October 1, 2017 |
Here’s what Vivienne Westwood said about the new Spring collection she worked closely on with her husband, and designer of the brand, Andreas Kronthaler. It’s a lot of fun: “Colours, flowers, a riot of dance and song, joy plus instinctive happiness: pretty! A word Andreas uses but you don’t hear much these desperate days. Festive! / Arcadia – Boucher’s print of nymphs and shepherds. A shawl, velvet. Brueghel’ animals at peace in Paradise before the fall of man. Sexy! Noble! OTT!” Smashing insight, beautiful clothes. The best bits (it was all ‘best’ but we’re short on space) were: the floral psychedelic skirt and any of the OTT – of which Westwood speaks – sneakers covered in all manner of small flowers and other stuff.
There was a sense of streetwear running throughout the collection too: some of the trainers were worn with long sport socks and there was a smashing baseball cap and so on. But then there are always echoes of the street and sports and “streetwear” at the house. Remember, Westwood invented the idea of modern day streetwear: she was the first to re-appropriate trainers and gave them an abstract three tongues. She took jeans and made them more “designed” and in turn “designer”. Street-style is hers anyway. She can do what she wants.
Back to next season: the floral dresses are retail gold and one orange zoot suit was just the best and most “OTT” we’ve seen in, well, forever. The picture, here, is of the red ruffle dress – a bit disco flamenco type thing. Loved it alllllll. Every single bit.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd Evans
