May 17, 2024
Shutterstock; Instagram/Vivienne Westwood
Emerging on the fashion scene in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs and slogan T-shirts, Vivienne Westwood continued to push boundaries ever since.
At the age of 81, on December 29, 2022, Westwood passed away, surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.
Through out her life, until her last moment, the British designer continued to do the things she loved - designing, working on her art, writing her book, and changing the world for the better.
There are a lot of plaids, of course, and not to mention corsets, bustles, and bows to her credit. Westwood always had a passion for historical outfits, adopting it as an expression of beauty while simultaneously using it for social commentary, questioning ideals of femininity or of gender through exaggerated silhouettes.
Here is a look at some of her own stand-out fashion moments:
When punk fashion became mainstream, Westwood knew she needed a new angle. The whole point, after all, was to rebel. For her first-ever catwalk show in 1981, Vivienne presented Pirates – a collection that kick-started the new romantic look and dominated 80s sub-cultures.
Every true punk needs a good cause to champion and over the years Westwood supported PETA, Aids Research, and more. Her work as an environmental campaigner, making use of more sustainable materials is renowned.
After years of campaigning against the mainstream, she decided in 2008 that, under her own terms, pop culture could be cool. In two attention-grabbing moves, she scored a major Hollywood costume coup designing Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding gown in 'Sex And The City', the movie.
Westwood often brought an element of performance to her protests. She even shaved her famous locks off in March 2014, in protest of Climate Change.
Throughout her career of half a century in fashion, Westwood has often shown a disregard for gender categories. In 1985, she had men modelling in her trademark skirt suits and moustaches, gowns and ruched pencil skirts. There are plenty of others, too.
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