Vivienne Westwood: Portrait

I really like how Fashion is influenced by works of Art and I wanted to include some of the key pieces from Fashion History in my research.

Most notably is the 'Portrait' collect from Vivienne Westwood a/w 1990-1. Westwood has always been known for her embracing of the avant garde and this collection is no exception. What I am most interested by with the collection is that she didn't just simply re-create all of the images into physical garment but was also influenced by furniture and upholstery patterns within the paintings.

Westwood's Interpretation of the
above Painting

François Boucher's portrait of Louis XV's mistress,
Madame de Pompadour, and Westwood Interpretation

Furniture print of Andre Charles Boulle and Westwood stunning
creation in velved and printed gold

A quote from Westwood that really spoke to me is that; '[she takes] something from the past that has a sort of vitality that has never been exploited - like the crinoline - and get very intense. In the end you do something original because you overlay your own ideas.' [1] I am really inspired by this idea. That one could quite easily recreate a painted image in the right era or in modern times but it would be a greater challenge (but also a much more satisfying outcome) to extract the key element of the the image and add to it my own ideas to create a new piece in its own right but that it still clearly drawn from the original.


[1] http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1231_vivienne_westwood/influences2.html