BEAUTY: Clothing--Vivienne Westwood

My beloved Dame Westwood showed a fairly sedate collection for '13-'14 Fall/Winter at Milano Moda Uomo. There were no fireworks and no huge theme, the things that normally draw my attention to a designer or collection, but at this point, Westwood has nothing to prove. Her "theme" has been her entire career, and her dedication to exploring the shape of her art through historical references, silhouettes, and the cut of clothing (which, as Dame Westwood has shown again and again, can be breathtakingly creative in the right hands). She and her husband/ partner-in-design Andreas Kronthaler sent models out with abrasions and cuts on their faces, a reference that Yamamoto made last season, here. Perhaps, like Yamamoto, it was an allusion to the rough times we live in? But the clothing was pure Westwood: trousers with high waists and asymmetrical zippers, references to the Depression era, breathing masks (one of Dame Westwood's causes is catastrophic global climate change), and surprisingly, white tuxes for evening, but of course with a shirt, tie, and cummerbund twist!

http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/
Photos via http://www.style.com/