Happy 80th birthday to Vivienne Westwood. She might now be a Dame of the British Empire, but Westwood will always be the queen of punk.
A fearless provocateur who's never afraid to buck against the system, don’t think as she heads into her ninth decade Westwood is going to start shying away now. Tonight, to celebrate the milestone, Westwood is delivering a video message to the world (you can watch it at circa.art) which promises a performance of ‘the punk icon performing a rewritten rendition of ‘Without You’ from My Fair Lady. Offering a stark warning of societal indifference to the looming environmental catastrophes, a cry against the arms trade and its link to climate change’.
She might now express more interest in activism and climate change than clothes, but Westwood has given us countless fashion moments in her 40-plus years in the industry. On the catwalk, sure (Naomi Campbell in those platforms, anyone?) but in her personal style as well.
Unsurprisingly, Westwood’s approach to getting dressed is like her approach to everything else: fearless, bold, unapologetically her way. From baring her bottom at her Sex store in 1977 to wearing pieces emblazoned with political statements today, she never, ever plays it safe. Tartan, platforms, ruched skirt suits and extravagant Fragonard-style gowns are all recurring signatures. Last year, she appeared in the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood campaign in a hoisted-up dress and red knee-high stockings. For always being brilliantly unexpected, for defying the ‘rules’ so often placed on women, Westwood is worth celebrating every day. Thank you, queen Viv!
SEE: Vivienne Westwood's Most Brilliant Designs
1 of 12Adwoa Aboah
At the 2020 BRIT Awards
2 of 12Christina Ricci
At the 2013 Met Gala
3 of 12Zendaya
At the 87th Annual Academy Awards
4 of 12Sarah Jessica Parker
Filming Sex and the City: The Movie
5 of 12Naomi Campbell
Walking in a Vivienne Westwood Show during Paris Fashion Week in the 1990s
6 of 12Kim Kardashian
At the 2017 Met Gala
7 of 12Kate Moss
Walking in Vivienne Westwood's 1997 Spring/Summer collection
8 of 12Thandie Newton
At the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival
9 of 12Elle Fanning
At the Chopard Love Night photocall in Cannes, France in 2019
10 of 12Diane Kruger
At the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival
11 of 12Viola Davis
At the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
12 of 12Helena Bonham Carter
At the 'Ocean's 8' premiere in London
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