Vivienne Westwood – Paris Fashion Week SS11
The Vivienne Westwood show came at the end of a very long day, scheduled for 6pm. I was particularly excited about this show – partially to see the iconic British designer showcase her latest work, but also because I know that the show would be a real production. By 8pm, it still hadn’t begun. The rain was pouring outside, the photographers were getting antsy and all the guests were more than a little restless. By 8.30pm, the final guests had arrived. Hillary Alexander and Suzy Menkes.
I predicted an environmental theme (we’ve all read the manifesto), but little did I know how far this would go. Branded water flasks were the guest gift and the show notes contained a lengthy list of bullet points describing the end of civilization (if we don’t clear ourselves up). Luckily this varied list of points, came through in an amazing collection of equally varied clothing – from the usual 18th century tailoring and plaid, to minimal mini-dresses made from pillowcases and patchwork vests to look like recycled material. The message was clear – reuse, reduce, recycle.
The hand-made quality made me like it more as you can see the work put into the fabric, although at times it looked too arts and crafts - the 'Fragile' taped pieces remind me of bad "punk" clothes from high school. There were a number highlights for me. The hats are very cute, Viv always does a mean corseted dress (the camel belted one was particularly beautiful) and the gold baroque embelished jacketwas pure oppulence so despite the serious theme, the clothing had a lot of fun to them. Although I do respect such a big brand for standing for a meaningful cause and really pushing the concept in all areas of publicity, I did question why put on a fashion show at all. It's probably one of the most wasteful aspects to the fashion industry, and with the current trend of video catwalks - surely that's the most appropriate method of communication?
-- GarconJon
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