Alexander Fury: Vivienne Westwood A/W 95

'[This collection stood] against the prevailing orthodoxy of late 20th century fashion: the rise of sportswear.'

Fashion critic Alexander Fury looks back on the fashion shows he considers most legendary. Vivienne Westwood's A/W 95 Vive la Cocotte collection sees the designer at her iconoclastic best, incorporating 17th and 18th century historical dress in stark contrast to the decade's orientation towards future and progress as the new millennium approached. Inspired by famed French courtesan Ninon de l'Enclos, Westwood's designs were created to be worn with a foundation garment that incorporated corsetry and bum pads and thus reintroduced a historical silhouette to nineties womanhood.