Critical study. Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood is an iconic designer of the 20th and 21st centuries. Her rebellious fashion style and determination are what has  made her so successful in such a difficult industry. 

However she wasn't always so strong minded and determined; at 18 years old she started studying Fashion and Silversmithing at Harrow school of Art, London, but gave up after one term saying "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make it in the Art world." After a few years of normal day to day life, she met Malcolm McLaren and had an affair. He opened a shop in London, in which she started to sell a few of her 'outrageous' designs which drew inspiration from bikers, fetishes and prostitutes.

McLaren became manager of the Sex Pistols, a punk band, and Westwood Designed clothes for them; with their profile rising in the music scene, her 'punk' style clothing was becoming more and more fashionable and Westwood became a bigger name. She still owns that shop now, and it is one of only 5 shops exclusively owned by Westwood herself. 

In her Earlier Career she was heavily influenced by the music scene, particularly punk. This included the use of chain, safety pins, razor blades and dog collars as accessories; She helped to revolutionize fashion at this point in time. She created a new rebellious look, just as was previously done with groups like the 'Mods' in the 60's, teens had icons like the sex pistols to look up to, and they copied their style.

Vivenne Westwood Has always been interested in politics, perhaps this is why her earlier work was so straight forward and in your face. She made bold statements, sometimes the statements were written on the clothing along with vivid imagery to get her point across. in her later work, from the 201st century, her political involvement has become even more evident. In 2005 she joined forces with political rights group Liberty and produced a limited edition collection of t-shirts and baby-wear, bearing the slogan "I'm not a terrorist please don't arrest me." 

She also speaks out against 'consumerism' and 'propaganda' and frequently uses political phrases in her collections to make the consumer market think about the world we live in, much like Kate Hamnett does with her bold slogan t-shirts.

In more recent years Westwood has created some extravagant evening wear yet she still pushes the boundaries on these designs. 

For example there is this green ball gown which Westwood designed, that it a lot more over the top and eye catching than most other designs on the catwalk. She has taken influences from past eras and made them more contemporary for example, here we have and old fashioned 18th century skirt, with a large rear section, but the shoulder line is very modern, a strapless top with a bow detailing on the front which creates an edgy sweetheart neckline. The green is also quite metalicy which suggests a more modern feel to the dress. 

She has also become reinvented as a designer from her work for the movie sex in the city, for which she created a vulumptious wedding gown not dissimilar to the gown mentioned above. It seems that Westwood has the capabilities to last in the Fashion world because of this ease of adapting her style to fit the consumer whilst still retaining her quirky image in her clothes.

My opinion on Vivienne Westwood is a mixed one, I don't particularly dislike any of her clothes, because I appreciate the concepts and work that has gone into her collections, but I cant see myself wearing some of her garments; many people think that they are slightly too out of the box and different, but I think that it is the top designers job to push the boundaries and limitations with their designs, and let the high street filter it down to consumer taste level. You want to be able to look at an item of designer clothing and be slightly taken aback by some quality of it. Yet there are some of her clothes, mainly the more recent ones for me, that capture femininity and beauty so well and the clothes can be quite awe inspiring, for example her spring 2010 collection is simplistic yet fun and playful, and I can imagine a lot of women wanting to wear those clothes.

Vivienne Westwood has made me think about the meaning of the clothes I would like to create, not just how they look, and also about pushing the boundaries that little bit more, to shock or grab attention from people.