Boucher, the Rococo style, Postmodernism - Westwood was so inspired by historic painting she wanted to rip it up and turn it into something new
Vivienne Westwood was a lifelong art student: London’s museums were her dressing-up box
Born Vivienne Isabel Swire in Glossop, Derbyshire, in 1941, Westwood briefly studied at Harrow School of Art, but left after a term, later explaining that she’d felt “a working-class girl like me couldn’t possibly make a living in the art world.” I think there was something of the perennial art student to Westwood – or perhaps her spirit, and that of the punk scene around her have informed the sensibility of generations that followed. It’s a combination of the will to outrage, of anything-goes aesthetics, of art historical studiousness, and also of righteous anger – an energy that, in more recent years, Westwood directed to environmental causes and the defence of those who speak out against the system.
But it was in the 1980s, following the break-up of the Sex Pistols, that she started to move away from McLaren’s influence, and to look to costume history for inspiration. London’s museums became her dressing-up box. She has described the Wallace Collection as “the best school in the whole country” and was an aficionado of the V&A archives.Pirates, Autumn/Winter 1981-82.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler: In Their Own WordsIn 2017, over a morning at the Wallace Collection, a place long-loved by both, the couple invited Susannah Frankel to share the history of their personal, political and professional lives – revisit the interview here
Read more »
A Tribute to Vivienne Westwood, the Designer’s DesignerOn the sad news of her passing, Alexander Fury remembers a designer who has fundamentally shaped the way we dress today
Read more »
Vivienne Westwood: Six Radical Quotes on Saving the WorldA tireless activist as well as a pioneering designer, Vivienne Westwood spent her life fighting for a better world. In the wake of her death, we revisit some inspiring words from her on pushing against systems of power and saving the planet
Read more »
Vivienne Westwood's incredible life up North that created a fashion powerhouseVivienne Westwood's incredible life up North, the boy from Chadderton, and the Manchester gallery that 'changed her life forever'
Read more »
The Many Lives of Vivienne Westwood’s Worlds End ShopIn the wake of Vivienne Westwood’s death, we explore the eclectic and revolutionary history of Westwood’s iconic London boutique, situated at 430 Kings Road, Chelsea
Read more »
Thousands of revellers line the streets of London for New Year's Day ParadeThousands of revellers have lined the streets of London to welcome in 2023 with the New Year's Day Parade.
Read more »