The latest display in the Craft & Design gallery of the
Walker Art Gallery celebrates the work of designer Vivienne Westwood. The pieces on show date from the early 1980s to the early 1990s and are mostly from National Museums Liverpool's own collection, along with some key loans.
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| Black velvet suit from the Time Machine Collection, Autumn-Winter 1988-89 |
As ever, reflections on the glass cases made some items impossible to photograph. Apologies for the lights and reflections in some of the images which follow.
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| The display |
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| Toga dress, Nostalgia of Mud Collection, Autumn-Winter 1982-83 |
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| Cotton stockinette tops and skirts, Punkature Collection, Spring-Summer 1983 |
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| Cotton skirt and shirt, Punkature Collection, Spring-Summer 1983 |
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| Wool sleeveless dress, Witches Collection, Autumn-Winter 1983-84 |
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| Cotton shirt and denim jeans, Cut, Slash and Pull Collection, Spring-Summer 1991 |
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| Close-up of the cutwork orb design on the shirt |
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| Cotton dresses, Anglomania Collection, Autumn-Winter 1993-94 |
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| Wool suit and cap, Anglomania Collection, Autumn-Winter 1993-94 |
I tend to associate Vivienne Westwood with 18th century clothing details, and there are a couple of these in the exhibition. The obvious one is this shirt.
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| Cotton shirt dress, Salon Collection, Spring-Summer 1992 |
More subtle (and impossible to photograph!) is the back of the black velvet suit shown at the top of this post. The skirt is folded up to reveal a glimpse of frilled petticoat underneath, and the fold is held in place with buttons, in a way which playfully recalls fall front trousers.
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| The flap on the back of the skirt |
Vivienne Westwood: Designer in Focus runs until October 2026. Both the display and the Walker Art Gallery are free to enter.
Hello Black Tulip, I enjoyed your blog over a decade ago (July 2014) on the Midland Hotel, Morecambe, that I discovered recently while doing picture research for a book I'm writing on seahorses. I stayed at the Midland about 6 years ago, but didn't take any photos. I would very much like to use a couple of your photos in my book. So I'd like to contact you directly to discuss. My email can be readily found by googling 'Peter Coates University of Bristol'. I look forward to hearing from you, Black Tulip. Many thanks, P. Coates
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