The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony took place last night with an explosion of culture, music and fashion. The catwalk show curated by Vogue UK, presented 8 of Britain’s supermodels all wearing creations by the best of British fashion designers.
Vivienne Westwood, who is also part of the UK governments ‘The GREAT campaign’, created a couture ball gown elegantly modelled by international super model Lily Donaldson. The Vivienne Westwood ‘Olympic Court dress’ was especially created for the ceremony in gold hammered sequins embroidered with gold metallic thread on stiff organza tulle in an abstract baroque pattern detail and was inspired by 17th Century English Royalty and the court of King Charles II.
The ‘Court’ dress was originally designed for the Vivienne Westwood Gold Label Autumn- Winter 2012/13 collection and is Vivienne’s favourite dress:
‘The corset is based on a 17th Century style corset but is oversized at the neckline which modernises it and shows the décolletage beautifully- I call this style the Stature of Liberty corset. I love the way the gold lace is transparent at the bottom. Lily looks incredible in the dress. She is a fantastic person and follows my environmental initiatives and has been involved in my campaign to fundraise for rainforest charity Cool Earth.’
-Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood is not only considered a symbol of British avant-garde she is also one of the most influential and recognized designers in the world today. With references to historical dress and British fashion and culture Vivienne Westwood continues to design clothes which stand the test of time.