How to get dressed with the legendary Dr. Isabel Blumberg
An obstetrician and gynecologist in possession of the full range of Phoebe Philo’s contribution to fashion on what style can bring to your days
The world’s greatest obstetrician (delivered my twins vaginally, with nary a single stitch to show for it) is also the most aggressive Real Real hunter and her name is Dr. Isabel Blumberg. Not once have I had a pap smear in the last 5 years without recognizing at least one archival Jil Sander or Philo-era Celine piece on her. And how many patients get to send texts like this to their OBs?
Below, a conversation on how to shop (second-hand, almost only), how to get dressed (Levi’s make for a great Row jeans stand-in) and the magical world that exists inside the minds of people who care about clothes.
Look 1: What to wear on the weekend
This is what I’d wear if we were going to lunch, or I was taking my dog for a walk. Some weekends I’m on call, but when I’m not, I love to see friends, go to a museum or visit the galleries.
I have a phone that’s attached to my hands at all times — it’s for work, but I’m also a Real Real junkie. The site refreshes everyday at 10am and 7pm and when I’m not working, I visit at both refreshes. When I am, I can usually only make it for the 7pm. I have my designers that I go through, so I’m not just combing the new arrivals tab. I usually start with Jil Sander. There is so much great vintage that is inexpensive too, and it’s so well made, and doesn’t go out of style.
Then I look at Phoebe Philo, then Dries. There is also always The Row, which has no hanger appeal, but if you know what you’re looking at, you can find great things. The best thing I ever got was a beautiful cashmere sweater that still had its Barney’s tags in it. I remember wanting this particular sweater when I saw it on the Barney’s website.
Lately, I’ve also been searching Christian Wijnant. The pants are so well cut.
For the shoes, I just look at an edit that reflects my size (10.5/11) and oh, you know what else? Sofie D’Hoore — there is so much great Sofie D’Hoore on The Real Real.
I’ve always been into clothes. I thought I would go into fashion but I had no idea what, then when I was in college, I started to think about becoming a physician. I was inspired by a doctor I met while at school — and I always enjoyed biology and science classes, and then I learned about a special program that Mount Sinai had started for humanities students and I applied as a sophomore and got in.
I remember feeling the conflict and telling my dad that I wanted to go into fashion. He told me to be a doctor, that fashion could always be part of my life and you know what? He was right. Now fashion gets to be an escape. I get to use it as a part of my daily life and it is pure pleasure. There’s nothing about it that’s not enjoyable for me.
Look 2: What I wear to work
I would say work is my easiest occasion to dress for. I feel like I have a uniform down to a science. I wear pants 99% of the time and then I have a lot of jackets, a lot of reliable sweaters that I turn to.
During Covid I think every doctor, even those who don’t usually wear scrubs wore scrubs to work. I was the only person who wore regular clothes to work. I remember being in a pair of cropped Celine plaid pants — do you remember them, from Fall 2013 collection, with black Celine ankle boots while walking to work during Covid and I passed this couple on the street and they must have thought I was crazy. But it was important to me to show up for work feeling like a human being. Getting dressed made me feel most like myself in a time where nothing felt normal and everything was out of control. It gave me the smallest sense of normalcy and you know what? It really did help.
The program I joined in college that ultimately set me on this path was instituted as a way to see if you could take humanities students and filter them into the medical field.
I knew pretty early on that I wanted to deliver babies. I had a romanticized idea of what delivering babies would be like — joy, happiness, excitement and it is all those things. What I didn’t realize is that it is also a very surgical residency, which is not romantic
Any residency is demanding but surgical residencies have the distinction of being some of the most demanding residencies. These days, the hours are more prescribed, but when I was a resident, you routinely worked 24h shifts, and sometimes had to work 36h shifts. When I think about those hours now, it’s hard to believe that I did it. An ob-gyn residency incorporates a lot of surgical training. If you don’t like being in the operating room, and performing surgery, it would be a very hard field to go into.
I also wanted a field where I would have continuity of care with my patients. I’ve been at Mount Sinai since 1994. And it really is an incredible honor to deliver a patient’s baby and then have them grow up and become patients themselves.
But it’s a hard path — medicine is hard, it has changed a lot. With every year, it gets more challenging to practice medicine. Systems change, there is less autonomy for the physicians. Patient expectations have also changed with technology and the availability to get their results in real time, and the expectation to be in touch with their doctors at all times. Being an obsterician is also very tiring and physically hard to do. The hours are long, you never get to a place in your career where you can “take a break” because babies come 24/7, 365. So if you are going to deliver babies, you are going to work nights and weekends.
Physically, performing a complicated c-section or pushing with a patient for three hours, is demanding. But it’s also an awesome responsibility to deliver someone’s children.
I always leave a delivery in awe. There is an extra person, a life, that did not exist outside of the womb, at the end of it. It still inspires me, which is how I know I picked the right field, even when I am tired. I think that having good colleagues and nurses play in big role in making the job fun, too. The support that you get from your friends on the labor floor, the nurses who help deliver babies, the OR techs who work with us in the operating room — it’s an orchestra that make the whole process run smoothly, for doctors and patients.
I exercise everyday (to these free YouTube videos from the trainer Tracy Seen; her emphasis is on moving daily and I recommend all my patients to do it). Being in good physical shape makes a difference when you have a physically demanding job, plus kids, plus aging, plus menopause. If you keep exercising, it makes your life better.
How do I want my patients to perceive me? Like I’m a capable doctor — and I will say, often they appreciate that I am into clothing, it creates a nice rapport.
I like to look put together. I tend to wear sneakers to work often, it makes younger patients feel more comfortable and then if I am doing errands or have appointments after work, it’s much easier to get myself there.
Then I have a fantasy work bag and a real work bag. I never wear the fantasy bag to work.
I think the difference between someone working in fashion and not is that I could literally talk about clothes all day long!
You mentioned the Hannah MacGibbon era at Chloe earlier — I still own pieces from those reigns! My love affair with Phoebe Philo began in 2005 [MacGibbon worked with Philo, who designed at Chloe from 2001 until 2006 before she took over completely in 2008], when I was first starting to make enough money to buy expensive things. I bought the boots from the fall collection and felt so amazing every time I wore them.
Then when Spring 2006 came out, I died for it. The purple skirt with the red, white and blue elastic belt and the broderie anglaise top? A dream outfit!
I still have two tops from that collection and people stop me when I wear them. They are also imbued with a lot of memories.
Do I ever think about what my life would be like if I went into a difference career? Of course! I am certainly not a saint, especially about being a doctor. It’s hard for me now to fathom what I would have done in fashion because I wasn’t creative and I wasn’t a writer. Ultimately, because medicine suited a lot of my skills and my temperament, it’s hard to think about what my life would have been like otherwise. It’s probably for the best that I [was realistic about my skillset] and found my lane.
Look 3: What to wear out
This is my least favorite occasion to dress for — the majority of my closet is work outfits and when I go to get dressed to go out at night, I have to do a little more work to feel like myself.
