Queen Viv and the Pirates

One of the most influential and anarchic fashion heroes of mine has to be Vivienne Westwood. Queen Viv influenced the UK punk scene alongside Malcolm Maclaren, opening her shop Sex on the Kings Road in London, selling everything from rubber bondage gear to her own ripped t-shirts and bondage trousered collections, a complete anti-fashion statement if there ever was one a backlash against the hippies, bowler-hatted bankers, nylon dresses and flared trousers that dominated the UK during the 1970s.

Vivienne Westwood, muse Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow, The Pirate collection.

Vivienne and Malcolm also inspired and influenced young people to express themselves and make themselves heard, with Musicians including the Sex Pistols, Bow Wow Wow, Siouxie Sioux, Adam Ant and Culture Club, who were all dressed by Westwood and some point in their careers, and in their own right, became unlikely superstars.

2017 AW collections, Seditionaries label and the band Bow Wow Wow

I am so inspired by Viv's new romantic, pirate collection nearly 40 years on, even as a little kid I remember wanting to covet it. I saw a really interesting documentary on Vivienne Westwood, who describes her fascination with old patterns and an obsession with Pirates in great detail. She then went on to describe how 17th century (pirates) trousers were made during the Golden age of pirates and how the cut of the trousers was cut much bigger on the backside to create the draping, almost nappy like effect, Vivienne was inspired and used this pattern cutting style to create her own pirate trousers. By the time I had watched this I was hooked and fascinated by Vivienne Westwood, the way she looked out of the box to create something new (or old in this case) for her latest collections.

I just love the way Vivienne cuts her oversized t-shirts so perfectly, they hang in a different way to other designers clothing, it's almost a structured, make it up as you go along but perfect, a contradiction, it's ingenious! Viv also loves an elongated sleeve, the more ridiculous the better and her collections always feature a pair of sports socks here and there, maybe that is where my obsession comes from too? I can't confirm that though but psychologically? Maybe!

Vivienne Westwood AW 2017, Sex Shop on Kings Road, Culture Club. 

Lastly, I must mention Vivienne Westwood's personal style. This woman looks good in everything. She adds a little 18th-century vintage with a splash of punk and a touch of streetstyle and nails it every time. Every collection she has ever made, Vivienne (often accompanied by her husband Andreas Kronthaler) takes a strut down the catwalk wearing an outfit from her latest collection, with her beautiful pale English skin tone and her fiery red or bleached blonde hair, the woman can't go wrong! Vivienne Westwood, a style icon, a lifestyle icon, a need for something different, her love of fashion, pattern cutting and her links to music culture are an inspiration. They broke the mould when they made this fashionista!

Images sourced from viviennewestwood.com, vogue.com and pinterest.

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ND xx