Elizabethan Influence within Modern Fashion - Dame Vivienne Westwood

Examples of Elizabethan influence can be found in a wide selection throughout the fashion catwalks of the world. It is a period of history surrounded by feminine control, elegance and beauty and has therefore been embraced by a series of female designers such as Dame Vivienne Westwood and Nikoline Liv Andersen, as well as many other iconic designers from McQueen to Gaultier. 

Dame Vivienne Westwood Paris Fashion Week 2012

This dress is a beautiful take on
Renaissance beauty, the flowing
veils and skirt is incredibly feminine
and romantic, while the tartan platforms
retain that key punk essence that
is Vivienne Westwood.

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 The inspiration for this collection came from the fall of an era during the 17th century, it was the death of Elizabeth I and Shakespearean theatre, a city and time consumed in the destruction of the Great Fire of London (1666).
"A century of great change and drama" - Westwood.
I find this collection a beautiful embodiment of the Renaissance art from the 14th - 17th century, a cultural movement that surrounded Elizabeths reign as queen. The makeup for this show incorporated many Elizabethan colour themes such as soft golds and copper around the eyes and delicate red lips. Applied in a manor that reflects the portraiture of the period with soft blurred lines and delicate small features.

Both the colour scheme of the makeup and clothes could be taken forward from this collection as inspiration for another contemporary Elizabethan look, the dusty pinks and duck egg blue/grey of the dress are soft and feminine, combined with the golds and red of the makeup the regality of the look is enhanced. The colour palette is powerful but retains the ability to be delicately feminine, something that would be suitable to capture within a contemporary Elizabethan look to reflect the nature of Elizabeths status as Queen. A powerful icon of femininity.