Art, Anarchy and the Avant-Garde

One of the most brilliant — and controversial — fashion designers of all time, Vivienne Westwood had a flair for the dramatic that was inspired by her love for art, anarchy and the avant-garde.

Fun and fanciful, the designer’s creations were never status-quo, pushing the boundaries of print, color and proportion in bold new ways. Closely linked with the UK punk rock movement of the Seventies, Westwood’s pieces quickly caught on with musicians across the world — and across genres — as artists flocked to her statement-making designs.

Here, we gather some of Vivienne Westwood’s most iconic looks, as seen on her friends, models, musicians and on the pioneering designer herself.

Sex Pistols

Before there was punk and before there were the Sex Pistols, there was Westwood and McLaren. After starting Let It Rock in one of London’s most prominent fashion hubs, Kings Road, Malcolm McLaren went on to manage the up-and-coming band, with Westwood taking the opportunity to dress them in her edgy deconstructed looks.

From her tartan-patterned suits, ripped and distressed to emulate the band’s edgy persona, to her invention of the straitjacket set, Westwood went on to push the boundaries of fashion and culture, using the Sex Pistols as her billboard to fame.

Johnny Rotten in 1976

As the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, Johnny Rotten became synonymous with Westwood’s rebellious, spit-strewn aesthetic, which found its way into Rotten’s distressed T-shirts, ripped jeans and plaid shirts that were often adorned — and held together — by safety pins. Case in point: this casual look that the singer sported during Sex Pistol’s 1976 Anarchy in the UK Tour. 

Punk Fashions

Westwood and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren were known for their boutique called SEX, located on King’s Road in London. Here, Pamela Rooke (a.k.a. Jordan) and Simon Barker (a.k.a. Six) are seen modelling Sex Pistols’ iconic “God Save The Queen” T-shirts, which remain a much-lauded (and much-copied) piece of music merch today.

Boy Geroge at Vivienne Westwood Tribute Event in 1998

Nothing feels more synonymous than Boy George and Westwood. During the rise of punk music and style in London, the duo found themselves at the center of it all, manifesting what would later become one of the most significant movements in history. “It was all about creating things, cutting them up, sewing them together, dyeing, safety pinning, and doing something that nobody else had done,” George noted, in a 2020 interview. It was this closeness in cultural upbringing on King’s Road that would later inspire many of George’s signature looks, including his infamous bowler hat designed by Westwood.

Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 1996

Like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Westwood was known for sending over-the-top bridal looks down the runway in many of her earlier collections.

Model Laetitia Casta closed the designer’s Paris Fashion Week show in 1996 sporting an oversized fur hat and draped “wedding” gown, which remains one of Westwood’s most memorable bridal looks to this day.

Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 1994

Westwood had sent another memorable bridal look down the runway for her spring/summer 1994 show, with a hand-stitched floral gown and exaggerated lace veil serving as the piece de resistance of her prêt-à-porter show.

Pharrell at the 2014 Grammy Awards

One of the most iconic Vivienne Westwood looks in recent memory was the hat that went viral on Pharrell Williams at the 56th Grammy Awards. Eschewing the typical red carpet dress code, the rapper and producer showed up to the carpet sporting an Adidas track jacket, blue jeans and a vintage Westwood hat — specifically the “Buffalo Hat” from the designer’s fall/winter 1983 show.

The look immediately took on a life of its own, with memes and parody accounts springing up days later. Even today, the search term “Pharrell Hat” remains a popular query on everything from Amazon to Etsy.

McLaren With Supreme Team

Of course, Pharrell wasn’t the first musician to sport the hat. Rappers The World’s Famous Supreme Team often worked with Malcolm McLaren, and the crew got first dibs on Westwood’s 1983 “Buffalo” collection (and those Buffalo hats) long before Pharrell was on the radar.

Still, Pharrell knows his way around a reference and it’s been said that his Grammy look was actually inspired by elements from the music video for McLaren and The World’s Famous Supreme Team’s “Buffalo Gals.”

Dua Lipa at the 2021 Brit Awards

After hitting the carpet in a custom gold Westwood gown, Dua Lipa hit the Brit Awards stage in a Union Jack trench from Westwood that nodded to Geri Halliwell’s infamous Spice Girls dress from the Ninties (Ginger’s mini-dress was designed by Gucci).

