4 October 2026 |
Into the wild, carnivalesque world of Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood we go. The designer served-up an anarchic, big-hearted collection, packed with lusty looks. Boys wore lace blouses, deeply scooped tops, or night shirts (Kronthaler’s uniform during the summer heatwaves which he said he wore with nothing underneath). Girls wore bloomer shorts with blazers and bikini tops poking out from beneath undone chiffon blouses. There was a riot of textures, from grass skirts to dirty slashed denim. Kronthaler thinks nothing of combining together tulle and gingham all in one look.
There’s an unfettered exuberance to his style. Sexy boys swagger down his catwalk in deeply scooped tees and budgie smugglers, wearing badges that declared ‘Boys ❤️ My Swag’. The the wild Westwood women wear knits dangling with penis charms, swagged gowns and teetering heels.
It’s the Westwood way, to play with historical dress. Karonthaler created his own version of the late-17th-century Cheat Jacket, designed only to be seen from the front as the back was patchworked together from scraps. He also played snatches of quotes from his late wife: “You get ideas by developing ideas that already exist,” she said. Kronthaler has ideas aplenty.
Photography courtesy of Vivienne Westwood.
