Vivienne Westwood debuted its first bridal runway show during Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week, presenting a collection of 34 looks that drew from both its archives and its future. Staged within the historic walls of the University of Barcelona, the house’s first-ever bridal show felt less like a tradition and more like a love letter to individuality.
The collection challenged traditional bridal expectations, mixing structured corsetry, sharp tailoring, and unexpected pops of color alongside classic silhouettes. Pieces ranged from dramatic gowns to shirts, blazers, and trousers, capturing the brand’s signature tension between tradition and rebellion.
Fashion icon Simonetta Gianfelici, who walked for Vivienne Westwood in the ’80s, opened the runway show wearing a recreated gown from the 1995 Vive la Cocotte collection. The original design was inspired by Madame de Pompadour and a Rococo painting by François Boucher. “Vivienne would have loved it — it was her favorite dress of all time,” says the brand’s creative director and Vivienne Westwood’s husband Andreas Kronthaler.
“Bridal has always been an important part of the house, since I started working with Vivienne in the early 90s. We are delighted to be showing our first bridal show here in this fantastic city; we took the grandeur of the boulevards and architecture as our first point of inspiration,” tells Andreas Kronthaler.
Romantic but never expected, the collection explores a poetic tension between past and present. “We returned to our signature rose print, this time inspired by the watercolors of 18th-century botanist Pierre-Joseph Redouté,” shares Andreas Kronthaler. Orange blossoms gathered from the university courtyard—“a symbol of purity and beauty”—were “subdued and layered with tulle,” creating a softness that felt both grounded and dreamlike.
Photo: Courtesy of Vivienne Westwood; Cover Photo & Photos 1,2,14: Andrey Nastasenko
