We’re all excited to see Ellie Bamber portray a young Kate Moss in Moss & Freud, but there’s another fashion biopic you should know about—one that tells the story of the legendary, eccentric stylist and editor Isabella Blow.
Titled The Queen of Fashion, the film is directed by Alex Marx, who has spent over nine years developing this debut feature. Playing the iconic style icon is Oscar-nominated British actor Andrea Riseborough, known for her roles in Birdman, The Death of Stalin, To Leslie, Lee, and The Regime.
The film explores Blow’s life—her triumphs and struggles—as she championed rising talents like Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, and Sophie Dahl, propelling them to fame while battling undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
Born in London, Blow moved to New York in her early 20s to study at Columbia before dropping out and relocating to Texas, where she worked for Guy Laroche. Returning to Manhattan in the ’80s, she became an assistant to Anna Wintour at Vogue US and later worked with André Leon Talley, befriending figures like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
In 1986, she returned to London, working for Tatler under Michael Roberts. She became known for wearing Treacy’s bold hats and even let him use her flat for his collections. She famously bought McQueen’s entire graduate collection for £5,000 and later became Tatler’s fashion director.
Blow struggled with depression and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, undergoing electroshock therapy. She also faced ovarian cancer. In her final years, she attempted suicide multiple times before taking her own life in 2007 at age 48.
Joining Riseborough in the cast are Stacy Martin as socialite Daphne Guinness, Richard E. Grant as Blow’s estranged father, Fionn O’Shea as Philip Treacy, and Michelle Dockery as former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman. The ensemble also includes Dane DeHaan as Blow’s husband Detmar, Miranda Richardson as her mother, Ncuti Gatwa as Michael Roberts, Joe Cole as McQueen, and Emily Beecham as her close friend Lucy Birley.
Daphne Guinness has lent couture pieces from the Isabella Blow Collection to the production, while Philip Treacy provided full access to his archives, and Manolo Blahnik recreated custom shoes. With filming now complete, this stylish, dramatic biopic will hit theaters soon.