To tell the story of Isabella you would think you’d need 100 writers, but Lauren Goldstein Crowe has been able to tell us all this in one very good book’ Valentino

In 2007 the news of Isabella Blow’s suicide made headlines around the world – but there is more to her story than this tragic end. A supporter of milliner Philip Treacy and the woman who discovered designer Alexander McQueen, Blow was a spark, an electrical impulse that set imaginations racing and a unique individual who pushed others to create their best work.

Her fascination with Fashion began early, as did a willingness to wear – and say – things to amuse and shock. She began her career in New York as assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue. Over time she found fame for her work, yet it wasn’t enough to assuage her devastating feelings of inadequacy. Still, in her darkest moments – even as she began a series of suicide attempts and prolonged hospital stays – Blow retained her wicked sense of humour, making her friends laugh as they struggled to help.

Lauren Goldstein Crowe has written a superbly entertaining narrative, wrapping anecdotes of Isabella’s antics around a candid, insightful portrayal of a woman whose thirst for the fantastical ultimately became irreconcilable with life in the real world.