European Fashion Heritage Association

Journal Designers

Runway Archive: Vivienne Westwood, Pitti Uomo 38, 1990

27.06.2022
contemporary fashionmenswearrunway archive

Invited by Pitti Uomo to show her menswear collection, dame Vivienne Westwood served historicism and denim

The images show some of the outfits designed by Vivienne Westwood for her s/s 1991 collection presented at Pitti Uomo 38. The models wear embroidered 18th century-inspired court suits, loose white shirts, denim breeches and oversized jackets, whose proportions and lines remind of a sixteenth century doublet. The inspirations seems to be male portraiture, from the Tailor by Giovanni Battista Moroni to Jean-Baptiste Perroneau and Pompeo Batoni.

The British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood is known for her use of the past to find inspiration for her collections. Her own version of nineteenth century Victorian figures or Parisian cocottes are considered a milestone of fashion history. Although her vision is romantic, the designer’s practice is very much merged in the present. her revolutionary activities and ideas allow her to use fashion as a way to raise awareness on topical issues of contemporary times.