Collection to Collection: Vivienne Westwood
From her origins on the King’s Road, to her departure from the label in 2016, here’s a quick rundown of Westwood’s most iconic collections.
Vivienne Westwood is one of Britain’s most famous fashion designers, heralded as the guiding light for the punk scene in the 1980s. She stepped into the fashion spotlight in the early 1970s with her then-boyfriend Malcolm McLaren. The pair opened a store together on the King’s Road in 1971, first designing for the Teddy Boy subculture that was prevalent at the time. But by 1974 the shop had been renamed SEX, touting the slogan ‘rubberwear for the office’. Fueled by McLaren’s role as manager of the Sex Pistols, SEX quickly became the centre of London’s punk scene. Clothes from this era were provcative, often fetishistic. One memorable piece from this time is Westwood’s ‘nippled’ T-shirt, which used bunched fabric as a means of showing the body expilictly, whilst simultaneously disguising it.
Westwood’s work first hit the catwalks in the early 80s. Her debut show showcased her ‘Pirate’ Collection (AW 1981 RTW). The collection featured folded hats, ruffled shirts, voluminous sleeves, and cropped trousers, partly inspired by Westwood’s interest in 17th and 18th century portraits. Clothes from this collection were extremely influential, becoming known as the ‘New Romantic’ look — a well-worn style throughout the 1980s, seen on some of the era’s most famous musical acts.
A year later Westwood’s ‘Buffalo Girls/Nostalgia of Mud’ (Autumn/Winter 1982) hit the runways. The collection intended to portray the roots of western culture by exploring various earlier societies. Mostly earth toned, pieces from the collection arguably reflected Westwood’s love of historical costume — a large influence in many of her collections — but also made marked references to traditional South and North American cultures. Large pleated skirts echoed ‘polleras’ worn by women of the Central Andes.
The collection was one of the first to showcase underwear as outerwear, with satin bras being worn on top of many garments. The bras, often brown and 1950s in their shape can arguably be seen as a call back to the ‘nippled’ shirt — offering a soft yet overt sexuality.
In Autumn 1982 ‘Punkature’ was launched. This collection has been described by Westwood as a moment of change following her split with Malcolm McLaren. She was able to finally recognise herself as a designer instead of simply being ‘an interpreter of Malcolm’s ideas’.
Clothes from ‘Punkature’ held echoes of Westwood’s early years, with fabrics often being distressed. Many garments were loose fitting and hats featured throughout.
‘Witches’ (Autumn/Winter 1983) was the last official collaboration between Westwood and McLaren. Influences for ‘Witches’ were wide, spanning from Haitian voodoo to contemporary artwork. Many pieces features designs by Keith Haring, a New York graffiti artist known for his subway chalk art. Once again garments were more loose fitting, designed to slightly fall off the models as they walked the runway.
Westwood showcased her ‘Hypnos’ collection (spring/summer 1984) at the Best of Five global fashion awards in Tokyo. ‘Hypnos’ was overtly sporty, based on the shirts worn by professional footballers, and came to be popular as club wear on London’s gay scene. One particularly popular piece was the ‘extended’ T-shirt’ which showcased an exposed jockstrap.
Westwood referred to the ‘Mini-Crini’ collection as a ‘cardinal change’ for the label, with designs shifting to be more fitting rather than the looser silhouettes seen before. The collection also marked a move towards a more deliberate study of historical dress (an idea seen frequently throughout Westwood’s designs). The most famous garment from the collection is the short bell skirt — the shape of which was simultaneously historical and child-like.
‘Harris Tweed’ (autumn/winter 1987) is thought to be one of Westwood’s most influential collections. Exploring the way in which English aristocracy dressed, tartan was used throughout, and tailored riding jackets were also prevalent. However Westwood’s inspiration for the collection is a little more unexpected. “My whole idea for this collection was stolen from a little girl I saw on the tube one day,” she claimed, “She couldn’t have been more than 14. She had a little plaited bun, a Harris Tweed jacket and a bag with a pair of ballet shoes in it. She looked so cool and composed standing there.”
Westwood’s ‘Time Machine’ (autumn/winter 1988) is a collection which paid close attention to tailoring via traditional English styles such as the Norfolk suit. ‘Time Machine’ also echoed chivalric ideas, including metallic jackets and corsets which brought to mind images of medieval armour.
For the last collection of the 1980s Westwood showcased skirtless models, harlequin diamons and carefully placed fig leaves. Named ‘Voyage to Cythera’ — perhaps a reference to either the 1984 film of the same name, or Watteau’s painting ‘Embarkation to Cythera’ — the collection was imbued with the neoclassical.
Tudor portraiture was the inspiration for Westwood’s ‘Cut, Slash and Pull’. Westwood looked to the 16th century practice of tearing fabric to reveal hidden layers, offering a modern update by having bare skin on show instead.
Throughout the 1990s fuller skirts became more of a staple for the brand. In ‘Anglomania’ (Autumn/Winter 1993), Westwood returned to the tartan used in ‘Harris Tweed’, but with more of a clan-like feeling. Skirts were longer and more voluminous, combining the loose drapery of early Westwood and the more fitted post ‘Mini-Crini’ tailoring.
‘Les Femmes ne conaissant pas toute leur coquetterie’ (Spring/Summer 1996) made a more firm reference to Jean-Antoine Watteau, largely inspired by the garments seen in his paintings. The collection once again leant into ideas of historical costume, featuring decidedly Rococo sack-back gowns in jewel colours.
In March 2016 the label was taken over by Westwood’s husband Andreas Kronthaler and has since been referred to as Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. Having worked alongside Westwood for many years, his first official collection (Autumn/Winter 2016 ready-to-wear) held echoes of the new romantic. A modernised take on Westwood’s ‘Pirate’ collection, it featured deep reds, velvet and a mix between fitted and draping garments.
