Remembering Vivienne Westwood
Enough of chic. When it comes to shopping for important wardrobe staples, I usually convince myself that I’m missing something “timeless.” A classic coat, some loafers, or a little black dress—but, truthfully, it's the special pieces that “don’t go with anything” that satisfy me.
For a little spice, I turn to Vivienne Westwood for inspiration. Under her reign (we’re talking about fashion royalty), slogan T-shirts, historical gowns, and hot pants found each other in an eclectic and deliciously inharmonious universe.
Her decades-long career featured collectsions (even if “collectsion” doesn’t begin to describe the artful and politically aware shows that she presented) that struck a chord with many, especially those who thirsted for originality, character, and cheekiness. Westwood so attractively merged “the street” with the scholarly study of fashion history. Her roots as a fashion designer began in the punk scene of the late ’60s. After abandoning a conventional life, and her former husband, the young Westwood partnered up with Sex Pistols manager, Malcolm McLaren, and led a life inspired by the punk movement. Westwood whet her appetite for fashion design, creating clothes with her partner McLaren. In the ’70s, they opened the iconic London boutique most popularly remembered as SEX (though going through a few name changes before and after). They sold printed t-shirts, fetish wear, and clothes for society misfits. In 1981, she launched her first runway collectsion, Pirates, and would continue to adopt fantastical cultural references to shape her vision of cool, daring, and confident fashion.
Westwood didn’t care much for rules—her designs weren’t concerned with being chic or even practical. Fashion design was a tool for her to express herself artistically and socially on matters such as politics, the environment, and gender.
In 2016, Westwod gave her husband and long-time collaborator Andreas Kronthaler the artistic lead for her namesake label, but she remained active with the brand until her recent passing on December 29, 2022. In memory of Vivienne Westwood’s one-of-a-kind style, welcome some fun and funky in your closet—it might just become your next wardrobe staple!
