Rebellion in Royalty: An Analysis of Vivienne Westwood’s "Anglomania" Collection

Interestingly enough, a unique admiration for the famous painter Thomas Gainsborough is what initially inspired the idea for the 1993 Fall/Winter “Anglomania” collection. This interest originated within world renowned designer Vivienne Westwood.  A characteristic that connects both Gainsborough and Westwood is their lack of interest in social status. This is seen with Gainsborough’s painting of Lord Aylesford, where Aylesford was wearing an unnecessary robe and Garter collar. As a result, Gainsborough did not paint these accessories in the portrait. Westwood does a similar thing when creating her designs and collections, there is usually a criticism of capitalism involved. Hugh Belsey, who is with the company Art UK, describes Gainsborough’s art in a way that really highlights how similar both him and Westwood are, “His art was consequently truthful, straightforward and emotionally charged”. During the time period of the mid 1700s, when Gainsborough was popular, the French were attracted to and intrigued by the new tailoring style of the English. This new fascination from the French paved the way for Westwood to use this era of Gainsborough that helped to create an entire collection that intertwines both the styles of the French and the English. As for the name of the collection, the word “Anglomania” is defined as the excessive passion the French had for most English customs during the 1780s. Using this manic appreciation the French had for English trends, Westwood had the opportunity to pay tribute to her home country in this collection, while having the ability to take inspiration from icons such as Elizabeth I along with the punk movement as a whole. Westwood intended to create a collection that mixed characteristics of the French couture and the English silhouettes, while also conveying edgy, yet sophisticated designs.

The Vivienne Westwood collection named “Anglomania”, executes a cohesive style of new fashion, along with a new aesthetic that was viewed by the public for the first time during Paris’s Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 1993-1994 season. Each piece is blended smoothly with the others, while still being original and incomparable. This collection merges the elegant nature of English tailoring with the exaggerated proportions of the French style. There is also a strong sense of irony within the “Anglomania” line that is coated in a solid marketing strategy. Westwood admitted herself that, “I am never more happy than when I parody the British in the context of a classical perspective”. The “Anglomania” line used a wide variety of fabrics and materials, such as furs and tartan. Along with the use of multiple fabrics, the collection also takes advantage of various silhouettes. Westwood also used a few of Gainsborough’s paintings as designs in her famous corset bodices on the runway. The runway show combined tartans of many different color schemes, in order to bring both unity and diversity. A few staple pieces within the collection include 18th century inspired bodices, 1950s pencil skirts that were accentuated with historical bustles, crinolines and mini kilts, and extraordinary fake furs that took up the whole body. Most importantly, the punk and Gainsborough-inspired boldness of the accent colors of blue, red, yellow, black, and various earthy tones played a key role in bringing the collection together. 

During the time of this collection’s introduction, most fashion shows restrained their more luxurious outfits following the significant financial recession society was going through at the moment. In this sense, Westwood compared to fellow designer Christian Dior in relation to how Dior created his lavish designs in his New Look collection pieces in 1947, which was a result of the restrictions that were set in place after World War II. These two collections are similar when it comes to intention and the underlying meaning that came with the looks. They both used outlandish and rich garments to break the norm at the time. For Dior, it was about rejecting the restrictions that were enforced during that time that involved the fashion world, for example, not being allowed to use a certain amount of fabric because of a shortage. His overuse of fabric however, struck controversy due to the fact that he used an abundance of material that many people could have used during the aftermath of World War II. On Westwood’s side, she broke the norm during this time because the wealthy apparel that was conveyed, was the complete opposite of what the public was feeling and wearing. The economic recession that society was experiencing during Westwood’s time had a huge effect on most of the Western world, not just financially, but also socially. As a result, many brands and designers chose to hold back on bringing flamboyant designs to the runway because they deemed it “insensitive” for the many people who felt the impact of the recession. However, Westwood saw this as an opportunity to turn this insensitivity into hope, using her richly lush designs to provide an optimistic view that this recession will end and people will prosper again.

While this collection was being created and put together, Westwood made her own tartan and named it “Macandreas” tartan. The Locharron of Scotland, which is the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, officially recognized Westwood’s creation. This was a huge honor considering the fact that this process of recognition usually takes up to 200 years. Along with this honor, Westwood was also appointed the “Professor of Fashion” at the Berliner Hochschule der Künste. In the year of 1993, Westwood not only designed and released the “Anglomania” collection, but also had these achievements under her belt.

The starting look of the “Anglomania” runway show, which is seen in figure one and is worn by Simonetta Gianfelici, expresses a regal woman who is dressed in a flamboyant coat that is made from chinchilla inspired fur. The coat is draped over a plaid tailored matching set with a pair of “Rocking Horse” platforms. The embellished, multilayered necklaces complete the rich look. This abundance of jewelry further emphasizes the theme of luxury that usually comes with a higher social status, which can speak to Westwood’s distaste for capitalism and the unnecessary importance that comes with having a high social rank. Another detail that reinforces the French stylistic choices, is how the shopping bag that the model is carrying contains a French baguette. The addition of a French baguette is a straightforward nod to the French incorporation that is weaved throughout these looks, and it is an object that is so specifically deemed as “French” that everyone will understand. From this bag Gianfelici takes an orb that holds a watch, that she then wraps around her wrist. This orb watch was a collaboration between Westwood and the international mainstream brand known as Swatch in the year 1992. This collection was led by the British poster girl at the time, Kate Moss. Her most notorious look from this runway, as seen in figure two, was a silky head veil and a gown that had a traditional wedding dress silhouette. The veil had a delicate, yet luxurious gold chain that wrapped around Moss’s forehead. The gown required the iconic English crinoline underneath in order to make the bottom half of the dress more pronounced and dramatic. The long, puffed sleeves were also a staple in the subtle regal theme that was showcased in the “Anglomania” line. These two classic pieces were covered in a matching burnt orange, gray blue, light chartreuse, and lilac plaid pattern. This look was complimented by a grand bouquet of flowers and an assortment of straw, while also bearing the signature Westwood orb logo in the corner top half of the dress.

The overall tone of Westwood’s “Anglomania” collection is apparent through the royal characteristics that are spread throughout the clothing, along with her signature punk attributes that are weaved in the pieces. The combination of French and Hollywood glamor mix well together alongside the British tailoring. Westwood is somewhat known for her style contradictions, for example, in this collection her expression of tradition and the monarchy are highlighted through the sexuality, independence, and power of the women wearing these pieces.The common theme within most 1990s fashion designers is that they focused on and introduced mainly unisex minimalist pieces, or released more risque and sexier garments. Westwood, on the other hand, took advantage of the excessively feminine and masculine historical clothing and created something that made women feel powerful and liberated. “Anglomania” is an iconic collection when it comes to Westwood’s career just because it is a perfect example of how she twisted the aesthetic of punk into multiple refined outfits.