Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

LONDON, September 19, 2010

By Maya Singer

"Who's Leonard Peltier?" a front-rower at today's Vivienne Westwood Red Label show asked. The question was apropos of the assertion, printed at the bottom of the Westwood credit sheet, that the long-jailed American Indian activist is innocent. Elsewhere in the front row, as a clutch of Westwood's old-school punk pals took their seats, editors flipped through brochures for the legal organization Reprieve, which works on behalf of prisoners at Guantánamo and on death row.

Would that the women on Westwood's runway were as engaged as Westwood herself. That's not to ask that the designer's collections be radical—her legacy there is secure, her influence felt daily. It's plenty fair that, at this point, she simply enjoy making clothes. Her high-spirited collection for Spring demonstrates that she does. But this show also expanded the disconnect between Westwood's own persona and politics, and the woman for whom she designs. A model wearing an oversize top and baggy shorts in a chintzy silk—part of an odd interior decor-themed section—could have been clacking around her country estate in high-heeled mules, going from room to room out of boredom. Political injustice seemed the farthest thing from her mind.

Still, clothing-wise, there were smart ideas here, like a sporty stripe of stretch leather running down the side of pencil skirts and lean suit trousers. There were curve-complementing pencil dresses with ruffled necklines, executed with pop in an orange and white check, and ageless, universally flattering draped silk dresses and tops. There were a plethora of great jackets and pants and the occasional outstanding accessory, like an oversize bag in Navajo-print felt and color-blocked patent-leather brogues and high-tops. Perhaps the large, heart-shaped necklaces Westwood designed for Reprieve, which accessorized nearly every look, were meant not only to raise funds for the organization but to send a message to the restlessly idle Westwood woman on the runway. Good God, girl, there's plenty to do—so do something.

See all from Vivienne Westwood Red Label › Timeline

A.F. Vandevorst	Acne	ADAM
A Détacher	Akris	Alberta Ferretti
Albino	Alexander McQueen	Alexander Wang
Alexandre Herchcovitch	Alexis Mabille	Alice + Olivia
Altuzarra	Andrew Gn	Anna Sui
Ann Demeulemeester	Anne Valérie Hash	Antonio Berardi
Antonio Marras	Aquilano.Rimondi	Araks
Azzaro

Badgley Mischka	Balenciaga	Bally
Balmain	Banana Republic	Band of Outsiders
Barbara Bui	Barbara Tfank	Basso & Brooke
BCBG Max Azria	Behnaz Sarafpour	Bensoni
Betsey Johnson	Betty Jackson	Bibhu Mohapatra
Bill Blass	Blumarine	Bottega Veneta
Brioni	Burberry Prorsum

Cacharel	Calvin Klein Collection	Carlos Miele
Carolina Herrera	Carven	Celine
Cerruti	Chado Ralph Rucci	Chalayan
Chanel	Charles Anastase	Charlotte Ronson
Chloé	Chris Benz	Christian Cota
Christian Dior	Christian Siriano	Christopher Kane
Clements Ribeiro	Collette Dinnigan	Comme des Garçons
Commuun	Costello Tagliapietra	Costume National
Cushnie et Ochs	Custo Barcelona	Cynthia Rowley
Cynthia Steffe

D&G	Damir Doma	Davidelfin
David Koma	Dennis Basso	Derek Lam
Diane von Furstenberg	Diesel Black Gold	DKNY
Dolce & Gabbana	Donna Karan	Doo.Ri
Douglas Hannant	Dries Van Noten	Dsquared²
Duro Olowu

Edun	Elie Saab	Elie Tahari
Elise Øverland	Emanuel Ungaro	Emilio de la Morena
Emilio Pucci	Emporio Armani	Erdem
Erin Fetherston	Etro