VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Like in previous seasons, Veronique Leroy went we to the silver screen for inspiration. spiration For spring-summer - it was award-winning award-w French film “Black and White” by Claire Devers. But the designer should know k she doesn’t need to rest on creative references for her show, as her clothes speak s for themselves. Demure looks in black and white, as well as rippling str stripes defined the vibe, and delicate con construction defined the aesthetic. Though there were no huge creative leaps here, the first look - a white and ultra pale peach look which hung in pleats and ruffles with a quiet majesty - was possibly one of the most beautiful constructed creations seen all day. Delicate ripples and curves snuck out from waists and shoulders. But this wasn’t just poetical musing: With some of the striped ensembles it was clear this Belgian designer also had her eye on an older clientele.—AP
Medieval pilgrims that Vivienne Westwood ood imagined during a visit to Canterbury Cathe- thedral were the unlikely muses for the British designer’s collection.
Muddy faces, colored earth-splashed knees, ees, hanging girdles and earthy brown canvas cotton and yarn upon yarn of glamorous flowing wing rags provided the peasant-inspired wardrobe. obe. These features - sometimes minimalist, some- metimes festive - combined with colorful page’s ge’s stripes, medieval short tabard coats and Juliette sleeves to produce a veritable display play from yesteryear. There was even a saintly halo hat. But collections from eccentric Westwood ood elude definition - and indeed to define her would be to limit her art. So, breaking out ut of the medieval shackles the designer also included a Latin colored headdress, a gaucho cho look in yellow ochre and an ode to punk k in bright blue - plus her famed peaked shoul- oulders for good measure. Bags in the show, , for example, were made in Kenya in a project t organized by the UN-supported “Ethical Fashion hion Initiative.”But Westwood flits between the serious and the gay. After describing the origins gins of the fabrics, the designer chuckled that she’d he’d created a style she referred to as “sexy nun.” ”