Vivienne Westwood Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Vive La Cocotte

VIVE VIV: Vivienne Westwood is paying homage to the 20th anniversary of Vive La Cocotte, the theme of her Gold Label fall 1995 show, with a 20-piece limited-edition collection of Cocotte dresses made of silk satin in light pink or black, priced at 2,950 pounds or $4,505. The designer has also displayed a selection of looks from the original line in her London boutique. The collection, which showed at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, reflected the designer’s fascination with 17th- and 18th-century French salon culture, the arts, literature, politics and their relation to high-society women. During an event at the store on Thursday, Brigitte Stepputtis, Westwood’s head of couture who has worked at the label for 25 years, spoke about the couture and the craftsmanship behind creating the Cocotte dress, which was inspired in particular by Ninon de l’Enclos, a French author and courtesan. “This Cocotte corset and dress has been a staple and a classic of the collection,” Stepputtis said. “It’s not like we set out to create a classic. It evolves. We have mastered it to a certain extent but it doesn’t stop there. The development goes on over the period of time. We have decided to celebrate the Cocotte corset because it was inspired by strong women in the past who were in charge of their own lives — witty, intelligent women who had their own income and who wore amazing dresses. It was used as a symbol of punk and of rock ‘n’ roll,” she said.

Via WWD

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