She may have been the high priestess of punk and a savant with a safety pin, but Dame Vivienne Westwood could summon matrimonial bliss as well as inspire rebellion. For some brides-to-be who chose a Westwood gown, it it was the designer’s unparalleled ability to flatter the female form with deft draping and corsetry that sealed the deal. For others, it was Westwood’s subversive aesthetic that struck a chord when mapping out a day so rooted in tradition.
Here, five brides—from a former British Vogue staffer with a penchant for Richard Curtis rom-coms to an actor who splurged her shop girl savings on Red Label patent accessories as a teen—reveal why Vivienne Westwood was their only choice when it came to their wedding dress.
Bella West1/5Sabina Szymura, head of PR at Totême
“I wore the Vivienne Westwood Bridal Minerva dress to my wedding at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in August 2021. Previously, I’d owned other ready-to-wear black dresses of hers, and this was the only dress that I considered and tried on. I thought that this particular non-corseted style was so modern, and loved how Vivienne’s signature draping was used to elevate the neckline. Made in the U.K. from peace silk, it’s a timeless piece that I hope to wear again sometime.”
Courtesy of Anna Shaffer2/5Anna Shaffer, actor
“We had plans for a big wedding that were scuppered by Covid. But, determined to do something nice amid all the uncertainty, we kept our registry date [in July 2021] to get married at our local town hall in London, with just our families present. I love the idea of marriage: two people drawing a circle around them in the sand and saying, I promise to have your back forever. But weddings can so often be stuffy and archaic, and especially infantilizing of the bride. Being a wife with a capital W… eek! How are you meant to know what your wedding dress style is if you only wear a wedding dress on your wedding day?
“So many wedding dresses out there felt twee to me, reminiscent of communions and christenings… either too much going on, or not enough. That’s what I think Vivienne Westwood does so perfectly: she understands women’s bodies, but channels sensuality and sexiness not through fragility and elegance, but structure and power. There is so much romance in the draping of her wedding gowns, but the silhouette is harsh and exacting, exhibiting the woman who wears it. Maybe it was my teenage self clutching my Vivienne Westwood bag, or that Carrie Bradshaw moment, or just the quiet hum of anarchy in me, who loved love, but wanted a white wedding on my terms. But I knew that if it really was just this one dress on this one day, it had to be Vivienne Westwood. Putting on my dress for the first time I felt so unmistakably, unapologetically me. A strapless, off-white, corseted Betty Boop style that just skimmed the floor but I had altered to hit my ankles, it was my armor to march down the aisle in, ready for the next chapter. It was perfect, and me and my 16-year-old self will be forever indebted to queen Viv for that.”
Emilie White Photography3/5Ellie Robertson, head of shoot production at Net-a-Porter
“Planning a wedding always felt, to me, like a surefire way to lose sight of yourself. The whole industry is rife with ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts,’ built as it is on outdated traditions and expectations. When I started shopping for a dress for my London wedding in September 2021, I couldn’t see myself anywhere. The dresses seemed designed for a very particular type of bride, with a very particular body shape. I wanted a dress that I felt like myself in (granted the very best, most glamorous version), with all the contradictions that make up a real person, rather than a ‘bride.’ Don’t tell the priest that married us, but I think it all boils down to yet another outdated paradigm: the Madonna-Whore dichotomy. I wanted to wear white, but without the connotations that came with it. I wanted to feel feminine but punk, sexy but elegant, special but not precious. No one understood that better than Vivienne Westwood.
“The hardest part was choosing which of her designs to wear. I fell in love with the Bagatelle and the Cora Cocotte, before settling on the Oriana from her 2021 collectsion. The structure of the dress itself was a masterpiece: the ultra-flattering, elongated corset held me (and my rather large bosom) perfectly in place. I felt empowered and the very essence of myself, as ‘should’ every bride.”
Kai Gillespie4/5Genevieve Morano Campori, founder, Strange Field Flowers
“There was no other option for me besides Vivienne Westwood. I felt like getting married was quite a scary thing, especially for a woman now—I kind of always thought I’d be a career girl—so I almost needed something a bit strong and punk to carry me through that. In terms of attitude, Vivienne was the toughest.
“I wanted something that was mad and draped, with loads of fabric and a romantic feel. Vivienne was the only person who could really deliver that. Wearing white is a Victorian concept all about virginity—I wasn’t a virgin when I got married, so I thought, ‘Why the hell should I be wearing it?’ I went for gold, which suited my skin tonally and squared up to the building I got married in [a 16th-century property outside Florence owned by her husband Giuseppe’s family]. Designers Galena and Marie at Vivienne’s studio helped create a bespoke fabric from duchesse silk lamé and Lurex organza. The dress design featured a draped minidress with a three-meter train that went on top. It also featured a pencil skirt underneath, which I can wear again. The studio fitting process felt just like walking into someone’s living room. Vivienne’s team aren’t snooty fashion people… everyone is so close-knit, and you are allowed to have fun! It never occurred to me to go anywhere else.”
Benjamin Wheeler5/5Lorraine Pascale, model and cook
“For me, it had to be Vivienne, she was the heart, the soul, the rock and roll of British fashion. I chose this style as I wanted something different… going short did not feel right for a wedding, and going long was a little traditional. So doing a little bit of both [for a 30-person wedding at Chelsea Town Hall in July 2021] was the perfect place for me to settle.”
