Stefano Guerrini reports on Vivienne Westwood

 

Dear Shaded readers, welcome to the Westwood male fashion world…

For a/i 2009-2010 Vivienne Westwood has chosen as her inspiration her own gardener: Andy. The invitation for her fashion show was a black and white picture of this man. The press release stated: “Adapting the sturdy and utilitarian details of his work clothes, the season’s collection is a mix of casual elegance and masculine utility”. Ok, but when the soundtrack for the show is a Raffaella Carrà’ song and on the catwalk, made of small stones, in tune with the garden inspiration, you have a model wearing an apron over a body revealing the butt, a very nice one by the way, you know you are in the funny, smart and crazy world of the English Lady we all love so much. And Vivienne, although not in Milan, was in a good form. If the inspiration was clear on printed t-shirts, the silhouette was directly connected to the main theme. Adopting a bulky and masculine upper silhouette with a looser bottom, pieces such as padded vests, chunky cardigans, leather dungarees and slouchy trousers are all suited for the great outdoors by keeping warmth and giving ease of movement. I’m not a great gardening fan, but I’ll definitely want to develop a green thumb to wear these clothes.