It’s hard to categorize a Vivienne Westwood show because her design sensibility is both contrary and unsurprising. She doesn’t subscribe to the conceptual ethos of Paris’ other radical designers but isn’t quite on par with the massive heritage design houses that flank her on the schedule. It’s whimsical and wild with a hint of disorder but unfortunately the same thing we’ve been seeing from her for years. Nevertheless, her shows are almost always well received and met with thunderous applause because it’s a market that some people buy into without reservation. This season, Westwood noted China, the desert, and 17th century corsets as inspiration. Deconstruction was throughout but it was easy to see the romanticism of the corsets paired with the almost clown-like volume of the outerwear.
