Vivienne Westwood Launches Bridal in Three Tiers
With many brides now going forward with their postponed wedding day plans, Vivienne Westwood is launching its multitiered bridal collection.
This season shoppers can choose from three capsule collections: made-to-order, couture and the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood looks. Just as every bride has a different style, so, too, do the three sectors.
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As part of the designer’s efforts to adopt more sustainable practices, there is an appreciation for smaller-scale manufacturing. Incorporating environmentally friendly fabrics is also in the mix. The bespoke, made-to-order and bridal collections are designed, sampled and handcrafted in England. The finery involves using traditional tailoring techniques with historical and experimental pattern cutting.
With longevity in mind, Westwood’s couture team is offering brides a new upcycling service. To reduce climate waste and extend the life of a garment, shoppers can have their bridal gowns reworked after the wedding. By choosing from its luxury fabrics, dyeing options, tweaks to the silhouette, beading and other embellishment options that will be executed by the designer’s couturiers in her London atelier, the gowns can be reworked so that they can be worn for many occasions.
Sustainable practices have been seeping into weddings. Vintage wedding gowns, estate jewelry, composting wedding flowers after the wedding and donating leftover food to local food banks are just some of the ways. Pronovias recently rolled out its “Second Life” initiative to encourage brides to wear their wedding dresses again.
As some regions including London have eased pandemic-related restrictions, many betrothed couples are planning to celebrate their nuptials this year. Some went ahead and wed in civil services or smaller gatherings, but they had postponed larger festivities. Westwood is one of many designers who is committed to the global wedding dress business, which is estimated at approximately $43.5 billion, according to Statista.
Courtesy of Vivienne Westwood
The designer company opted to show bridal this month to align with the global retail launch in its Davies Street store in London, as well as in its Milan, New York and Los Angeles locations. Most brands typically release new collections, during the April and October bridal markets.
Designed to relay a sense of new beginnings, the made-to-order styles feature sheer fabrics, transformative designs and three-dimensional silhouettes. Exposed corsetry, layered tulle and embroidered flowers are some of the finishing touches.
Westwood’s made-to-order bridal collection features 15 gowns and nine styling pieces that are offered in a range of fabrics and finishing. Sustainability-minded shoppers have the options of environmentally conscious fabrics such as an ivory-colored recycled tulle and an FSC-certified viscose as a vegan alternative to silk and satin.
The couture collection, meanwhile, draws inspiration from key women tied to the arts and literature, dating from Ancient Greek heroines to current ones. The assortment has crystal and pearl-encrusted embroidery, signature Chantilly lace and three-dimensional floral motifs. Opera coats embellished with pearls and ostrich feathers polish off the selection. There are also touches like pastel-colored roses on drapes of lace and tulle, as well as love notes embroidered onto transparent veils.
Courtesy of Vivienne Westwood
In the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood spring 2022 bespoke bridal collection, clients will find dresses of varying proportions. More body-confident brides might gravitate toward the Marilyn Monroe-inspired hourglass silhouette or an of-the-moment interpretation of a Marie Antoinette gown reminiscent of an 18th-century Versailles court dress.
Along with beaded tulle, white silk moire and draped Chantilly lace, there are white feathers, silk taffeta bows and patchwork tulle boleros. The looks are from the spring 2022 runway collection that was presented in Paris, and they can be made-to-measure for each client.
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