Vivienne Westwood - A Woman Without Compromise
I was born on the same date as Vivienne, only thirty-six years later, in a different country and under a different political system. She seems to have rushed ahead by at least a century and turned the world upside down. There is something in her of Generation Z or even a generation from further still in the future - indifference to authority, a refusal to accept the concept of fashion as such, the demolition of age boundaries, a feverish protectiveness of the planet's resources. And yes - the stubbornness of those born under Aries, brightness in self-expression, a desire to confront everyone and everything.
Vivienne is not a beauty, but the freedom of thought that she refuses to let society's stereotypes and norms constrain is fascinating. Moreover, creative thought is followed immediately by action - it must be realised at once, without delay, however mad it may look from the outside. People turn to look at her, she is always the centre of attention, everyone expects a scandal from her, a sensation, a new experiment, a brazen daring.
"You will have a much more interesting life if you wear more impressive clothes." /Vivienne Westwood/
Vivienne always remains true to herself. Are the garments she creates beautiful, harmonious, elegant? Not at all. I have no desire to acquire any of her fashion show pieces. They are reminiscent of second-hand shop stock - the kind of shops now filling central Riga - Marijas Street, Barona Street, and the small towns of Latvia. The remnants of the Western world's worn-out or discarded unfashionable collections.
"Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody's buying far too many clothes." /Vivienne Westwood/
In glossy magazines Vivienne is called the Queen of Punk. Whatever the case, rebelliousness is her ally at every step. The majority of the wardrobe of the characters in the series "Sex and the City" was made by her fashion house. Vivienne supports the idea of Scottish independence from Britain. At sixty-eight she was photographed nude for a fashion magazine. Her second husband is twenty-five years younger than her; they met when Vivienne was already 48 and Andreas only 23 - moreover, he had been Vivienne's student.
"It's a philosophy of life. A practice. If you do something, something will change, what will change is that you will change, your life will change, and if you can change yourself, perhaps you can change the world." /Vivienne Westwood/
Vivienne protects herself from sunlight, preserving an aristocratic pallor of skin. She happily subsists on vegetables and fruit alone, and values home-cooked meals. Vivienne has no sympathy for women who try to be like men - female politicians who try to apply masculine pragmatic thinking to themselves.
"I have a terribly bad memory, perhaps because I always concentrate on what I'm doing at the moment." /Vivienne Westwood/
Photos sourced from internet resources: inhabitat.com/ecouterre/vivienne-westwood-wants-to-make-environmental-destruction-a-crime/; www.standard.co.uk/fashion/news/vivienne-westwood-urges-shoppers-to-buy-less-during-politicallycharged-showcase-at-london-fashion-a3564016.html; www.bespoketextiles.co.uk/blog/british-icon-dame-vivienne-westwood5865451; ldnfashion.com/news/in-pictures/vivienne-westwood-autumnwinter-2011-campaign/
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