Isabella Blow, a prominent British fashion editor known for her avant-garde headgear, is the focus of a new biopic titled “The Queen of Fashion,” directed by Alex Marx and starring Andrea Riseborough. The film aims to shed light on her significant contributions to the fashion industry, including launching the career of designer Alexander McQueen, and her role in positioning 1990s London as a creative hub.

Blow, remembered for her extravagant hats created by Philip Treacy, including a black galleon headpiece at her 2007 funeral, has often been a subject of fascination. Emine Saner, who worked with Blow at Sunday Times Style, described her as brilliant yet exhausting, with a distinctive style likened to “Wallis Simpson as envisaged by Salvador Dalí.”

Despite her aristocratic background, Blow faced financial struggles and failed to capitalize financially on her influence in fashion. She bought McQueen’s entire graduate collection for £5,000, paying in weekly installments, and felt overlooked when McQueen gained fame.

“The Queen of Fashion” contributes to a 2024 trend of fashion biopics, alongside projects on Karl Lagerfeld, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and John Galliano. The film aims to honor Blow’s legacy as a visionary who recognized and nurtured talent, despite her tumultuous personal life marked by depression and bipolar disorder. She left a lasting impact on the fashion world, accentuating the head and feet in her style choices and mentoring designers like Hussein Chalayan.

Blow’s life, filled with both glamour and hardship, continues to captivate and inspire, highlighting the transformative power of creativity in the fashion industry.