Other Wedding Notes

We got the dress right. Sarah Burton did indeed design the dress. During the coverage there was much talk about missing Diana, but I missed Lee McQueen and more than that, I missed Isabella Blow.


We loved posting about the 22-page Etiquette booklet sent out by the Palace for the wedding. As one might expect, David Beckham failed to read his copy as we predicted. He wore his Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal on the wrong side. By the end of the day, there will no doubt be a 22-booklet of David Beckham blunders (he hasn't had to eat anything yet!). Still, he look nice in his undies.


And speaking of cake...


Did we forget to mention the cakes? At Cookbook Of The Day we have both the Wedding Cake baker and the Groom's Cake recipe.

Blow by Blow

You might have thought that the escapades of Happy Valley stayed in Happy Valley, but you would be wrong.

You might ask yourself how one of the great fashion icons of the last 20 years could be impacted by Happy Valley.

Well, lets see.

You may remember The Temptress, Alice de Janzé, may have killed Lord Erroll who had been married to The Bolter, Idina Sackville. What we failed to tell you was who actually went on trial for the murder of Lord Erroll.

Jock & Diana

It was Jock Broughton. Broughton brought his new wife, Diana, to Happy Valley. Diana began an affair with none other than Lord Erroll, making Jock the main suspect in the murder. He went on trial and was acquitted. There were no witnesses and some confusion about the spiralling on the bullets. Oh yes, and his barber was the jury foreman and well... he probably didn't do it. Still, he was ostracised from Happy Valley, so he returned to England. Depressed and lonely, Broughton killed himself.

Depression often runs in families and the Delves Broughton's are no different. So Jock's suicide impacted the life and death of his granddaughter...

Isabella Blow.

Isabella Blow was one of those people who could see through the dross and find the shiny surface. Finding people was her supreme talent.

Isabella in Philip Treacy hat

She found Philip Treacy, who found a muse in Isabella. She found Sophie Dahl crying on her steps and turned the buxom Sophie into a sought-after model.

Lee McQueen and Isabella in Vanity Fair

She found Alexander McQueen, who treated her quite badly and eventually took his own life.

Isabella was one of those rare individuals who was s just that -- individual. In today's climate, women seem to all be striving to look alike. Isabella's unique looks plagued her own identity. Frankly, I wouldn't trade one Isabella Blow for the hundreds of clipped, spray tanned, botoxed Barbies out there.



Her husband, Detmar Blow, has written a bio/memoir about Isabella. It is a sad read. Those around her tried valiantly to provide a safe place for Isabella to be Isabella, but in the end, no one could save her. Isabella Blow was one of those women you wanted to see haunting the runways and back alleys of fashion well into her 90's. We will never get that experience and that make me sad.

There are several book about Isabella Blow surfacing now. I am most interested in Lauren Goldstein Crowe biography coming out later this year. When I read it, you will be the first to know!