On December 30th we were all shocked to hear the sad news of the passing of the grand dame of British fashion and one of the forerunners of punk style, Vivienne Westwood. We all felt a sense of loss and emptiness at that moment, especially her husband and widower, Andreas Kronthaler, who, as well as being part of her family, was her right hand at work.
Although it is hard and difficult to accept, you get out of everything, and Kronthaler has plucked up the courage to travel from London to Paris to present his Autumn/Winter 23 proposal called “Tintwistle”. This recently shown line, as you can read in the press release that the brand sent out, is a kind of homage to Vivienne, since most of the information that appears has to do with a letter, which from our point of view refers to the relationship they had as a couple, to different experiences they lived, and to their common tastes.
In this collection, the designer has been inspired by the figure of his wife and her place of origin (north of England) and has worked on some iconic garments of the fashion house, such as the masturbation skirts (with which the two joked), or the petticoat skirts, V.W.’s favorite. Some old fabrics that were collected while the designer was still alive were reused and given a new life, to be combined with the platform shoes (a big trademark of the brand), which Andreas Kronthaler does not want to part with.
Nor does he want to get rid of the urban touch that some of the pieces had, because in case you didn’t know and as a curiosity, Vivienne was a woman of the world and different from the rest, who preferred to go by metro and join the rest than to go by car. As a result of this behaviour, the designer discovered and understood better than anyone else the relationship between the street and fashion. In this way, this style also influenced the designs, just look at the bomber jackets or the tracksuit trousers that walked the catwalk, sometimes intermingling with other garments and giving way to the layering that is so beloved today. This technique, as well as the mix and match, had great prominence. Play without fear and play to win. It didn’t matter if you put flowers and checks together or skirts and trousers.
Wherever you are, dear Vivienne Westwood, we’ll tell you something: you can rest assured that your husband is doing great and will continue to do so. Be assured that your legacy will remain in good hands and as vibrant as ever.
Take a look at the collection below:
