When it comes to rounding up the shows I usually either do a series of posts about specific shows or just a round up of the best bits in one huge post. This time though I’m doing a mix of the two, this first post is all about Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label show and then there will be another round up post of my personal highlights from across the board. I chose to do it this way as Westwood’s collection completely blew me away and I knew no other collection for me would stand out as a full cohesive collection like this one. Yes, there are other good collections and looks from other designers but this was the pinnacle for me and for that reason it’s only right that I dedicate a whole post on this little blog to the iconic Dame Viv.
With 1940’s styles and shapes running throughout it was a look back to our heritage and Westwood’s childhood. There are wearable colours and styles there and that is always something I look for in a collection, spectacle is good but could I wear it and that is something Westwood manages to pull off so well because there was stand out spectacle pieces on the runway too. For example the red suit with a huge heart showcased when you closed the lapels.
The coats were brilliant stand outs for me from double breasted, knee length in navy and camel to brighter versions in orange and a red tartan check. There was wonderfully tailored pinstriped suits, pinstripe dresses, classic blouses and wool skirts along with grey trouser suits, red knee length pleated skirts and pearls that should seem stuffy and old but here they are styled so well that I want to wear them all the time. Again it’s things like the tartan shorts and trousers, triangle print tights, bright neck scarves and fur trimmed short shorts that add brightness and youth to this more refined collection. And as the show went on the collection got more typically Westwood in it’s nods to the leather – skirts and jackets, the tartan – in stand out reds, classic blue and green and the subtle orange and very minimal punk additions from the huge safety pins on the red braces and colour schemes of red and black dominating.
My favourite pieces/looks were the gold baroque style knee length circle skirt, the blue and green tartan skirt suit, the classic oversized navy wool trench and the pinstripe structured off the shoulder dress with the white shirt underneath.
For me this really was an amazing collection from one of the fashion greats. There is a reason why Vivienne Westwood is so respected and collections like this are that reason. It may not be her most daring collection and it may not be the most ‘wow’ worthy collection of the entire of LFW but the simplicity, the look at heritage, the classic shapes given a modern twist and the nods to the eccentric are the things that make this wonderful and yet again let’s Westwood cement her place as the queen of LFW.
Mixtape Couture 