Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller – Visionary
I’ve always been fascinated with Vivienne Westwood from her early punk to extraordinary tailoring in the 80s / early 1990s (even as a 5 year old I wanted to be a punk!). Westwood is one of my main influences and the reason I pursued tailoring. I remember the infamous episode of Wogan when she showcased her revolutionary silhouettes. The other guests ridiculed, the audience laughed. Even the stand-in host, Sue Lawley, couldn't hide her amusement asking were we “supposed to laugh”. Clearly the audience didn’t understand the artistry and vision. Likewise Westwood couldn't understand their parochial outlook. It’s classic television, althought she doesn’t lose her cool, calmly explaining her influence (YouTube it if you can’t remember / haven’t seen it). How delightful this television apperance did not deter her.
I personally love her use of classic tailoring, heritage fabrics which are presented, for want of a better expression, punk style. Not just ripping up the design rule book but destroying it beyond recognition to create amazing silhouettes.
Whilst I visited her first ever retrospect Vivienne Westwood: 34 years in fashion spanning her career from 1970 to 2004 at the V&A in London, I failed the see the previous two exhibitions held at the Bowes Museum which were, as this one is, held in collaboration with private collectors and nothing to do with the Vivienne Westwood brand.
This intimate exhibition curated from private collections showcases the full range of her oeuvre from the anarchy of punk to the anarchy of tailoring (although never an official couturière there is exceptional artistry in the tailoring and later designs). It’s an absolute joy to see the clothes up close in such a grand setting (armour and paintings providing an awesome backdrop) and as the museum doesn’t have the footfall of the grand V&A et, al, it is possible to linger and, in my case, crouch down to look up the skirts, in an attempt to see the way the cloth has been cut, obviously without imposing on the exhibits.
So pleased I made time this morning for a quick trip north to see such an intimate exhibition.
The exhibition is held in the charming Bowes Museum. It's one of my favourite musuems (if one can have a favourite) after first visiting on a school trip in 1984 and seeing the famous silver swan. The purpose-built arts museum, is designed in the style of a French Chateau. It was, like most 19th century philanthropy, a gift to the local community by Josephine and John Bowes. Josephine, the force behind the project, was a celebrated French artist, actress and sort of influencer with a businessman husband (do look up the history and the full story of how Bowes came to be, on their website). It’s a truly magnificent building before we encounter the art collection, set in beautiful parkland, surrounded by rolling hills and farmland (not to mention the infamous town of Barnard Castle - and no I didn't need to test my eyesight) and more importantly, it’s not in London!
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