From winning outfits to winning overall: Lipa wore Westwood as she took home the awards for Album of the Year and Best Female Solo Artist.

Rina Sawayama at the Elton John Tribute in London

At BST Hyde Park, Rina Sawayama paid “full homage to one of Elton John’s amazing costumes over the years,” stylist Jordan Kelsey noted, pulling from the Westwood archive to complete the vibrant look (over-the-top glasses included).

Zendaya at the 2015 Academy Awards

Perhaps one of the most controversial moments of Zendaya’s career came after comments surfaced from host Giuliana Rancic, criticizing the actress for pairing her custom bridal dress by Westwood with locs. “She looks like she smells like patchouli oil and weed,” Rancic remarked on E!’s Fashion Police.

Zendaya later clapped back, condemning the host for the lewd remark, writing “There is a fine line between what is funny and disrespectful,” on her Instagram. Needless to say, Zendaya looked effortlessly chic and she’s been a fashion force ever since.

Harry Styles on the Cover of Rolling Stone, September 2022

What’s better than one of music’s current boundary pushers wearing one of fashion’s ultimate rebels? For the September cover of Rolling Stone, Harry Styles found himself completely relaxed after dropping his latest album, Harry’s House, encased in a plume of ostrich feathers — one of Westwood’s signatures. What better way to vibe out than in a complete fashion regalia?

Harry Styles on BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show

If you thought that Gucci ambassador Styles was a one-brand man, guess again. Although signed to the house in 2015, after Alessandro Michele took the helm as creative director, Harry has strayed from his Gucci love affair, like donning this tartan-patterned Westwood suit for an appearance on BBC Radio in 2017. 

Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall at Vivienne Westwood Tribute Event in 1998

Beloved by both the fashion and music set, Westwood came on the scene around the same time as many of today’s most iconic stars.

She maintained close relationships with them too, with the designer seen here with Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall and their daughter Elizabeth Jagger at a Westwood tribute at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1998.

Kylie Minogue at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 1992

Though she’s most closely associated with the punk rock movement, Westwood danced with disco queens too, seen here with a young Kylie Minogue, along with designer Azzedine Alaia and French actress Beatrice Dalle during a fashion show in Paris.

Dita Von Teese and Gwen Stefani at Vivienne Westwood Diamond Party

Dita Von Teese’s marriage to Marilyn Manson may have ended in “irreconcilable differences,” but the burlesque dancer’s dramatic purple wedding gown remains one of Westwood’s most well-known (and well-documented) pieces.

Seen here with Gwen Stefani and Westwood’s husband Andreas, Von Teese and Westwood were bonded through the years over their flair for the dramatic, and their love for turning fashion into performance art.

Avril Lavigne at Her Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony

One of the leading artists of the (decidedly tamer) pop-punk resurgence in the 2000s, Avril Lavigne has long held an admiration for Westwood, having worn the designer’s looks throughout her career (Westwood is said to have inspired Lavigne’s own foray into fashion too).

It was only fitting then, that Lavigne broke out a plaid, punk-inspired Vivienne Westwood suit for her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony in August 2022.

Olivia Rodrigo at the 2022 Grammy Awards

Olivia Rodrigo is mostly known for her 2000s nostalgia dressing and pop attitude, but when she stepped onto the carpet at the Grammys earlier this year, she served goth glam and gave fans an edgier side that they’ve been waiting for.

The black skintight dress — designed by Westwood, natch — was anything but modest, featuring a drop shoulder, a deep scooped neckline, and a bedazzled silhouette on the front. “We wanted to do something fun and young but also, we’re at the Grammys [so] it’s glamorous, it’s classy,” the singer told E! in a live interview. She is giving Morticia Addams a run for her money.

Doja Cat at 2020 American Music Awards

Doja Cat is always known for her experimental looks, and she chose this artistic, Victorian-esque Westwood gown for the 2022 American Music Awards.

Her stylist Brett Nelson told WWD that Westwood’s team reached out directly about dressing Doja, who wanted to take a “risk” on the carpet and move away from the expected “sexy mesh dress with crystals.” Mission accomplished.

Pamela Anderson at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2009

One of Westwood’s dearest friends was actress Pamela Anderson, who joyously embodied the designer’s daring and unapologetic design philosophy. Anderson appeared at a number of Westwood’s fashion shows, most notably in 2009, when she strutted down the runway in a wrapped, toga-style dress and dramatic upturned pink tutu.