My McQueen

Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow in Essex. "Burning Down the House." Vanity Fair. March 1997. Photo by David LaChapelle.

Many assume the French are the most fashionable people in the world, due to their artfully disheveled sex appeal and "je ne sais quoi," but I've always found British style far more interesting for several reasons. First, traditional English tailoring is beyond compare: shoulders are tastefully amplified, waists are nipped to flatter, and every bespoke detail is painstakingly thought out.

British fashion eccentric Daphne Guinness in Alexander McQueen

Secondly, the British love against-the-grain fashion. They don't care if they're viewed as tacky or insane, and I love them for it. The most fashion-obsessed trendsetters have come out of the UK, and if unconventionalism was an art-form, the Monets, Picassos and Warhols of the world would all be Brits. Fashion over function, style over sensibility, and couture over cost-effectiveness, the British have served as the eccentric inspiration for pop personalities like Lady Gaga for ages.

Sarah Jessica Parker at McQueen's funeral wearing one of his designs. Feb, 25, 2010.

My favorite designer of my lifetime, Alexander McQueen, was London-born. When my friend Megan told me news of his suicide, I couldn't believe it. It was only a few years after his mentor, British eccentric Isabella Blow, took her own life. How could someone who was at the peak of his career have so many demons? Sadly, depression often strikes those who we least expect. His passing was extremely difficult for the fashion world to cope with.

Designs from his Spring 2008 collection, inspired by friend Isabella Blow. My coat is in the middle :)

McQueen was a genius because he mastered both technique and vision; most designers have a difficult time excelling at one of those categories. His dark, often shocking fashion shows never overshadowed his masterful tailoring skills. So imagine my excitement when I came upon one of his Prince of Wales plaid overcoats from his Spring 2008 collection, for less than $200 at a thrift store. I snatched it up in a heartbeat. I usually don't do outfit posts, because I don't want people to think that I think that I'm a model. I know I'm not! But I had to show off this purchase. The details and fit are perfection - everything I would expect from an Alexander McQueen runway piece.

Alexander McQueen coat, BCBG fur scarf, Joie boots.

This Diane von Furstenberg dress is also dear to my heart - it's the first purchase I made after starting FIT as a freshman in 2005! The necklace is vintage - I stole it from my mom.

I had to include my bullmastiff Khan in this photoshoot, because he would be the perfect accessory for a stroll on the English countryside, don't you think?

You can hype my Khan look on lookbook.nu here. Thanks!

Hats off to Isabella Blow

Today marks the first anniversary of British fashion eccentric Isabella Blow’s tragic suicide. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour gave Blow her first big break as her personal assistant and she later worked in London as style editor for Tatler magazine. Issie Blow is reputably known for discovering fashion designer extraordinaire Alexander McQueen and conceptual hat concocter Phillip Treacy, who whipped up Blow’s notoriously bizarre hat wardrobe. Lobsters, sailboats, and antlers were among some of the outrageous designs that graced Ms. Blow's head almost every day.

The fashion world praised Blow for her daring, but the real reason behind her affection for shocking headgear was to obscure her self-loathed face and constant depression. “It pains me to say so, but I’m ugly,” Issie once said. “My face is like a Plantagenet portrait.”

Blow’s inner anguish also came from her extremely difficult childhood. Her grandfather was tried for murdering an Earl and eventually killed himself, her little brother drowned when she was four, her mother abandoned her, and her stepmother kicked her out of her own home. No matter how many rungs she climbed on the social ladder, her depression stayed with her. She hung around with an elite group of friends, lived on a gorgeous estate, and had an adoring husband, but she was miserable inside.

After two failed suicide attempts (Blow wanted to recreate author Virginia Woolf’s grisly suicide, but her plan foiled when the handful of sedatives she took caused her to pass out before she reached the ocean), she finally succeeded after imbibing a considerable amount of Paraquat, a poisonous weed killer. Her two sisters and husband, Detmar, rushed her to the hospital, but it was too late. She died May 7, 2007. She was 48.

This spring, celebrate Issie’s vibrant life with a fabulous hat. But instead of hiding behind it, like Issie did, highlight that gorgeous mug with a glamorous floppy sun hat, a sassy newsboy, or a snappy fedora. Hats shout, “Look at me! I’m brave, I’m ballsy!” They scream personality and mock inhibitions. Indulge in the season’s hottest accessory and shine as brightly as fashion’s most-missed star once did. Issie would be proud.