Whoever said Classics and fashion don't mix should have a word with the reigning goddess of British fashion, Dame Vivienne Westwood. In the designer's ultimate manifesto, her Opus, a special edition commemorative photographic celebration of her design legacy, the first in a Saatchi Gallery series of the same title, specializing in large-format (meter high!), hand-signed print portfolios she looks to the wisdom of the ancients. Aside from the sheer bulk of the tome, what to me seems most epic about it is the fact that Westwood chose Aristotle as the ventriloquist for her self-musings on her career and identity as a designer, in particular quoting his poetics thereby suggesting that she views her creative process as inherently poetic.
Vivienne's Opus, to be thumbed through only with special white gloves, features a collection of photographs taken on the world's largest polaroid camera. Every shot is styled by Westwood herself, featuring her friends and family (and Kate Moss unretouched!). There are only 900 available at £1,750 a pop. Classics and fashion--it would seem Vivienne is a woman after my own heart. As Aristotle famously said, "what is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." I hope Viv remembers that when it comes time to dole out tickets for her next show.
Opus Store, 10 - 13 King Street, London, WC2E 8HN
The Vivienne Westwood Opus
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