Competing Isabella Blow Biographers Attack Each Other
Latest- Detmar Blow and Tom Sykes are trading jibes with Lauren Goldstein Crowe over their dueling Isabella Blow biographies, both of which hit U.S. bookstore stores this week. Everyone is sniping at everyone over the email, sometimes in ALLCAPS!!!
- First, the Guardian called Detmar Blow‘s book, co-written with Sykes, a cheap attempt to “cash in” on his late wife’s name. Then, Goldstein Crowe wrote Racked to share her impression that it was “interesting” that so few of Isabella‘s friends and family attended Blow’s and Sykes’ London book party, while so many went to hers: “Detmar‘s sister and cousin were there as were both Isabella’s sisters and her step-mother and a variety of cousins. Also Philip Treacy and Lucy Ferry who didn’t attend Detmar‘s launch. But hey, that’s the world we live in.” [Racked]
- Then, Tom Sykes wrote to Fashionista to say, “‘Hey, that’s the world we live in’? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Lauren Golsdstein [sic] Crowe’s outrageous insinuation seems to be that somehow her book is the ‘approved version’ because Issie’s sisters came to her book launch. This cannot go unchallenged. Lavinia, Isabella‘s beloved youngest sister, came to the launch of our book in London, and was an honored guest at the dinner afterwards at Annabels. Freddie, Lavinia’s son and one of Issie’s cousins, was also at our launch in New York. And, for God’s sake, DETMAR WAS ISSIE’S HUSBAND FOR ALMOST TWENTY YEARS!!!!” He went on: “I bumped into Lauren Goldstein Crowe at a party a few months go and she told me she was so sick of working on Isabella‘s story that she was giving up writing to become a ‘consultant’! I have to say, judging from the only excerpt I have read, she’d be well advised to do so.” [Fashionista]
- UPDATE: Then, Goldstein Crowe wrote a response to Sykes‘ response to her response. Jesus. Far be it from us mere bloggers to act like some kind of voice of morality here, but a talented and troubled woman died and all these people can think about is their petty little publicity-chasing book-selling feud? [Racked]
- The portion of the whole childish episode that had happened by deadline was duly summarized by Page Six. (Tom Sykes used to write for Page Six.) [P6]
- Meanwhile: as for the actual books, Goldstein Crowe says she came to understand the story of Isabella‘s life as a parable of how Britain’s class system broke down in the second half of the 20th Century. “It is fascinating that all of these [upper-class] girls were chucked out of school at 16,” she says. “They were expected to marry well, and there was no thought given to what they would do. ‘Only lesbians go to university.’ That’s what Isabella’s father would say. He came from the Edwardian era. He did not give much thought to what would happen to these girls,” meaning Isabella Blow and her two sisters. [WWD]
- Model Candace Swanepoel said, of wearing enormous, harp-inspired wings for the Victoria’s Secret show, “It’s like driving a car because they’re so far away from my body. I have to turn them before I turn my body. It’s an honor to get them. I told my trainer, ‘You better prepare me for this!’ We’ve been doing some extra push ups!” [Modelinia]
- Artist Kiki Smith wore a Comme des Garçons jacket to a museum gala — one that had been nibbled at by moths. So Smith patched it with polyester fabric herself. [P6]
- Marc Jacobs posed in a dress, coat, wig, hat, heels, and stockings for the cover of Industrie magazine. [TLF]
- The Times has noticed Marc Jacobs‘ 18,743 West Village stores. [NYTimes]
- Until this Friday at 9 a.m., Tim Selby has made all of his $35 coffee table book, The Selby In Your Place available on his website for free. That includes shots at Karl Lagerfeld‘s book-lined Paris home. [The Selby]
- Gisele Bündchen is apparently going to be the spring face of Balenciaga. [WWD]
- This June, Ralph Lauren sold nearly $1 billion worth of stock. But since that sale, the company’s share price has surged by nearly 30%, to $108.28 yesterday. That means if Lauren were to sell the same shares today, he’d make almost $250 million more. [NYPost]
- In the second quarter of this year, Ralph Lauren earned 15.6% more than it did during the same quarter last year. [WWD]
- Hermès, which has been the target of a stealthy buy from Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, describes the attentions of Bernard Arnault thusly: “It’s like a mosquito buzzing around, and it’s annoying. But it’s very difficult to get a mosquito out.” The family that still controls Hermès is considering funneling its shares into a holding company that would require any shareholder to get prior approval before selling his or her stake, to prevent Arnault and LVMH (or anyone else) from gaining a larger foothold. [Fashionologie]
- Turbans are allegedly “back.” Again. [NYTimes]
- Jessica Biel and Mario Testino stand in barely adequately for Dorian Leigh and Richard Avedon in this re-staging of Revlon‘s iconic “Fire & Ice” ad from the ’50s. [T]
- In other unfortunate impersonations, we shouldn’t even have to say this, but: Kim Kardashian, you are no Barbarella. [TLF]
- Bonnie Takhar, the C.E.O. of Halston, was apparently fired from the company, much to the chagrin of Halston Heritage creative director Sarah Jessica Parker. [P6]
- Dasha Zhukova, the aloof art collector, gallerist, and unmarried partner of scary-rich Roman Abramovitch, has quit Pop magazine in favor of “an independent digital publishing project in the arts.” In just under two years at the magazine, Zhukova did things like getting Takashi Murakami to photograph Britney Spears for the cover, and hiring Tavi Gevinson to edit a special issue. [WWD]
- If you follow fashion on the Internet, you probably know who Anna Dello Russo, Giovanna Battaglia, Kate Lanphear, Katie Grand, and Emmanuelle Alt are. Similarly, if ten years ago you had a guy at Paper Plus who would call every month when “your” copy of Vogue Italia arrived, you probably knew full well who the editors were and what fruit hats they wore, but “on the Internet” is apparently still a sufficient news peg to justify any old Times Styles section trend piece. [NYTimes]
- Hm. André Leon Talley has “the common touch” because he advises customers at the Manolo Blahnik sample sale and sometimes eats at an actual diner? We love the man, but nobody who wears custom crocodile capes as business wear has “the common touch.” [NYPost]
- Andrea Linett, the former creative director of Lucky (and before that, an editor at Sassy), has a new venture called I Want To Be Her. It features illustrations of stylish women, funny little summaries, and, naturally, links to buy the clothes featured. It seems heavily based on the old Lucky Fashion Babble page, which Linett used to direct. [I Want To Be Her via Fashionista]
- The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Nivea ad that claimed 37% of women who used it feel more attractive now than they did ten years ago. [Daily Mail]
- Givenchy is suing BCBG for copying its mega-popular “Nightingale” handbag. [IPTrademarkAttorney]
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