The first word that comes to mind about Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2011 collection is diversity. As eclectic as was the packed crowd at Grand Connaught Rooms, including Pamela Anderson, Cat Deeley, Matt Smith supporting girlfriend Daisy Lowe on the catwalk, the collection offered a savant mix of prints and patterns, of genres and fabrics. As always with Vivienne Westwood, what could have been a total mess turned into something amazingly elegant and uniquely distinguished.
The show started with some pretty austere – at least compared to what we got used to – outfits in harmonies of navy, black, white and grey shades, with carrot trousers and waisted jackets, as well as the traditional tartans in grey and pink hues. As many collections this season, some garments were more Autumn/Winter like than summery. Brown, old rose and navy blue on heavy fabrics like tweed, wool and jacquard and covering shapes. Then progressively, spring then summer arrived, carrying with them all sort of prints, large stripes, floral, gingham, tribal, glittery camouflage, leopard, sometimes alone, other times teamed together, like the sumptuous cropped jacket and shorts combo in jacquard and striped cotton.
The flamboyant designer also offered outstanding evening wear with sequined garments, such as glitter cropped trousers and a jaw-dropping sequin pencil dress worn by model Jacquetta Wheeler.
Vivienne Westwood triumphantly walked the catwalk surrounded by her models for the finale, luminous and singing to the tunes « You’ll Never Walk Alone ». Fabulous, as always…
The show was also the opportunity for Vivienne Westwood to put under the spotlight Reprieve, a charity that provides frontline investigation and legal representation to prisoners held outside the rule of law in secret prisons, or in death rows around the world.
