Proving that China is still a powerful market for all things fashion and luxury, British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood presented her Spring/Summer 2013 ‘Red Carpet’ couture capsule collection at the British embassy in Beijing on 5 September 2012. Over 400 guests from China’s leading fashion, politics, government, and finance industries attended the event, which was created to celebrate the UK Government’s ‘Britain is Great’ campaign and to showcase Westwood’s latest designs inspired by seventeenth century ornate and elaborate imagery.
The collection featured embellished gowns and cocktail dresses, ball gowns in silk taffetas, and boned corsets that evoked the Baroque period and the court of King Charles II. The luxurious fabrics and dark sensual colour palette of emerald, navy blue, cherry, metallic copper, antique gold and silver enhance the feeling of opulence. Attention to detail came in the form of theatrical embroidery, metallic lace, oversized golden tartans, sparkling sequins, crepe georgette, and luscious silks.
