Sunday during Menswear Week in Milan was freezing! Properly cold, so I was thankful of my Dr Martens and thick socks. A suitable footwear choice for Vivienne I thought. The setting was a very beautiful Palazzo Serbelloni on Corso Venezia. I arrived a little early so headed for some pasta based nourishment. It was oh so good. More amusingly it gave me the chance to witness those random moments when the Fashion and Real Worlds collide. The looks cast by both parties was a sight to behold. 

Outside the Palazzo the crowd gathered teeth chattering, avid followers of Westwood are always worth watching. Different shows garner different legions of fans and the tailoring and outfits on display at a Vivienne Westwood were more adventurous than anywhere else I’d seen. The street style photographers were obviously going crazy and with an orange feather in my trilby I’m still on the look out to see if I made anyones pages. 

We were slowly ushered upstairs into one of the most beautiful rooms. Ornate gilt work and secret doors, parquet and marble, everything was a sight to behold. I again cursed my camera as this was the only picture that really came out. 

As the room filled up with the likes of Anna Piaggi (sporting mismatched riding boots), there was a slight confusion with my ticket. Apparently the row I was due to sit in only had six seats, this was a slight problem as my ticket was number 7. I’d have gladly stood but the very lovely PRs sorted out the problem and I ended up amongst some Chinese journos and by ShowStudio so a massive thanks to handling that one well in the melee of seating people. 

The dropsheet informed us the collection was inspired by the magnificent Frozen Planet series and out came the models looking as though they’d just survived a post apocalyptic winter. Faces and beards frozen complete with iccicles! It was a look anyone without a winter coat could easily have emulated. Again I dropped the camera in favour of jotting down apparently random words at break neck speed. 

The tailoring was relatively loose, with contrast sleeves and more. Checks and tartans abounded in the collection as well as darker more earthy colours and heritage fabrics. The survivors of the harshest winter were clearly clinging on to what had always kept them warm. Tweeds, furs, fisherman style Aran knits, quilted jackets and shearling all featured. 

The checks and tartans ranged from tonal blackwatch, to bold black and white Glen checks, as well as strong thick window panes. Somehow these looked both traditional and fresh to the eye thanks to asymmetric details and fine cutting. 

Jumpers appeared torn and patchwork was almost as evident as the more refined pieces, conjuring further images of surviving in the wilds. Two of my favourite items were most certainly the tratan holdall, and the very sharply tailored Blackwatch double breasted over coat. If these somehow managed to find their way into my hands next winter I’ll be a very happy man. The collection segued into finer tailoring and culminated in a not apocalyptic at all group of dinner suits. A backless velvet waistcoat particularly grabbed me. Who knows where these polished gents were from? Perhaps they were celebrating their return from the frozen wastelands in their private club. 

The finale was a rather confused event, but it was so nice to see the designer herself walk the runway and evidently catch up with old friends. The Grande Dame needs not the accolades of the busy fash pack ready to sprint out the door and was happy to chat to people she’d obviously not seen in a long time. 

It was overall a great show, and any confusion before or after just added to the atmosphere. Anything too polished would maybe have felt a little wrong. 

photo credit:Style.com