Vivienne Westwood’s Paris show highlights need to fight climate change

Vivienne Westwood's Gold Label show in Paris on Saturday (October 3) saw a strong Venetian theme take hold as well as dramatic floating jackets as part of a broader message about the threat of climate change.

The show, entitled "Mirror the World," was inspired by the idea of saving the city of Venice from the threats poised by climate change, with clothes all carrying the rich colors of the city's glorious past.

Westwood explained that the one behind the collection was her husband, Andreas Kronthaler.

"My husband did this show and he is a genius and it is going to be amazing. It's really good that I hardly ever helped him this time and therefore it gives me the opportunity to say this is the great couturier, this man," she said.

The venue, at one of Paris's most distinguished medical schools, saw models sashay down the catwalk beneath vast shining disco balls and colorful light projections.

Models bore bold make-up, some with war-like stripes across their faces, and male models wore badges emblazoned with the message "politicians are criminals," a campaign started by Westwood.

Westwood explained that the collection was a plea to the activists of the world to mobilize in the fight against the disappearance of many world cities due to climate change.

"If we have climate change, Venice will disappear along with anything from a line level with Paris. It will be gone, within a generation. We are the last grown-ups who can actually save the future," she said.

 

A few of our favourite looks. If you missed today's Gold Label SS16 show, you can watch it now at www.viviennewestwood.com #VivienneWestwood #VWSS16 #PFW

A video posted by Vivienne Westwood (@viviennewestwoodofficial) on

Oct 3, 2015 at 9:20am PDT

The Venetian theme saw beautifully tailored prefect-style jackets join vintage floral prints as well as long tailored jackets which hung magically above the models' heads.

Male models wore tights and silk jackets in the style of a harlequin as well as long toga-like dresses with high cork wedges.

The gold of affluent 12th-century Venice featured throughout, notably in intricately embroidered dresses as well as shiny two-pieces in the famous Westwood style. — Reuters