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Sex, punk and dirty old cash. “We decided to print our own money this year, I think more people should do it” said Andreas Kronthaler to i-D backstage after the Westwood Gold catwalk show. Wearing a T-shirt that with an old British fifty pound note emblazoned across it, Andreas the co-designer and long-time spouse of Dame Vivienne Westwood continued on the couple’s references to money this season. “The collection is called ‘London’, we were inspired by Charles II. After the great fire in 1666, Christopher Wren rebuilt the town and this is when England established its absolute worldwide power. Wren is on the back of these notes that don’t really exist anymore so we got one, scribbled London on it and thought let’s do a print on crêpe de Chine, it looks good to have all this money around you.” This is Vivienne Westwood so of course the references to money are direct comment on the social political climate of the day. In addition this is Westwood so of course when God Save The Queen was played by DJ Jerry Bouthier, all fans and devotees relate this to Vivienne herself. And onto the clothes. Westwood maidens, princesses and regal concubines constantly falling in and out of bed – a right saucy carry on – walked with flushed cheeks, hair like birds nests and at one point wearing dresses that looked as if they’d been caught ‘in flagrante’ and were fleeing half naked, half clinging to silk bedsheets. “Sex is very, very important, it’s like there’s eating and sleeping, sex and dressing” said Andreas. Well indeed. The structured and baroque chandelier dresses were impressive, other points to note were the recycled canvas bags, giant cartoony platform heels and the oh-so-sweet image of the insouciant maiden riding her bicycle down the runway in ripped stockings and covered with ostrich feathers: where was she going? Where had she been? If only more girls would cycle around Paris looking like that.
Text: Sarah Hay
Photography: Mitchell Sams
Click here to see our AW12 Womenswear coverage in full.
