Enfnts Terribles

The outdoor section is more exciting. The bomber jacket comes in three color options: multicolored tartan (also featured on trousers), black, and olive, with an orange lining. It is equipped with bondage straps, which were Westwood’s signature design during her “Sex” era.

Another pull from Westwood’s archives is the “Salon” print from the SS1992 collection, revived on a Gore-Tex windbreaker jacket, trousers, skirts, and skateboards. My personal favorite is the Harris tweed beret in the pink plaid. This beret features a Gore-Tex water-resistant treatment, meaning it will survive the rain, making it a good investment piece.

Does the collaboration make sense for Vivienne Westwood?

Vivienne Westwood passed away in December 2022. Her husband and long-term business partner Andreas Kronthaler has since taken over the brand. Vivienne Westwood herself approached fashion as a means of protest, a statement. She actively promoted anti-consumerism both in her speeches and her work. While the collaboration doesn’t inherently contradict her worldview, the outcome of this collection does. Because behind the commodification of her early works, the collection holds no statement. Essentially, this collection is nothing but merch.

Westwood had long outgrown her punk origins. She expressed reluctance to be associated with her early collections. Not that her desire to change the world had calmed down, although she altered her political views since then. The notion of punk fashion has changed, becoming a marketing opportunity instead. A way to sell a ‘rebel’ look. Merchandising the heritage of the house goes against Vivienne Westwood’s beliefs. As the Queen herself said, “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” Keep that in mind.

The Vivienne Westwood x Palace collection is for sale right now.