VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Fashion Designer
Born – 1941 – Still alive
Nationality – British
Style– Various.
Background information.
Vivienne Westwood was born in Derbyshire, England. Her mother was a weaver and
her father was a shoemaker. Later on they ran a Post Office and moved to London.
Vivienne Westwood briefly attended Harrow Art College where she studied fashion
and silver-smithing but left after one term as she mistakenly thought, ‘A working
class girl like me couldn’t possibly make a living in the art world.’ She then trained
as a primary school teacher. She always enjoyed fashion and dressing up in a dramatic
way. At school she customised her uniform and made her own clothes. Even though
she lacked conventional training, for the last 25 years Vivienne Westwood has been a
key figure in the world of fashion design. Some people view her as eccentric; others
call her a revolutionary and a genius. She is one of the world’s most respected
designers, her clothes are always interesting to look at and at the cutting edge of fashion.
Ideas / Influences.
In the 1970’s Britain experienced the cultural revolution that was punk. Punk ideas
encouraged individualism and personal freedom. It was anti-establishment, anarchic
and encouraged people to oppose convention and trends. Westwood paired up with
Malcolm McLaren and launched a series of shops selling clothes they designed
themselves. Their designs were outrageous, deviant and shocking. Clothes were
slashed, torn, and distressed. Underwear was worn as outerwear. Photos of respected
figures such as the Queen were trashed and ridiculed, the resulting image was printed
onto T-Shirts. These activities made her name and she was soon working on her own
designs. Her main interests focus on the female body, highlighting and emphasising
its shape. She cuts fabrics in panels or sections to give a more 3D structure. She uses
padding, draped fabric, boning and corsetry to exaggerate the bust or the hips.
Westwood has also said that she likes to experiment with the way a fabric moves on
or drapes from the body. Her way of sketching is working in 3D with the actual
fabric, she pins sections of fabric onto the model then incorporates the results into the
construction of her designs. She is very analytical and intellectual in her approach and
mixes a historical approach with modern design. She researches garment cutting
and construction techniques through the ages and makes many visits to Art
Galleries and Museums. Westwood is now concerned with quality and fine tailoring
ensuring that each design is beautifully crafted to the highest standards.
Style
It is not possible to describe or to categorise Vivienne Westwood’s style in one word .
Over the years she has worked in a number of different styles and taken different
approaches to her work. The earliest style we can identify was Punk. Items from this
era included t-shirts with provocative slogans and images printed on them, muslin
ripped tops, straightjackets, bondage trousers, chains and zips. A few years later
Westwood began to look back through history for inspiration and created the
‘Pirates’ collection using frills, flounces, sashes, oversized, bold, printed blousons
and loose trousers. This look was ‘new romantic’ and widely copied. Later she
designed the ‘Mini – Crini’ which was inspired by early Victorian crinoline skirts but
updated and shortened to a sort of puffball shape. Other areas which reflect her
interest in history are the ‘Vive La Cocotte’, ‘Watteau’, ‘Tartan’ and ‘Anglomania’
collections. She has incorporated many other historical techniques and shapes into her
collections e.g she has re- introduced, the bustle, pantaloons, breeches, ‘leg-o-mutton’
sleeves, capes and cod-pieces for men. All of these shapes exaggerate or draw
attention to various parts of the body. Recently she has designed some more wearable
items, this range is called her prêt a porter or diffusion range and is less extreme,
cheaper and more sellable - for example, her distinctive corset tops and Harris tweed
or tartan suits which look modern but still use historical shapes and garment cutting
techniques, are popular.
EXAMPLES.
Punk Rock T-Shirt
Pirates Collection
Watteau Collection.
Famous examples of her work include :
Future’ Punk T – Shirts (1978/9)
Tartan bondage trousers ( 1978)
The Mini Crini – (1984)Anglomania Bustle (1993)
Elevated heeled shoes ( 1994)
‘Voyage to Cythera’ transparent bodysuit (1989)
Mini Crini