The world’s fashion elite bids farewell to Vivienne Westwood: stars including Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Stormzy and Hong Kong’s Wyman Wong attended the ‘punk’ designer’s memorial
Many guests styled themselves in classic Westwood fashion, with tartan designs and colourful, bold tailoring on display at the service, held at Southwark Cathedral on Thursday.
Westwood, who was recognised as a punk legend, environmental activist and designer extraordinaire, died aged 81 in December 2022.
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Actress Helena Bonham Carter, who has worn Westwood’s punk stylings at many events and red carpets over the years, paid tribute in a red and purple full tartan skirt and blazer set paired with a Westwood pearl necklace.
Rapper Stormzy was also there in an all-black suit and shirt combination as was artist Tracey Emin who wore a dark-coloured long coat and tartan scarf.
Emin became a long-standing friend of Westwood after meeting at a Vogue shoot in the summer of 1999, with the artist later saying that “within days” she had become her “muse”.
Actress Elle Fanning was also spotted heading into the service in an all-black ensemble with a matching pillar-box hat.
The US star collaborated with the fashion designer on many occasions, with Westwood styling the 24-year-old in a custom pink corset-style dress for the Independent Spirit Awards in 2021.
Singer Paloma Faith wore a purple jumper under a rust, floral-patterned dress with red shoes while Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks dressed in a navy and black checked coatdress for the service.
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Actress Vanessa Redgrave was also there in a camel coat and hat alongside her daughter, actress Joely Richardson, who matched in a camel and black suit over a lime green top.
Presenter Jonathan Ross opted for a black trench coat and blue jumper, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie wore a classic black suit, as did fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu and Babs actress Jaime Winstone donned a black fitted dress paired with black lace-up platforms.
US singer-songwriter Beth Ditto, fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, singer Bob Geldof, Australian singer Nick Cave and his fashion designer wife Susie Cave, designer Matty Bovan and model Lorraine Pascale were also among the guests.
Vivienne Westwood emerged on the fashion scene in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs, slogan T-shirts and irreverent attitude towards the establishment.
The designer also made a name for herself as an activist, staging public protests to raise awareness around causes close to her heart.
In 1992, she famously wore a perfectly tailored skirt suit with a grey matching hat while collecting her OBE.
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The outfit might have been demure, but she soon started twirling for photographers – only to reveal she was not wearing any knickers underneath.
- Vivienne Westwood’s final send-off was a fittingly A-list affair, with musicians Stormzy, Nick Cave, Bob Geldof, Paloma Faith and Bobby Gillespie all queuing up to pay their respects
- Hollywood stars Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks and Vanessa Redgrave were also among the raft of celebrities who gathered for the Buckingham Palace-appointed dame’s moving memorial