Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood’s Austere Take On The Elegant
Review of Andreas Kronthaler For Vivienne Westwood Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
History lessons are always intriguing at Andreas Kronthaler’s Vivienne Westood and this season was no different.
The experience of austerity that many will be living through, at this current point in time, was on the creative directors mind, referencing a Giovanni Battista exhibition which he attended in Milan was a reminder of his early days working with the late Dame Vivienne Westwood. But the creative directors take was about the austere mixed with the elegant. As another designer who is refusing to react to today’s volatility with a stripping out and stripping down of all but the basics, to prove that fashion is worthy of being taken seriously or is in tune with the world outside of its own bubble, Kronthaler is letting beauty and creativity reign supreme. Proposing that it be adopted like an armour – or protective gear – even when performing the most basic of household tasks. Speaking backstage with The Impression he said “It has nothing really to do with clothes, it’s the way you go through life, you can wash up the dishes in an elegant way, and it means you wash them up with a certain awareness, you can clean toilets elegantly, these things are a part of life. And money doesn’t make you elegant”. Which is not to say that his customers are going to be cleaning up in their best Vivienne Westwood ensembles, but there is a desire by Kronthaler to make the wearer feel good wearing his pieces whatever their station in life.
The collections show notes recalled a quote by Henry James which read ‘A tradition is kept alive only by something being added to it’, and in taking on the responsibility of continuing to build on the legacy of the Vivienne Westwood brand, Kronthaler has managed to find ways of breathing new life into ideas around historical costume and its resonance with how the Westwood customer dresses today. Bringing together influences from the world of sport – he acquired some sports protection gear from a friend. And using protective cups as modern-day cod-pieces for men and women, as well moulded cups – of the bust kind – for both male and female models there was a layer of subversion added to the brand aesthetic which will continue its relevance for years to come.
THE BUZZWORDS
Austere, emotive, elegant
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #37
Slashing and slicing into fabrics was a simple decorative method used to give this high-necked dress a suggestive twist by revealing the body just enough to create a sense of desire.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I don’t repeat too much, I want every look to be different as I don’t want a uniform. If its varied, its rich, and in order to do that you need different types of people and you give them what suits them, to bring out their best”
Andreas Kronthaler, creative director, Vivienne Westwood
THE WRAP UP
Todays collection was part performance art, part fashion show as Andreas Kronthalers’ manifesto for fall 2024 was to make the wearer feel good. Which in turn also translated to those attending the show, as the ensemble group of performers created a backdrop of sound, song, dance, and theatre dressed in the brand to emphasise how it is versatile enough for anyone and everyone in all walks of life. Which is also part of Kronthaler’s reasoning for compiling an eclectic cast who embodied each look and made it their own, from music artist Sam Smith – who got a rousing round of applause – to the unconventional model Kristen McMenamy.
