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Romilly McAlpine's unique collection of clothing by Vivienne Westwood
celebrates the designer's standing in post-war British fashion.
Thirty years after the opening of Let it Rock, Westwood's first King's Road
shop, this show illustrates her progression from punk enfant terrible to living
national treasure.
Romilly McAlpine began buying Westwood clothing in 1986 when, as wife of Lord
McAlpine, former Treasurer of the Conservative Party, she became one of her
most significant patrons.
Lady McAlpine chose to wear Westwood at public events, notably the 1994 state
opening of Parliament where she appeared in the Midnight Experience Skirt,
shown here.
The exhibition will feature clothing from 1986-1996 and consider the
relationship between the couturier and the client, examining the way Romilly
McAlpine has made Westwood's clothes work for her.
Lady McAlpine explains:
"I was leading such a conventional life in some ways as a politician's
wife, and participating so much in what was then the current establishment, it
was fun to have something irreverent, but classical."
"The clothes always made me feel as if I stood out from the crowd. Within those
circles, Vivienne was considered outrageous and avant-garde. My view is that
she was always ahead of her time. And I wanted to support a British designer.
So you got the whole mix with Vivienne. It was perfect for me."
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Midnight Experience Skirt
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