There was romance and—appropriately enough for a collection inspired by Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l’herbe —Romanticism in the air at Vivienne Westwood for Spring 2013. Soft garlands of blossoms circled several of the boys’ heads as they came down the runway in lightweight knits and subdued floral prints that felt far removed from Westwood’s early days as doyenne of London’s punk scene. There was a touch of the 19th-century dandy in the checked suits and tasseled loafers, and an almost ethereal quality to the trio of light gray looks that opened. The collection was at one with nature, down to the grass stains that decorated a belted jacket and the trousers that went with it. There was also a reminder of Westwood’s love of Anglomania in the tie-dyed, abstract Union Jack that decorated Jesse Shannon’s third look—and Harry Goodwin’s lime-green briefs—but the rest of the collection felt straight out of the Bois de Boulogne, with sharp suits perfect for a summer afternoon stroll and the straw hats to go with them. And if you got hungry on your walk, Westwood had that covered as well, with a gingham poncho that could, in a pinch, easily serve as the perfect place to spread out for a picnic.
Text by Jonathan Shia
Photos by Ekoas
