{"id":754,"date":"2026-03-30T14:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/?p=754"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:54:00","slug":"from-corsets-to-crowns-the-amazing-pieces-you-cant-miss-at-vivienne-westwoods-new-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/?p=754","title":{"rendered":"From corsets to crowns, the amazing pieces you can’t miss at Vivienne Westwood’s new exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Vivienne Westwood holds a special place in the public consciousness, beloved both for her fashion and activism. Her outfits became as instantly recognizable as her red hair, with her love of corsets, crinolines, and tartans cementing her place in fashion history. Almost four years after her death, the first retrospective exhibition of her work will be held at the Bowes Museum in County Durham. Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Visionary – Storyteller<\/u><\/em>focuses specifically on her formative years working with partner Malcolm McLaren.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has not been a major retrospective of Westwood since her death in 2022, so we are honored to be able to display her work on this scale at the Bowes Museum,\u201d explains curator Rachel Whitworth. “Although her work had a wide range of historical references, it was always reflective of its times and has stood the test of time over the longevity of her influence and reputation. The increased interest in Westwood since her death makes this retrospective the perfect opportunity to both remind visitors of her extensive work and introduce her to new generations.”<\/p>\n

Westwood has a personal connection to the museum and previously held a major lace exhibition there. Fine and fashionable: lace from the Blackborne collection<\/em>back in 2006, she also lent out some works. \u201cThis personal connection is reflected in the museum\u2019s collection, which includes many of the types of objects that inspired Westwood at the V&A and Wallace Collection, including historic fashion, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, metalwork and woodwork,\u201d adds Whitworth. \u201cIt was her historical inspiration and similarities with the Bowes Museum\u2019s collection that led private collector Peter Smithson to approach the Bowes Museum in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As for the program’s subtitle, Rebel \u2013 Storyteller \u2013 Visionary<\/em>Whitworth explains that they were chosen to demonstrate both the progress and circularity of Westwood’s career. “From the beginning, she and Malcolm McLaren rebelled against the mainstream, creating a ‘world’ in their store at 430 King’s Road in London, with different guises depending on theme and movement,” she says. “They invited buyers to enter into their ‘stories’ and lifestyles through their clothes. Westwood’s genius in storytelling and creating worlds through the themes of his collections was particularly evident in his early to mid-career. For example, ‘Pirates’ with McLaren (Autumn\/Winter 1981\/82), Harris Tweed (Autumn\/Winter 1981\/82), This ability to transcend time, understand trends, and sustain her style and influence over the decades is part of the visionary element of her story, along with her support for environmental and political causes that have become more visionary over time.<\/p>\n

Here, Whitworth selects six important works from the collection and explains why they are must-sees.<\/p>\n

crinoline <\/h2>\n
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\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

“Westwood is known for drawing inspiration from fashion history. Corsets and crinolines are perhaps the most obvious examples. Introduced in Mini Crini (Spring\/Summer 1986), the signature Mini Crini is derived from crinoline, which comes from crin (French for horsehair). Considered one of her most unwearable garments outside of the catwalk, Westwood made sure to match its historical influence with its practicality by using flexible plastic bones in its construction, which are also lightweight and return to their original shape at any time. <\/p>\n

corset<\/h2>\n
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\"Marlene<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

“The exhibition features several of Westwood’s corsets, both as framed works of art and as part of ensembles.” In Tweed (Autumn\/Winter 1987\/88) she introduced her Statue of Liberty corset, which quickly became a signature piece. In previous collections she wore underwear over outerwear, but here the underwear is outerwear in its own right. Westwood made three changes to adapt the historic template to the modern era: The bone section was replaced with flexible plastic strips, the side panels were made from stretch fabric, and the laces were replaced with zippers. \u201d <\/p>\n

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the crown<\/h2>\n
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\"Colorful<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Westwood’s crown was also introduced in Harris Tweed (Autumn\/Winter 1987\/88). She used the crown to give her collection a royal feel, affectionately referring to Harris Tweed as the Royal Collection. Westwood considered her crown to be very practical and regularly wore it when cycling around London. Confirmed when Stockbridge wore it on the cover of iD magazine, it became one of Westwood’s most popular crowns.” A recognizable piece that combines humor and tradition. The original design was created by milliner Stephen Jones (born 1957). Jones cut the brightly colored tweed herself, folded the fabric as if doing origami, and added 3D “gems.” <\/p>\n

tartan check <\/h2>\n
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\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

“Tartan has a long history in fashion. It began as a woolen fabric worn for warmth and practicality in the Scottish Highlands, and as it became identified with individual clans, its designs became more colorful and diverse. For Anglomania (Autumn\/Winter 1993\/94), she collaborated with weavers Lochkarron to introduce a number of tartans dedicated to her family, taking the idea of Scottish clan tartans. \u201d <\/p>\n

works of art<\/h2>\n
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\"Fashion<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

“Westwood drew inspiration from many different forms of artwork, which is a key reason why her work is a perfect fit for the Bowes Museum, which brings together both fine and decorative arts. For example, ‘Voyage to Sitera’ (1989) \/Autumn\/Winter 1990) is inspired by the artist Jean-Antoine Watteau’s (1684-1721) Embarkation on the Isle of Cythera (1717), Aphrodite, 1992. After his marriage to Andreas Kronthaler in 1999, he and Westwood recreated works by Fran\u00e7ois Boucher (1703-1770) and Peter Paul Rubens (1570-1640) in printed fabrics, creating designs for the “Hals” shirt and the name “Gainsborough.” Blouse modeled after Frans Hals (1582-1666) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). The all-over printed ensemble is designed to give the impression of wearing an artist’s canvas. \u201d<\/p>\n

tailoring<\/h2>\n
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\"Fashion<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Bowes Museum, County Durham<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\u201cAlong with the torn T-shirts of the punk era, Westwood is also known for her tailoring, primarily for women but also for men. From the Pirates collection (autumn\/winter 1981\/82) onwards, she began to transform traditional designs into bold new designs. This is most evident in her tailored jackets, which are named after model Bettina Graziani (1925-2015) and first appeared at the Grand Hotel. (Spring\/Summer 1993) A tight-fitting short jacket with a complex structure. Two examples are Vive La Cocotte (A\/W 1995\/96) and Storm in a Teacup (A\/W 1996\/97). The ‘Windy Bettina’ jacket is further complicated by its bias cut. <\/p>\n

Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Visionary – Storyteller<\/u><\/em> will be held at Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, from 28 March to 6 September 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

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