Vivienne Westwood has a special place in society, loved both for her fashion and her performance. Her clothes have become as instantly recognizable as her red hair, her love of corsetry, crinolines, and tartan cementing her place in fashion history. Now, nearly four years after his death, Bowes County Durham Museum will hold the first retrospective of his work, Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Visionary – Storytellerfocusing mainly on his formative years working with his partner, Malcolm McLaren.
“There has not been a major retrospective of Westwood since his death in 2022, so we are privileged at The Bowes Museum to present his work on this scale,” explains curator Rachel Whitworth. “His work had many historical references, but it was always of its time and has represented a long period of his influence and popularity. I think that the increased interest in Westwood since his death makes this the right time to reflect back, to remind visitors of his extensive works and to introduce him to new generations.”
Westwood had a personal relationship with the museum, having previously opened a major lace exhibition there, Elegant & Fashionable: Lace from the Blackborne Collectionback in 2006, which he also lent pieces to. “This personal connection is echoed in the museum’s collection, which contains many objects, such as historical fashion, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, metalwork and woodwork, of the kind that inspired Westwood at the V&A and the Wallace Collection,” added Whitworth. “It was the parallels between his historical inspiration and the collections of The Bowes Museum that led private collector Peter Smithson to approach the museum.”
As for the subtitle of the show, Rebel – Rapono – StorytellerWhitworth explains that they were chosen to show the continuity and circulation of Westwood’s work. “From the beginning, he and Malcolm McLaren rebelled against the ordinary and created ‘worlds’ in their shop at 430 King’s Road, London, in different ways, responding to themes and movements,” he says. “They encouraged consumers to enter that ‘story’ or lifestyle through clothing. Westwood’s ability to tell a story or create worlds through the themes of his collection is very strong in his early to mid-career years, for example in Pirate (Fall 1981) and McLaren, Harris Tweed (Fall 1987) and This 1987-1987) and Therename of Change9. making his style and influence last down the decades is part of his story’s foresight, as well as his support for environmental and political causes that have become popular over time.”
Here, Whitworth selects his six most important pieces from the collection and explains why they are important to them.
The Crinoline
“Westwood is known for his inspiration from the history of fashion. The corset and crinoline are perhaps the most obvious examples. Presented in Mini-Crini (Spring 1986), the signature mini-crinis is inspired by crinolines, derived from crin (French for horsehair). Flexible plastic boning for shape so that it is light to wear and stays in shape.”
Corset
“There are several Westwood corsets in the exhibition, displayed as framed works of art and part of ensembles.” Westwood introduced her ‘Stature of Liberty’ corset for Harris Tweed (Fall 1987) and it quickly became a signature piece. for modern wear, the boning was replaced by flexible plastic straps, the side panels were made of taped fabric, and the lining was replaced by a zip.
The crown
“Harris Tweed (Fall 1987) also saw the introduction of Westwood’s crown. He used it to give his collection a royal feel, lovingly referring to Harris Tweed as his Royal collection. Westwood thought his crown was very functional, he always wore it while cycling around London. Westwood’s most famous pieces, combining humor and tradition The original design was made by milliner Stephen Jones (b.1957) Jones cut many brightly colored pieces himself and sewed them together, adding 3D ‘gems’ to the sides and top, which he created by folding fabric from the Berwick Soho music market.”
Tartan
“Tartan has a long history of fashion. Beginning as a woolen cloth worn for warmth and work in the Scottish highlands, its designs became colorful and varied as it was distinguished by families. and the weavers of Lochcarron in Scotland, played with the idea of tartan lineage and produced several tartans dedicated to family members.”
Works of art
“Westwood was inspired by works of art in many different forms, which is the main reason why his work is so beautiful at The Bowes Museum, a collection of fine and decorative arts. Beginning of Cythera (1717), Birthplace of Aphrodite, Musee du Louvre, Paris. After her marriage to Andreas Kronthaler in 1992, she and Westwood revisited the work of some of the great historians. They reproduced the paintings of Francois Boucher (1703-1770) and Peter Paul Rubens (1570-1640) on printed fabrics, and named the designs, the ‘Hals’ shirt and the ‘Gainsborough’ blouse, after Frans Hals (1582-1666) and Thomas Gainsborough (178-71). The fully printed ensembles were designed to give the impression of wearing an artist’s canvas.”
Sewing
“Besides the torn T-shirts of his punk era, Westwood is known for his tailoring-mainly for women, but he also designed for men. From his Pirate collection (Fall 1981) onwards, he transformed traditional patterns into new styles. Grand Hotel (Spring 1993) It is a short solid jacket with a complex shape.
Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Visionary – Storyteller is at the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle in County Durham from 28 March to 6 September 2026.
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