A maverick and a true original, Vivienne Westwood DBE is one of the most influential designers of our time.Vivienne Westwood was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, on April 8, 1941. She would go on to provide the clothes for the short but sweet, well maybe not sweet, more short and seditious subculture labelled Punk that came to the fore circa 1976. Her work with the late Malcolm McLaren during this period brought her talent to the fore, the rest as they say is history.In 1971, number 430 on the Kings Road was the venue for one of the first outlets to celebrate rock ‘n’ roll, stocking suits for the Teds and those precious 45s. Rock 'n' roll was not even played on the radio at this time. ‘Let it Rock’ became ‘Too Fast to Live and Too Young to Die’ stocking Triumph t-shirts and second hand jeans. Perhaps the most famous of the incarnations was the imposing 'Sex' shop. As well as designing and making her own clothes which she had done for many years, Westwood lifted the lid on fantasy wear that is so acceptable and available these days. Rubber fetish wear with all the S and M accoutrements were strictly mail order and taboo territory until Sex brought them out into broad daylight. They became another part of the scheme and a fly in the ointment for many a passer-by who was disgusted yet secretly rather rapturous.
The late Malcolm McLaren put together the Sex Pistols who would come to embody punk as it became realised by the mainstream. The Pistols provided the ethic in action whilst Vivienne provided the uniform. The iconic bondage trouser was invented in this era. The shop became ‘Seditionaries’ and finally ‘Worlds End’ as it remains today, a Westwood outlet for her diffusion line, Anglomania.
After punk lost its spunk and was distorted and commercialised, Malcolm and Vivienne went romantic. In 1979, the famous Pirates collection was the next thing. This was to provide the look for another subculture; the New Romantics. With financial difficulty McLaren and Westwood parted. Westwood received backing from Armani and her own label was able to flourish.
Westwood looks to the past to create anew. From the bondage trouser to the mini crini to the Pirate boot, Westwood invents. Her approach to the cloth results in an idiosyncratic and distinctive fluidity that for the lady has been some of the most gloriously feminine fashion we have seen in our time. Her work throughout her fascinating and inspirational career never dates and continues to evolve and express her unique vision. Be it the finest duchess silk satin or a roll of cloth for polishing the motor from the supermarket; for Westwood the high and the low exist in harmony. She continues to not only seduce but provoke too. With a full manifesto no less, Westwood addresses issues such as climate change and consumerism in public and on the catwalk.
Westwood was awarded an OBE in 1992, which she collected from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Ever the provocateur, Westwood wore her famous fig leaf hose sans knickers at the ceremony. Her twirl would have revealed all but for her appliquéd leaf. She advanced from OBE to DBE in 2006 and wore horns when receiving the honour.
As new generations come, the work always finds its way into the limelight. Be it Katy Perry in the Anglomania/Melissa Lady Dragon shoes, SJP in the ultimate wedding dress in SATC the movie or Kate Moss bringing on a new fetish for the famous buckled Pirate boot, Westwood continues to provide vital design that captures the imagination of the wearer.
No one simply likes Vivienne Westwood, her fans are all hopelessly in love with her designs. Vivienne Westwood eyewear is also easy to fall for. Beautifully sculpted, the frames are instilled with classic elements associated with Dame Viv such as tartan and the iconic orb. The Dame’s collection of sunglasses, ooze VIP status, with her trademark opulence being transferred into eyewear for instant injection of unapologetic and eccentric glamour.
