Paris Fashion Week A/W 2011: Womenswear

Vivienne Westwood

The look of Vivienne Westwood's women this season could easily be examined in cross-sections. Let's start from the very bottom: the feet were encased in Oz-inspired sequin-crusted slippers worn with tartan bobby socks. Way up top, faces were painted post-party-meltdown style to become one part cult band Kiss, one part evil clown, and a whole lot of graveyard body snatcher. In between there were the clothes, of course, which were an assembly of mad-cap creations pulled and tugged in the trademark Westwood way. Micro denim shorts worn over shimmering yellow tights and Byzantine prints on boxy capes provided some of the playful turns, but it was a floral illusion embroidery column dress and a magnificent explosion of crinoline on grand occasion gowns, that proved just how finely cut Ms. Westwood's dressmaking chops actually are.