Vivienne Westwood Autumn/Winter 2021/22 Paris Fashion Week

A Scrapbook of Memories: Vivienne Westwood’s Mayfair Lady Shares Her Patch (and Her Boudoir) with My Fair Lady.

Image and Video Credit: Vivienne Westwood

 

Vivienne Westwood and hubby Andreas Kronthaler were never going to give us a conventional show. Out of principle. But a show they put on! And moreover, they did it themselves (with the help of a few friends) complete with singing, reciting and impersonations. Back in the Seventies when Viv set up shop with partner Malcolm McLaren she already had that rebellious spirit and a knack for doing it yourself. Her shop Sex (named so after 1974), all rubber, latex and ripped fishnets, soon became the meeting spot for London’s punks and gave birth to cult films like Jubilee (1978). (I’m happy to report that punk is still alive and well in the brand’s ethos in 2021/22.) Viv ruled the King’s Road and Britannia back then, and in many ways she still is queen. But seriously, nobody has done more to make British cloth desirable than Vivienne Westwood: she has single-handedly put both Scottish tartan and Harris Tweed firmly on the fashion map and made them cool and sexy and modern, so much so that avant-garde Japanese designers have adopted tartan as one of their favourite cloths. Now there’s an endorsement if ever there was one.

Plaid tights and a cardi

The Fall/Winter 2021/22 collection is a bizarrely wondrous pantomime of the usual suspects, but in slightly different guises (referring to the clothes here, not the characters). Filmed in and around a deserted Mayfair with shops locked up, there was a bit of everything in the mix. It was as if the designers used whatever was available (thrifting and recycling being a Vivienne skill of the first order) and magicked all these bits of cloth together to become a celebration, not just of Mayfair and London, but of British craft.

This brand is known for pluggging traditional British cloth and Andreas Kronthaler himself modelled a little tartan kilt outfit paired with the label’s signature platforms. A charming Argyle cardigan and matching tights made their appearance in a few of the ensembles. Oh, and a Johnny Rotten lookalike in a salmon red tartan cardi didn’t quite give a finger to the establishment (but may well have wanted to).

Some blouses had a deconstructed neckline and the ripped theme was visible in a few of the other pieces too, like the khaki vinyl that Kronthaler sported over a black t-shirt with a pair of printed breasts as well as some slashed trousers (I told you punk wasn’t dead!) and a couple of easy-to-wear dresses with a horizontal slit at one end.

The dramatic bust enhancing, corsetted draping that we’ve come to associate with Vivienne Westwood over the decades was to be found in a few garments – a spectacular yellow dress with large frontal bow being a prime example. Possibly the most striking piece in the collection was a carnation-like tangerine bustier dress, worn over a grassy Hawaiian skirt and a pair of argyle tights. The floral boudoir-style dress with its wreath headpiece was also gorgeous eye candy. Befitting for any Mayfair lady’s garden party!

Sleeves, this season’s favoured detail, got much prominence: a few pieces boasted an Eigties style puff, leg-of-mutton sleeve, most memorably the stunning black high necked, belted dress and trouser ensemble. Noteworthy too, was a double-breasted charcoal trouser suit worn with a pair of leopard print platform boots, with hugely exaggerated sleeves as well as the black Eigthies style coat dress worn by Andreas Kronthaler. The most covetable of the coats was undoubtedly the floor length brown military-style affair. Parkas, some knitted thermal wear, the odd draped skirt and an enveloping dress were all part of this maverick collection that seemed to be offering something to everyone and one that addressed every eventuality: clothes to sleep, lounge and frolic in.

As always, the high drama, the eroticism and the fetish sat well beside the eco-consciousness, recycling, superb craftsmanship and meticulous tailoring. The brand prides itself on the longevity of their clothes and said, in no uncertain terms, ‘we aim to make clothes which last.’

So, wrap that military coat over your cocktail dress – whether you’re a Mayfair lady or a flower girl – and this brand will elevate you to eco warrior status in Queen Viv’s quest to save the world.