New Years Day Concert: Vivienne Westwood

This year, the traditional New Years Day Concert on BBC 2 hosted costumes designed by Vivienne Westwood and worn by the Vienna State Ballet. The tartan-covered costumes looked staggering and provided a slightly unusual Punk twist to the performances. Personally, I felt that the costumes reflected the well choreographed dances and, in doing so, provided the final finishing flourish. Below are some photographs of these costumes and with them are descriptions of my views on the designs:

What I liked the most about these designs was, firstly, that each couple had been given their own type of tartan. It made the couples appear as if they were from different clans or families matching with the traditions of Scottish heritage. The high knee socks and ruffles made the costumes seem slightly suggestive, especially for the females, which is what reminded me of Vivienne Westwood's relation to Punk. The feather in the one female's hat was a particularly favourite feature of mine as it stood out as part of the British hunting tradition. Overall I think the tartan costumes provided a brilliant display to work alongside the choreographed ballet.

The other dresses had more of a traditional style and seemed a bit toned down for Vivienne Westwood. This was most likely intentional as this piece of music was not as lively as the one which featured the tartan. The style of ballet was more classical here and, in my opinion,Vivienne Westwood did well to design pieces to fit this commission. 

Happy New Year everyone!

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