Vivienne Westwood’s Spring Look May Be The Season’s Wildest (Literally)

At age 72, Dame Vivienne Westwood is still pulling off the enfant terrible thing better than many of her younger counterparts. Case in point: her Red Label show in London, which proved Westwood to be as boundary-pushing now as she was back in her punk days. The presentation featured Lily Cole dancing — the late German choreographer Pina Bausch was name-checked as an inspiration — while models surrounded her.

If this sounds a bit much for a fashion show, that's because — as Westwood and her creative collaborators were quick to explain — the event aimed to rethink the definition of a fashion show. "It wasn't a show, it was a happening," lead stylist Mark Hampton said. Backstage, he led a team that created a different "aggressive and animalistic" hairstyle for each model. Using a deep barrel waver to create consistency among the 15 models, he added texture and volume (he recommends Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe's Glamour Volume Plumping Whip for a more toned-down interpretation).

Each model's face was likewise individualized, with key makeup artist Val Garland sponging on white makeup for a base. From there, she applied wild streaks of black and red; Nails Inc's cherry-red talons were intentionally broken for something raw, almost primal. Overall, the beauty look was unafraid to reject "pretty" for something more challenging — which is exactly what we expect from (and love about) Westwood.