Vivienne Westwood, Designer, Is Now Also a Vivienne Westwood Model
Among all the models sitting backstage at the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Fall 2017 show—Westwood handed over the title of her eponymous label to her partner and collaborator beginning in Fall 2016—there was a new, yet familiar face at hair and makeup. It was the brand’s namesake herself preparing to make her runway debut as model, rather than designer, for the house she built. She stepped onto the runway to model a collection that leaned towards the Kronthaler side of their design partnership. It drew on his Austrian heritage, inspired in part by the paintings of Gustav Klimt, his artistic influence evident in the collection’s paint-splattered smocks and trousers. Still, a bright teal sweatshirt reading “Punk” in bold block capitals and the more elaborate, iridescent dresses gestured to Westwood’s own creative voice. In the front row, longtime Westwood fan Pamela Anderson took note.