Vivienne Westwood

Dame Vivienne Westwood proves that you really can do what you want in fashion.

Some say she is the Queen of punk, others, Britian's most influential designer.
Basically she is a legend in the fashion world! She really is the mother of Punk and New Wave fashion. She was the one who pioneered their entrance into mainstream fashion.

You may not think you have heard of her... but some where some how you are bound to have seen one of her designs. Such as this gown from Sex and the City Movie, when Carrie Bradshaw was gifted a Vivienne Westwood gown for her wedding:





Even though this dress is being used for a formal ocassion the signature Vivienne Westwood style is still present.
I want to look at her fall 2008 collection which I feel is an absolutely amazing representation of Westwood's style and personality.

Vivienne Westwood- Fall 2008 RTW (Ready To Wear) - Paris
(if you click on it, a larger image comes up)













Vivienne is such a passionate person, she shows that with her inspiration fot this collection.
Vivienne has always been about making statements about political / social issues.
She has focused on the controversial issue of Global Warming, taking a trip down the Amazon River she was inspired and tis collection was born from that.
She (Vivienne Westwood) imagined Eco Warriors from the depths of the Amazon. An idea that provokes thoughts among the viewers of this (collection) as its not about saving where they are living right now, but it reminds the viewer that there are other people being impacted because of the choices you are making. A very powerful thing for a designer to do!

She also stepped up again and used a fantastic resource of a class or 7 and 8 year olds at Portland School in Nottingham, England. She briefed them on the situation with global warming, and then got them to imagine a society of Eco warriors living deep in the jungle. She then got them to illustrate the fabric being used for this collection. How awesome is that? using these children who are not limited in their imaginations to hand paint the fabric!!

This collection is the uniform for these imagined ECO-WARRIORS, it also includes garments for when the warriors venture into the city, such these gowns:

In the choice of material colours Vivienne has used quite nature relating colours, browns, greens and blues, as well as some purples showing the natural beauty that appears in nature from things such as flowers and blossoms. The Amazon is a rather exotic and colourful place and the Children from Portland School have captured that fantastically with their beautiful hand painted works, the use of bright bold colours is a great reflection of the rainforest.

She has used a varied range of materials, from FAKE fur, to taffeta all embellished with jungle elements such as flowers and leaves.

Vivienne Westwood is not one to read the latest magazines and keep up to date on all the latest fashion trends, she is not a slave to fashion at all! She just brings out things that she is passionate and excited about! Not caring about how other people will react, she just wants to make a reaction, give people something to talk, think and get excited about, something outside their normal day to day thoughts.
This makes her such a fantastic designer, this has given her the ability to step outside of the fashion box and create new things, open doors for other people in the world of fashion!