the other way up), but I still approached this stage with trepidation. I have top stitched a few tailored garments and I have quite a nice technique, but it has the potential to lift or ruin a garment.
A dressmaking tutor I had years ago who had worked in the 1960s as a designer in RTW, told me that although she frequently designed with top stitching (her own day-to-day suits invariably featured it) it was always lost during the production process. Mainly because as essentially a hand-sew technique it was too expensive and time-consuming to include. There are, now, of course, machines which give a reasonable impression of being hand stitched, but the best men’s suits and coats are those that are tailored to include this “exclusive” feature.
So perhaps nothing says “couture” or hand finished as much as topstitching.
However, if your stitching is uneven, too tight or too loose, the garment can look terribly home-made.
Here is my jacket before I started doing the top stitching.The bulky (but beautifully light) wool is calling out for a little definition, so even if the pattern didn’t demand it I would say this was a good candidate for a bit of the old topstitching. The point of it, practically, is not just decorative. It keeps all the edges of your jacket or coat from turning out, and by doing the sewing by hand, you gently manipulate and mould every edge to lie exactly as you want it. And the actual jacket edge looks defined and a bit like piping.
The weather is lovely in London this week, so I wore my jacket out even though it is not finished. A (male) work colleague and a blog reader (Patricia Brown) both complimented me on it. I think it is a great colour for me and it makes me feel really happy.
Here are the instructions. I had a long car journey this weekend, going to see my Mother in Lancashire, so apart from replacing the pockets I did the top stitching in the car.
Once I arrived in Lancashire my Mum (with whom we celebrated her 87th birthday) asked to try it on.
You will see having let my Mum try it on I had a hard time getting it back.
And here it is on me. I love it. Warm, light, a great colour and just the thing I needed to add to my wardrobe. I wore it again yesterday with a pink skirt and shell top.
Sewing tattoos
There appears to be a link between sewing and
a) running marathons
b) cats and dogs
c) making cakes (you know I am thinking of you Demented Fairy)
d) growing vegetables (as you would expect from a member of the Mole family)
and e) tattoos.
Sewing is my only hobby. I like to read, but I generally prefer to sew, and for me going to the gym is mainly for my mental health (and trim arms…). Unlike Kbenco, Sew2Pro, Canadian Stephanie and Scruffy Badger, I don’t really like running. Our home is pet free – although I love the russet dachshunds that sneak into Anne‘s posts – and our “garden” consists of a few baskets and pots. Having cooked on an almost industrial scale when the family were young I more or less leave food to my husband, or the professionals. However I think most of these things “go” quite well with sewing. But tatooing. Have you noticed a link between sewing, blogging and tattoos?
I don’t get it. Needles? Design? Colour? Something addictive about it?
Maybe masochism is amongst us.
Anyway this is just to introduce you to this phenomenon, much of it very detailed, very colourful and generally nostalgic for a type of sewing machine our mothers or grandmothers may have used.
These motifs appear again and again – scissors, pins, tapes and buttons. The look seems to be “modern retro”, with dyed hair, defined waists, petticoats and lots of black fabric.
There is a Flickr group with lots more photographs, if you are interested. On reflection I am wondering if the tatooed are attracted to sewing. Bespoke gowns are what goes with ornate tattoos, perhaps, rather than the other way around.
Have you got some scissors on your bosom, a button on your belly or a tape measure round your waist?
Isabella Blow’s Personal Style
I have been intrigued by the late Isabella Blow for years, but have been stimulated (by the McQueen play) to find out something about her. As I am doing had a mini-series about people who dress stylishly I thought that poor Issie deserved a post. Her personality is summarised by one of her biographers, Lauren Goldstein Crowe:
A wickedly funny, tragically insecure, very vulnerable little girl hiding beneath a painstakingly created fantastic facade that attracted the attention of the world.
Isabella is famous for
- Being a PA to Vogue editor Anna Wintour
- Working as a stylist
- Editing various fashion supplements and magazines
- Buying Alexander McQueen’s entire first collection
- Promoting Philip Treacy, hat maker
- Committing suicide in 2007
“Stylist” is a word that can include someone who runs around for the photographer checking for loose threads, but IB was a proper stylist. A highly artistic individual with a good education and a sense of humour she knew how to put things together beautifully from an early age.
However you have to feel sorrow and sympathy for her. This poor woman, tragically blamed for the accidental death of her baby brother, and by implication for the failure of her parents marriage, was talented and emotionally needy in equal measure. Her dysfunctional family had some upper class credentials but a funny attitude to money so Isabella always worried about not having enough (love or money). Two failed marriages, eight unsuccessful attempts at IVF, ovarian cancer and severe mental health problem, Blow was both embraced and rejected by the Fashion in-crowd. Her funeral was well attended by the rich, famous and stylishly extreme. On her coffin – white roses and an extravagant black galleon-at-sail Philip Treacy hat.
Sadly Isabella Blow felt ugly and was decidedly unhappy about her appearance. As you can see she wasn’t ugly at all – just an ordinary or normal looking girl. In fact her lovely figure and natural dress sense meant she generally looked sensational. The amazing outfits she was given or bought from modern designers meant she always made a statement, with courage and charm. I love the black and white dog-tooth dress she is wearing with a lips hat. She said she dressed up to prop herself up, so unhappy she was with her own raw material – a woman with a high-profile but crippling low self-esteem.
Always interestingly dressed she liked well-fitting clothes, bare arms, bustier and tremendous hats.
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