“Good taste is the worst vice ever invented” – Edith Sitwell
Eccentrics past and present have adopted idiosyncratic habits that have set them apart. Presenting unconventional fashion choices and challenging society’s expectations, eccentrics embrace their individual style and do not bow to trends or what is 'current'.
Our latest collection The Eccentrics is inspired by Josephine Baker, Little Edie and Isabella Blow – all powerful forces in a world often overruled by expectations and social norms, unapologetically true to themselves. We've taken the opportunity to look into the lives of these famous Eccentrics!
ISABELLA BLOW
Born in 1958, Isabella Blow was described by many as great fun. She was an aristocrat, fashion editor, style icon, muse and a much-loved personality. Blow was the personification of the English eccentric to many, thrown into the fashion world in the 80s as Anna Wintour’s assistant at US Vogue, soon becoming renowned for her extrovert dress sense, opinions and eye for talent.
Blow’s thirty-year career included working for Vogue, The Sunday Times Style and Tatler. Her wealth of knowledge and wit was shared with those she discovered, credited for nurturing and inspiring many artists and designers, including Alexander McQueen. Her statement outfits were often extreme, she wasn’t afraid to wear what she wanted. Blow was synonymous with what she wore, her look was an outright representation of who she was: dramatic, expressive and honest.
“Issie understood that fashion is a very, very serious business in terms of civilisation and culture," said writer Adrian Gill. "It’s the one piece of culture that every single person in the world participates in. Not everybody reads poetry or listens to music, but every single person in the world gets up in the morning and puts on something, and whether you like it or not, that’s a statement about who you are.”
LITTLE EDIE (Edith Bouvier Beale)
Born in New York in 1917, Edith Bouvier Beale was a fashion model, performer, socialite and discouraged actress. Nicknamed 'Little Edie' to differentiate between herself and her mother 'Big Edie' whom she lived with in a fourteen-room mansion in East Hampton called Grey Gardens.
Albert and David Maysles released a documentary about the two eccentrics in 1975 highlighting their unusual lifestyle, intense relationship and bizarre perspectives on the world. Little Edie fascinated the world, not only with her personality but her ingenious style. Edie would mix fabrics and repurpose them, using a skirt as a cape or transforming her mother's curtains into extraordinary homemade clothing.
The legacy of Grey Gardens can be felt more in the world of fashion, Edie and her mother had no rules, reminding us that we make our own rules – you can be beautiful wearing anything, as long as you're true to yourself. Some may say that Big and Little Edie mastered the art of dressing up to stay home way before the rest of us, they had no issue swanning around in fur coats and silk headscarves; any day is a day for a good outfit, right?
JOSEPHINE BAKER
An activist and entertainer, Josephine Baker became an overnight sensation when she moved to France in the 1920s, becoming one of the first African American women to gain international recognition as a performer.
In 1925 at the height of France’s obsession with American jazz, Baker's barely there outfits and erotic dancing caught viewers' attention and word soon spread. She gained admiration from artists, poets and writers including Pablo Picasso, E.E. Cummings and Ernest Hemingway. Although known for dancing and performing, Baker was also a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement in the '50s and '60s devoting much of her life to fighting racism.
Today Baker remains an established cultural figure of her time. She was a political force, remembered for her commitment and passion in fighting for social and cultural change. Her legacy stands as a reminder that fashion isn’t just about clothes. It’s about empowerment, self-expression and social justice.
