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Louise Thomas
Editor
Vivienne Westwood’s spring/summer 25 collection showcased some unorthodox ‘quiet luxury’ alongside its quintessentially punk designs at Paris Fashion Week.
Ex-Victoria’s Secret model Irina Shayk closed the show, making her second Paris Fashion Week appearance in a simple, oversized white suit, paired with pearly skin and natural, loose hair.
The theme of the Vivienne Westwood show was ‘calibrate’, meaning to ascertain the quality of character of something or someone.
It appears Andreas Kronthaler, the widower of the late designer who took over as creative director of the fashion house, was attempting to calibrate where Eighties’ punk fits in modern society.
With looks featuring 1980s’ satin, tartan skirts and platform heels paired with contrasting tights – all reminiscent of the eponymous late designer’s 1993 show, Anglomania – the garments were paired with bulky headphones, disco glasses and 2010s’ wrap dresses.
It was a mish-mash of sultry sheer gowns, retro parkas, pops of punky tartan and sophisticated workwear.
Accessories including excessive pearls, vibrant block-coloured glasses, and sparkling metallic jewellery evoked the sense of a child having riffled through their mother’s wardrobe.
Yet, there was a sustained focus throughout the diverse collection. Kronthaler was preoccupied with lines – whether printed onto the garments or experimented within the silhouettes.
The show explored the human form and where the eye is drawn on a body.
The collection did feature some quintessentially Westwood shapes, with romantic draping and extravagant ruching, but Kronthaler pulled it forward with classic Eighties’ styles butted against motifs from the 2000s – such as swimsuits and sparkling leggings paired with cropped waistcoats and excessive accessories from a decade ago.
As the show drew to a close, Kronthaler ran onto the catwalk, joining hands with 38-year-old Shayk, as the models walked off to Crying On The Bathroom Floor, a recent release by singer Will Young.
The collection was an exploration into calibrating the nostalgia of women’s fashion.
Kronthaler married the Westwood label’s quintessential Eighties’ punk qualities with motifs that women of today – many of whom grew up in the 2000s as opposed to the 1980s – would find nostalgic.
The late designer’s close friend, Scottish designer Pam Hogg, sat in the front row alongside supermodel Kate Moss’s ex-husband Jefferson Hack and US rapper Cardi B.
Kronthaler was able to conduct a thoughtful fusion of the past and present by exploring the calibration of punk nostalgia in today’s society.
With Noughties model Irina Shayk at its forefront, the collection served as a reminder of Westwood’s timeless influence and its enduring relevance in modern pop culture.
