Vivienne Westwood and the Eighteenth Century

I was assigned Vivienne Westwood as the artist to "embody" or "create a collection for" while referencing 18th Century fashion. I chose the Rococo period which emerged after the death of King Louis XIV, with the coronation of King Louis XV. This style of fashion centered around opulence, extravagance, and the pursuit of personal pleasure. This aesthetic of dress is something that can be heavily referenced in Vivienne Westwood's work, as we know she does take much interest in Historical dress. 

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This 15-piece accessories collection focused on capturing the rich and quirky color scheme of the Alice in Wonderland movies, as well as bringing in the traditional Rococo style and Punk aesthetics of Vivienne Westwood. Taking inspiration from the original 1950s movie, I decided to stick with the colors found on the poster, and mute them just a little to bring out more of a punk/dark mood. Since the second 2010 film is not animated, it focuses on a different storyline where we see Alice fighting to save her friends, this character has more of an edge and throughout the movie, we see the use of metal swords and armor, instead of what we once saw in 1950. 

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This is where the designs are influenced into a more dark/punk, whimsical aesthetic rather than the colorful Alice we once knew. Keeping the opulence of Rococo with the use of ruffles, pearls, and brooches, we have the intertwinement of punk through the use of gold and silver chains and Vivienne Westwood's classic insignia and plaid patterns.

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