Layers, Lace and Lustre – Styling and Fashion in the Memory of Vivienne Westwood

Words by Claire Disch, Stylist

Undoubtedly, Vivienne Westwood was known as a trailblazer for her revolutionary synthesis of the bold, grunge, and punk with their aesthetic counterparts: lace, ruffles, and pastels. Much of her significance in fashion history, and the power associated with her collections, can be attributed to her explicit focus on juxtaposition as a styling device. Layering patterns, prints, various bold colours, and even more different materials afforded her a contemporary and alternative angle on women’s and men’s wear. Her designs navigate the rigid boundaries between genders, traversing concerns of stereotyping and the binary. By pairing reds, deep purples, blues, and tartan print in her abstract compositions Westwood seeks to emphasise the significance of colour alongside silhouette. Beyond the lustrous golds and silvers, she incorporates unique colour combinations – only to be underscored by a myriad of textures further complicating the looks visually.

Transgressions of gender are perhaps most visible in her Fall/Winter 1993 Anglomania collection, shown in Paris. While the runway almost exclusively features women, the looks cohesively combine masculinity and femininity resulting in an androgenous subversion of wider societal norms. The show features her iconic power suits and blazers, their boxy and square silhouette recalling masculine tailoring, clearly in stark contrast to the emphasis on the female form on 90s runways. This might be most poignantly emphasised by Kate Moss’s look for the Tom-Ford-Era Gucci Spring/Summer 1996 collection, which heavily relies on her body itself as a vehicle for expression. Rather than relying on the body as an expression of femininity, Westwood can conceptualise gender through her clothes themselves: pairing skirts and flowing fabrics with long boxy overcoats, blazers and even trousers to present a unique take on binary ambiguity. The movement of loosely tailored elements in the styling of her looks bring attention to the materiality of individual pieces, shifting away from the respective model’s gender. Identity becomes tied to the clothing itself and extends beyond the particular model. I would argue the cohesion and consistency created by the juxtaposition of diametrically oppositional elements in silhouette and layering defines Westwood’s work and lends it power.

Vivienne Westwood, Look 34, Fall/Winter 1993 Anglomania.

As mentioned, layering is a staple of Westwood’s designs. When referring to materiality, I refer to texture, the material used to construct the clothing, and most importantly the physicality of the fabrics expressed through movement and reflection of light. ‘Look 34’ of the collection demonstrates the significance of oppositional layering: contrasting a tartan overskirt with white leather laced boots reaching far over the knee and a pearlescent underskirt. Movement is key for the impact of the look; the underskirt being raised by the model to expose the juxtaposing textures of Westwood’s creation. The innocence of the raised white skirt uncovering the platform shoes, contrasted with a modest shoulder cover repeating the same signature tartan patterns demonstrate the intersection of femininity, punk and rococo aesthetics explored previously. The designs are intended to be functional as well as fashionable, hence the focus on movement and its ability to unlock the full vision and potential of the pieces.

Vivienne Westwood, Look 26, Fall/Winter 1993 Anglomania.

Similarly, the principles explored above can be seen in ‘Look 26’, comprised of a layered tartan skirt, blouse and tie, as well as a mohair blazer featuring a slightly altered tartan design. The look is defined by careful tailoring, drawing attention to the model’s waist, as has been done repeatedly in her oeuvre with corsets. A magnitude of different accessories is equally crucial, here featuring a wide off-centre hat and sporran, an element of men’s traditional Highland Dress reserved for special occasions – thus once more subverting the strict gendering of clothing. The combination with abstract printed tights not only elevates humble materials and creates consistency but lends a modern spin on the traditional tartan patterns and associated silhouettes. 

The combination of the pieces and their styling, but even more so their particular styling, effectively melt different textures and colours into a modern creation defined by subversion, juxtaposition and androgyny. I urge everyone to attempt this style of layering themselves, to experiment and elevate a linear look through bold patterns and stratified silhouettes. While understood as couture and high-fashion, Westwood’s principles can be imitated using one’s own closet – the recipe only calls for imagination, complimentary colours and a reworking of the small-top-big-bottom theory. While sticking to a colour palette of burned reds, oranges, and yellows with royal blue and emerald-green elements, it is key to start simple. Choose a busy, pattered skirt – plaid in honour of Westwood’s signature – but don’t be afraid of including complex polychrome hues. Balance is key, as is layering. Attention to her silhouettes is significant, incorporating either an oversized blazer, fur stole, skirts over jeans, or her ‘piece de resistance’ – platforms.

In memory of Westwood, look styled by Claire Disch.

While she may have passed last year, Westwood’s influence and ingenuity live on in modern fashion and are key to how I compose my own looks. Her attention to a juxtaposition of texture, colour and material and the defiance of norms and binaries is central to my own styling philosophy.