If you haven’t heard already, not so long ago Isabella Blow’s collection of fashion and photographs went to public auction. The amazing Daphne Guinness, stepped in and bought the lot, canceling the auction, to save Blow’s collection from being split up.
Today, in the Financial Times Weekender, Daphne Guinness speaks for the first time about why she simply had to do what she did, in what she calls “a very easy and extremely delicate decision”.
Both Guinness’ and Isabella’s families have been close, with Isabella’s grandmother dating Daphne’s great-grandfather for years. This brought the pair close and they have been great friends for a very long time. Daphne recalls, Lee Alexander McQueen giving her the news of Isabella’s death at 4am one morning and states “neither of us stopped crying for the full hour and a half of our conversation”
So when Daphne found out about the auction, she knew she had to step in and take a concise decision. Calling Isabella’s sister first to pause the auction, she then rang round her trusted friends including David LaChapelle, Shaun Leane and Amanda Harlech to make sure she was doing the right thing. In fact all the above were also worried at the auction and were overjoyed that Daphne wanted to step in.
Daphne states: “The sale at Christie’s could only result in carnage, as souvenir seekers plundered the incredible body of work Issie had created over her life”
going on to say: “I knew i was probably one of the only people who could prevent Issie’s possessions becoming mere morbid memorabilia”.
As we know, the whole fashion world and those who truly appreciate Isabella Blow’s presence could not be more grateful to Daphne Guinness for standing in to not only protect the collection, but stand up and help out good friends. Which leaves us to quote Daphne one more time to call this collection what it really is, “Isabella Blow’s Work of Art”.
