God Save the Queen (Viv)

Our Lady of British Fashion, Vivienne Westwood didn’t disappoint with SS16’s show being the usual spectacle as well as some headline worthy pre-show antics. This week Westwood rode up to David Cameron’s house in a tank to protest against the Prime Minister’s fracking plans. 74 and showing no signs of slowing up, Viv is an idol for us all to admire and the collection was as politically charged as we could have hoped for.

Frack Off

Westwood led the chicest demonstration we’ve seen in years (rather more tasteful than Chanel’s – sorry Karl) with war paint for make up and an ode to nature in floral motifs, the hippy vibes were pulsing strong up with her punk heart. Harking back to older days, there were flowing skirts, draped apron tops and loose shapes, all traditional, homely and fiercely interpreted in Westwood’s own style. “We’ve got to keep saying that politicians are criminal,” she wrote in her show notes. Seeing Westwood’s collection was enough to fill you with a sense of patriotic pride to protect our country from parliament’s plans.

If it ain’t broke

Amongst the show’s theme, there was Westwood’s signature styles, drapes, sketches, asymmetric everything, all feeding into her message. Westwood’s plans appear to be making her morals bigger than herself but it’s seemingly impossible to separate the designer from the dream.

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Vote Green

“These are difficult days. We must save the world – now. The change from capitalism to a green economy is easy. We know what to do. What’s good for the planet is good for people. Vote green.” This was the manifesto on Vivienne Westwood’s AW15 show invitation. With ritualistic animal sounds, along with an eerie futuristic spoken-word voiceover permeating the show space upon entry, this was Westwood’s message for the future, her plea. The show was hosted in the Science Museum, after all.

Dissecting The Details 

From Bauhaus-hued art school corduroy co-ords complete with matching berets, tiger print outerwear, and printed crushed velvet, to classic Westwood tartan and military inspired suiting – it was the details in this collection that spoke volumes. Clutch bags worn like arm bands that read: “Get A Life”, a restrictive black leather neck cuff, from which there hung chains, that read: “Art Lovers United” and a glossy kitten pouch (just to add the fun factor) – Westwood was going in hard with her “Vote Green”, cultural change manifesto. A colour palette of neutrals and primary’s gave the collection a tribal feel, and an omnipresent ticking sound masked within the tiger snarls and lion roars, made it feel like we were in a race against time to save the world.

Red Label Lady

As ever, the red label woman was fierce. But with makeup by Val Garland, that saw thick black and red paint smudged and smeared across each face, there was a most sinister atmosphere. Whether it was the blood red teamed with tiger print, or the black that gave harshness to the models eyes – this was Westwood’s pressing message to our generation.

Words: Brooke McCord.

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Gracie van Gastel makes a play for best-dressed farmhand in Joost Vandebrug‘s fashion film, Fryslân. Channeling all-natural, otherwordly simplicity, the Canadian beauty wears a series of jersey and denim looks from brands like Marques Almeida and Kinder Aggugini before quite literally letting her hair down in the bath. A girlish updo by Amber-Rose Peake and windswept, youthful make-up by Gina Blondell complete the impression of a girl on the farm in the middle of her chores.

“Fryslân is a farmer’s province in Holland, where Joost grew up,” stylist Tom Eerebout explains. “I’m from a small village in Belgium as well. That’s what girls there dress like – on a farm, you have to choose practicality above style. But

in the bathtub at the end, you see she’s an actual woman, not an innocent girl.”

Filmed on location in Kent, at the Christmas Tree Farm (yes, it’s called the Christmas Tree Farm all year round), posed some interesting challenges. “We did all the hair and make-up in a barn, with the goats right next to us,” Eerebout says. “But Gracie is from Canada and she actually grew up on a farm, so she was really good with them. It was only the donkeys she was a little afraid of, because they can bite your hand off!”

Director: Joost Vandebrug
Stylist: Tom Eerebout
Hair: Amber-Rose Peake using BUMBLE AND BUMBLE
Make-up: Gina Blondell using CHANEL
Model: Gracie Van Gastel from ELITE

Look 1: Shirt by HUSSEIN CHALAYAN, dungarees and clogs by KINDER AGGUGINI, wool socks by ASOS, hairnet from PAKS
Look 2: Knitted cardigan by CRAIG LAWRENCE, wool jumper by MARGARET HOWELL, jeans by ASHISH, sandals by MARQUES ALMEIDA
Look 3: Coat by MARQUES ALMEIDA, white knitted dress with collar by SISTER BY SIBLING, skirt and shoes by MARGARET HOWELL
Look 4: Knitted dress by CRAIG LAWRENCE
Look 5: Shirt by KINDER AGGUGINI, denim apron by MARQUES ALMEIDA, skirt by VIVIENNE WESTWOOD RED LABEL
Look 6: Denim shirt by MARGARET HOWELL, dress by HOLLY FULTON
Look 7: Dress by MARQUES ALMEIDA, clogs by KINDER AGGUGINI, wool socks by ASOS
Look 8: Shirt by VIVIENNE WESTWOOD RED LABEL, dress with lace detail by ALBERTA FERRETTI

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