Vivienne Westwood is definitely not just a fashion superstar. She is a visionary as well. I can describe her fashion in two words: revolutionary and erotic. She is exploratory and historical, using several classical references like the corsets and bustles, gold frames, the crinoline, the Fragonard prints, the French baroque and rococo costumes, and even costumes from the Commedia dell Arte. Her passion for uniforms is definitely culturally significant to Britain as Britain is full of uniforms, from the Queen to the Eton schoolboys.
Today, it is impossible to visualize the last three decades of fashion without Westwood’s essential contribution. Westwood’s fashion has caused shock waves, only to reappear in a revised form in other designers’ collections today. Westwood has influenced the look and cut of clothes in high fashion. She has also infiltrated mainstream fashion: de-constructed, torn and distressed treatments on materials, asymmetry in T-shirts, underwear becoming outerwear, boned bodices, legwarmer socks (that fall down) and platform shoes (that caused the famous graceful fall of Naomi Campbell on the catwalk).
But to understand Westwood’s fashion, one must first know her roots. Born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Northern England, she moved to London when she was 17. Westwood belonged to the first generation of postwar teenagers. She was reared on conventional, sheltered working-class values. She grew up in England amid the British creative tradition and the rich but complicated art school culture. A lot of her ideas were rooted in the Liberal Studies, including "The Punk," that encouraged individual personal preferences ranging from the conventional to the idiosyncratic. In her native Northern England, the women could only be described as opinionated, independent and individualistic.
In 1970, with her famous musician partner Malcolm McLaren, she opened her first shop called Sex, a West End boutique in London. She sold T-shirts and bondage pants with erotic visuals and texts as theme. Later, it was called "World’s End."
In the ’80s, she worked with bright colors and on different inspirations. It was a series of innovations – she had savages, witches, hobos and even Clint Eastwood as themes. In March 1983, Westwood started showing her clothes on Paris’ runway, the first British designer to do so since Mary Quant. Then in 1984, she was invited to show in Tokyo together with Hanae Mori, Calvin Klein, Ferre, Montana as the "Best of Five." In the mid-’80s, Westwood began her historical costume influences. She did her mini-crinoline. Critics called her style "perverse," and she faced constant threats of closure. She was hopelessly uncommercial, compared to the streetwear fashion that was the British design counter culture. Yet, international fashion observers were raving about her.
She said the Queen was her inspiration. The 1990s marked the turnaround of her career. Westwood delved deeper into historical grandeur and focused on the influences prevailing in both France and England in the 17th and the 18th centuries. This resulted in a harmonious geographic duet as seen through her fashion. She continued her costume influences on her ballgowns. Her collections were definitely ornate. In the ’80s, her tailored suits, sporting the dynasty look, were anti-power. She refused to have thick shoulder paddings in her tailored suits, preferring instead to puff it up in other areas of the body. Her materials were traditional in inspiration – tweeds and tartans – but they were cutting-edge and the colors were sophisticated.
In 1992, a new artistic duet – marrying the design and philosophy of Swatch and Westwood – was unveiled. The "Orb" and "Putt" Swatch Limited Edition, participating in the life ball event in Vienna, brilliantly testified to the well-deserved "over-the-edge" image of both.
Also that year, Westwood won the "OBE" Award. OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) was given in recognition of her contribution and services to the British fashion industry. She also received the "Queen’s Award for Exports."
In 1993, Westwood’s Anglomania collection drew raves. The restless fashion spirit was exemplified by the Anglo pirate. Westwood then launched the Anglomania Swatch.
Between 1994 and 1997, France was her inspiration. Her collections carried pastoral influences, 18th-century French baroque and rococo. Her collections included "On Liberty," "Vive la Cocotte" and "Les Femmes." They were very seductive, erotic and feminine. In 1998, her first fragrance, Boudoir, was also launched. The perfume stopper bore Westwood’s signature trademark, the Orb.
Vivienne Westwood has always been my idol. I admire this non-conformist designer who is never intimidated by people. But wearing her clothes was something else. I just couldn’t wear her until she launched her Gold Label in 1998. With her Gold Label collection, she transformed traditional ballgowns into functional clothes through the use of jersey. The ballgown’s volume melts into soft drapes. The lady is a genius. A collaboration of style, purpose, function, attitude and fun makes upWestwood’s look today. Westwood fashion today is no longer eccentric and lunatic. Now, it’s associated with intellectual values that are daring but safe.
The latest of her inventions – Gold Label and Boudoir – are products of her collaboration with Cocotte Swatch. It is not a coincidence that she appears to rob the past to give to the 21st-century generation.
Long live the Queen of Shock!