The designers of Vivienne Westwood’s label are at all times drawing inspiration from the huge archives left by its legendary founder. For spring, the staff paid tribute to Shakespearean England, a time when gender boundaries had been fluid and self-expression was celebrated—values deeply ingrained within the Westwood ethos. The lookbook was shot at Shakespeare’s Globe, the historic Elizabethan theater constructed in 1599, the place William Shakespeare penned his well-known performs. In true Westwood style, the gathering featured compelling silhouettes, tactile materials, and surprising thought mash-ups.
On the model’s Conduit Avenue HQ, the gathering was divided into distinct sections, every representing a distinct temper. To start, there was a romantic and matted tribute to Westwood’s spring 1998 assortment Tied to the Mast. Jacquard separates in an overdyed ecru shade embodied the opulence of Marie Antoinette’s Versailles, whereas sustaining a punk sensibility with frayed edges. Off-the-shoulder attire and cropped cardigans had been crafted from vibrant, multi-colored stretch knit materials, providing a youthful interpretation of modest shapes.
Distorting the confines of gender binaries, the model remodeled its Evolution of Man print into ultra-feminine silhouettes, that includes flowing shirt attire and scalloped jackets. There have been nods to Westwood’s ’80s heyday via outsized cotton poplin button-ups and structured outerwear with pronounced shoulders. The corsetry, a Westwood signature since her 1987 Harris Tweed assortment, was ingeniously crafted from knit material, sustaining its three-dimensional form with out conventional boning.
Pablo Picasso’s zig-zag designs from the 1920 ballet Le Tricorne had been blown-up and adorned ’90s-inspired silhouettes. Elsewhere, a spread of vibrant-hued pants with built-in boxer shorts and chaps seemed like actual dialog starters. General, it’s evident that Westwood’s design staff totally enjoys delving into her outstanding archive.
