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Vivienne Westwood Exhibition V/A London June 04

This exhibition is a retrospective of Vivienne Westwoods design career from the days of Let it rock to the present . I was here to have a  look at the vintage original punk exhibits which are my own personal favourites from Let it rock , Sex  , Seditionaires ,  Worlds end collections many of which I'd only ever seen in photos and not in the flesh so to speak . To be honest I did look at everything in the exhibition but haute coutre leaves me cold as I can't really see the value or art in most of it . To a phillistine like me a lot of it just looks like thrown together old tatt so apologies up front . I know that VW obviously puts a lot of hard work and thought into the message and image she is trying to convey but I'll leave it to people more in tune with the whys and wherefores of high fashion to judge whats good and whats not I'm just here because of the punk rebellion and the music maaan . The punk section it has to be said is a bit meagre theres not a lot here to get excited about as the hologram of the backwards worlds end clock reverses time . A large blow up photo  of Vivienne alongside 2 manaquins in Sex / Seditionaires clothes dominate one wall , a  little Debbie   blow up photo and an original Anarchy advertising poster take up a fair ammount of the  minimal wall space opposite . The room is so dimly lit that I cut   my shin open on one of the display platforms ( someone get me a lawyer quick !!! ) They could have done better than this as a  memory jolt for visitors who had survived the punk wars and knew Viviennes designs from those days and hoped to see most of them again . But I suppose what's still around been sold for large ammounts of filthy lucre and are in the hands of japanese collectors now . Moving on in an effort to appear seedy and like a peep show there is  a large square   cut from a partition and inside is a pair of Sex shoes and a tv screen showing Jordan ( no not the numatic blow up doll of a model ) trying on Sex  rubber wear . A manaquin in a Johnny Rotten Sex / Seditionaires bondage suit and beret combo sits on a platform with a video screen replaying early punk footage of Siouxsie etc which I think came from the punk rock movie .   Apart from a few other shirts and shoes thats it , not a lot on one of the the most important youth culture events ever while there are displays upon displays of  items from all the other phases of her career none of which have the importance or lasting influence of punk rock . Maybe Marco Pirroni will put his mythical collection on display and put this to shame but I have a feeling I've just seen it . I'm off to see the New York Dolls tonight a band with a VW connection remember the red patent leather outfits at the tail end of their career , they didn't even get a look in the exhibition .   For anyone who has a genuine interest in the fashion styles of the   70s / 80s / 90s to the present   they will find plenty to keep them interested . I just think that the punk era was her most original , influential , confrontational work and therefore  deserved  more attention and prominence than it recieved  in this exhibition . If you wanna spend over £ 20 for a baby sized punk era repro tshirt because you don't know any better or pay vastly inflated prices for items carrying the VW brand then this is the place for you .  I'm sure there are plenty of fashion victims  who will disagree  with my viewpoint but then what would a clotheshorse know about living in the real world .  Maybe I'm being harsh and its all down to the restraints of floorspace but I was disappointed . Joe Donnelly . Belfast . 18 . 6 . 04 . JOE DONNELLY COLUMN MENU        /                 VIVIENNE WESTWOOD MENU