If you're familiar with the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, then you also know the punk fashion look of bondage, latex, and safety pins. These outfits were created by London fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and she is currently in Taipei for the opening of her 30-year retrospective at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, which opens today to the public and runs to Oct. 19. Last night was the gala preview party with a special performance by local artist Mr Eyeball.
The Vivienne Westwood exhibition features her provocative fashion designs over the last 30 years. Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the exhibition provides a chronological view of her work divided into two sections.
"The Early Years" starts with the subversive punk outfits from the 1970s that led to the pirate-inspired gear of the 1980s. "Maturity" features the later work of bustles and bustiers, from the 1990s up to the present, including beautifully-crafted suits, flamboyant knits and ball gowns.
Over 500 designs are on view. In addition to the fashion, there is a series of British cultural activities organized by the British Council to show the link between pop culture, design, music and how the influence of politics and social issues comes into play.
Westwood is a big-time designer and her influence has reached Taiwan where many of the local designers have studied her work. So this exhibition has been highly anticipated in the local fashion world.
In the early 1970s, Westwood who was born in 1941, opened up a trendy clothing shop called "Let it Rock" with her partner Malcolm McLaren who was the Sex Pistol's manager. Westwood's designs included leather jackets, bondage clothing with straps and buckles, and printed T-shirts. They all became part of the punk frenzy.
By the 1980s, however, fashion had changed drastically and Westwood, who was inspired by history and culture, changed her design style in many ways too.
One of the underlying themes in her work over the past 30 years is appropriating bits and pieces of British history to include into her designs, such as flouncy crinoline skirts, whale-boned corsets, tartan plaids and elements from ornately-designed Rococo paintings.
One thing the exhibition will show is that Westwood is not a stagnant designer repeating the tried and true, but that she remains a true iconoclast: inventing and reinventing new fashions while keeping her finger on the pulse of the moment.
Her fascination with 18th century French art is evident in many of her later designs, where the constructions distort and hide the body.
By seeing the Westwood retrospective, the viewer will get a crash course in art history and see how the influence of history and pop culture merge effortlessly in her work.
As Westwood said, "I'm not trying to do something different, I'm trying to do the same thing but in a different way."
Westwood is also a strong believer in how appearance plays a deep role in one's life. You'll be convinced too of the importance of fashion, upon seeing the exhibition.
For your information:
What: Vivienne Westwood Retrospective
Where: Taipei Fine Arts Museum,181, Zhongshan North Road, Section 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路3段181號)
Telephone: (02) 2595 7656
When: Today to Oct. 19
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