She received her first major screen credits for designing costumes in Daniel Mann's 1966 drama film Judith, starring Sophia Loren.

She was preparing wardrobes for Richard Quine's 1969 Western comedy film A Talent for Loving, and while on the sets, she was introduced to then-assistant director, Spaniard Gil Carretero, whom she later married.

[4] In 1970, Hollywood film producer Sam Spiegel approached her to collaborate with director Franklin J. Schaffner on creating the costumes for his epic period drama Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), about the last of Romanov's dynasty.

[4] Despite various obstacles, her efforts, along with those of fellow collaborator Antonio Castillo, ultimately paid off, winning them the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Blake arranged a meeting between the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its Spanish counterpart on the one-year anniversary of her election.