For the next iteration of Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, the designer presented a heartfelt showcase paying tribute to the late, great Westwood. For Spring/Summer 2024, Kronthaler delved deep into the Westwood archives, but as the show notes suggest, “No, it’s not a retrospective.”
“I organised and numbered Vivienne’s personal wardrobe, clothes we did together. Revisited. Reworked. The collection coming out in the order I picked them, numbered from a hat. Where I felt I changed, or I added, or I took away,” Kronthaler explains in the notes.
Speaking about his love for Westwood, he adds, “Loved the way she dressed. Always the opposite of everybody else. Wore things until they fell apart — her corduroy suit which she wore over twenty years constantly. A great mender always done in bed — never wasted anything. She understood how to make the most of herself — the most of it! Her thought was always somewhere else, somewhere exciting, that’s what made her so attractive She had a very special relationship to time, she truly travelled in her mind. Love her so much.”
Read on for Hypebae’s summary of Vivienne Westwood SS24.
WHO: A vibrant array of celebrities filled Kronthaler and Westwood’s front row, including Munroe Bergdorf, Christina Hendricks and Pamela Anderson alongside Barbara Palvin, Coco Rocha and Jefferson Hack. Within the runway show itself, Westwood’s granddaughter Cora Corre once again made an appearance, alongside Irina Shayk and Amelia Gray.
WHERE: The showcase was held at the hotel Pavillon Vendome in Paris, amidst a backdrop of grand courtyards and paved pathways.
SEE: Bold and bodacious dresses, headpieces and two-pieces stormed the runway, paired with Westwood’s signature ultra-platform boots. A dazzling collection of shimmering and sheer fabrics were draped over bodies, paired with outlandish sunglasses, jewelry and lace-up brogues. Elsewhere, male models wore bedazzled leotards, had visible bum cheeks and wore heels.
TOUCH: Sequins, satin-effect fabrics and embelllished netting made multiple appearances on Kronthaler’s runway, with ruching, bedazzling, and any other form of textile manipulation and elevation you can think of also being a part of the show.
HEAR: A live band soundtracked the show, with music composed and performed by Houston-born drummer Jeremy Dutton.
TASTE: Taking things to the extreme seems to be a requirement for SS24, with overly sheer garments, cut-outs for bum cheeks and unbearably high platform boots being our key takeaways from Kronthaler’s show.
