For the first time this year, the Vivienne Westwood runway at Paris Fashion Week didn’t come from the mind of Vivienne herself, since her passing in December 2022. This however did not mean that the collection lacked the real essence of the Westwood house.
Andreas Kronthalen, Vivienne’s husband and the designer of the collection, had the idea of commemorating his late wife by letting himself be inspired by Vivienne’s personal wardrobe.
This is the reason why what we see on the runway is a mix of Vivienne’s personal style, her inspirations through the years or even more simple items of clothing that she used in her day-to-day life, like sweatshirt material that Andreas repurposed as a dress or the windbreaker jacket that became a gorgeous puffed dress.
I think that the inspiration behind this collection is brilliant because there is really no better way of portraying the legend that Vivienne was than looking at what she wore, loved and created, the fashion pieces that she collected through the years.
Although it was bittersweet at times, I thought the collection managed to express the spirit of Vivienne Westwood perfectly and it surely was a beautiful way for Andreas to express his grief. The melancholic feeling didn’t overpower the beauty of the designs and only added more depth to the looks on the runway.
Andreas incorporated everything that made Vivienne the style icon that she was, starting from the one thing that was never missing in her designs, her Romantic style that here almost took a bridal connotation. With beautiful white dresses, like the one we saw on Irina Shay, or lace pieces that also feature full veils, it was immediately clear to whom the style belonged.
Of course, corsets and structured tailoring pieces were included in the collection as well, as we’ve seen with a few exaggerated suits, some of which were made with typical Vivienne’s tartan fabric, and corsets dresses, like the sleek satin brown one that was touched to perfection, or the brown and white striped pantsuit that featured exaggerated sleeves and a dramatic off-shoulder neckline.
Other references to Vivienne’s past work were the exaggerated comedic elements that were the central point of focus of some looks such as the huge buttons that took over a simple suit, or the abundance of colourful pins on an otherwise too-basic blue dress.
Many accessories that are typical of the Westwood style made the sophisticated looks created by Andreas Kronthaler keep that punk edge that was so dear to Vivienne.
On the runway, we saw exaggerated headpieces and collars, fishnets and shoes made of black or sparkling gold vinyl, with really tall platforms and disproportionate shapes, all inspired by the punk rock style that Vivienne herself was the creator of.
I thought that all of these details were a really elegant nod by Andreas to the story of the fashion house and that of the late Vivienne, who was the heart of it.