Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! at Somerset House

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Wed 20 Nov 2013 - Sun 02 Mar 2014

Fashion has never been a passion of mine; I go for comfort over style any day. But for many men and women, staying in touch with the latest trends is almost as important as staying in touch with their family. But fashion is such a broad term; there are so many areas of fashion that people may be interested in. What is it for for you? Jewellery, handbags, shoes? For the late Isabella Blow, it was hats. It was in fact her childhood love of dressing up in her mother's pink hat that set off her fashion career. In a 2002 interview for The Observer, she said that her flamboyant style for wearing extravagant hats was 'to keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye. I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love.' I can understand where she is coming from; I'm not a touchy feely person, and wearing an obstructive hat is a silent and polite method of getting people to keep their distance.

At Somerset House, the life, career, and wardrobe of Isabella Blow is being explored in a brand new exhibition, open until the 2nd March. Fashion Galore! Her thirty year career began as an assistant for US Vogue magazine in the 1980s, after which she returned to London to work for the UK version of the magazine.

The exhibit showcases hundreds of important pieces from Blow's private collection, which includes outfits by designers that she herself, inspired, such as Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, Hussein Chalayan, and Julien Macdonald.

Tickets to the exhibit are £12.50 or £10 concessions, but if you visit on a Monday, entry is reduced to £6.50. There will also be special events run to coincide with the exhibit. For example, you can take a perfume masterclass, learn about the dos and don'ts of lipstick, watch films, and even see a falconry display.

#exhibitions
#fashion
#fun_things_to_do
#historic_houses
#strand
#things_to_see
#november
#december
#january
#february
!date 20/11/2013 -- 02/03/2014
%wnlondon