Pamela Anderson for Vivenne Westwood

And they said it would never last. Unbowed fashion overseer Vivienne Westwood announced a while ago that Pamela Anderson was her new muse, and I remember hearing that VW and her partner would appear in the new season ads with her, and indeed here they are. The campaign is photographed by Juergen Teller, who also does the Marc Jacobs campaigns. You can see the similarities with the overexposed images and slight surrealness. Dame Viv is a legend and sometimes legends need to mix things up a bit. We’ve seen the Westwood formula in slightlly different incarnations for a long time now and seeing a Union Jack print corset dress on Pamela Anderson did indeed make me consider it in a different light.

And just to prove that any item can project a person’s image if they’re canny enough, here is Dita Von Teese wearing what I’m pretty sure are Westwood shoes to the Paris couture shows.

S

 

 

 

 

New Year’s Eve

I hope you enjoyed yours as much as we enjoyed ours. It has set me up for a good start to 2009. 

S working the black top, sequinned skirt & Faith platform shoes

A close up on Faith platforms - an outfit highlight, for sure

T, faithful blogger friend & fellow partygoer, in Topman blazer, Cos jumper, Urban Outfitters jeans & shoes from Schuh.

P, stylish partypal, rocking black & sequins, top model's own

And yours truly, American Apparel skirt & gold lame boob tube, Topshop top & Vivienne Westwood necklace.

Happy New Year! A

My Homage to Westwood

Imagine if this lot turned up at your party...

And then the Grande Dame herself.

The Sample Sale

I went to the Vivienne Westwood sale on Friday night – I arrived at 7 pm (I couldn’t get out of work much before 6.30) after hotfooting it down to Battersea. There was already a queue and, as I felt the first raindrops on my cold head, I wondered how long I could be bothered to wait. The only thing that kept me going was the sight of so many contented shoppers hurrying away with shopping bags. I finally got inside after 45 minutes and I think it was worth it. Don’t get me wrong, there was bargains galore especially on the shoes and jewellery – £40 for a necklace, £60 for shoes, £40 for a belt – but the rude sales assistant, who had obviously had enough of Westwood and life, definitely put me off. And the scrum was intense – I had to jostle for 20 minutes before I got to the jewellery counter. I walked away with a necklace, which I love, but I wonder if I’d put myself through it again. I definitely wonder how many of those smug early shoppers were heading home to put everything on Ebay!

 

Outside

 

 

In conlusion, my necklace was worth it but I think these events are made for tougher people than myself. Or perhaps I would feel differently if they’d had those heels in my size? Top tip – take the afternoon off work and queue if you want the decent stuff. I think I will be more selective about which designers I’m willing to do that for in the future; if there is a Marc Jacobs one there, I know I’ll be taking the day off work.

 

The Scrum

 

 

Purchases

 

And finally, a well deserved dinner.

A

Vivienne Westwood

I watched an episode of the BBC’s excellent series British Style Genius on IPlayer – The Rebel Look was an excellent episode, charting the rise of British greats such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. I would recommend watching it (only available in the UK, sorry!) as it definitely illuminates the world of designers and made me appreciate designer fashion more than ever before.

And then I saw my friend Rebecca sporting this Vivienne Westwood bag and had to show it off to you all. I’ve always been a bit wary of her accessories especially as the logo is always prominent – but after watching the programme, I’m much more enamoured of it. This little bag combines a thin brown leather short handle with a longer chain shoulder strap and everything about it appealed to me. Go Vivienne. A.