New exhibition celebrates Vivienne Westwood's corsets

Vivienne Westwood is an absolute fashion icon. Now, just months after her death, an exhibition traces the history and influence of her most iconic garment: the corset. Vivienne Westwood: Corsets - 1987 to Present Day traces the evolution of the corset from an undergarment to an everyday garment that is no longer a symbol of oppression but an affirmation of female power. The exhibition begins with the groundbreaking Harris Tweed collection of 1987, when the British designer introduced Stature of Liberty, a corset that was worn from the 18th century to the present day.

Since her debut, Vivienne Westwood has challenged the establishment and convention. She did the same in the 1988 Time Machine collection with a shimmering gold lamé version of a corset with detachable sleeves, and most notably with Portrait in the 1990s, whose selections were inspired by 18th-century art from the Wallace Collection, such as Shepherd Watching a Sleeping Shepherdess, painted by François Boucher in 1743-5. Charged with emphasis and eroticism, the iconic corset has not only entered fashion history but also the public imagination, winning over celebrities such as Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and FKA Twigs. Vivienne Westwood's corsets are an omnipresent obsession, recurring in each of her designs with a new and captivating twist, thanks in part to the interpretations of Andreas Kronthaler, who recently contaminated them with echoes of ancient Greece.

The travelling exhibition, which will be on display in Paris at the Westwood boutique at 175 Rue Saint-Honoré until 30 April and in London at the brand's London branch at 44 Conduit Street from 8 to 21 May, is an opportunity to showcase a special limited edition jewellery collection. The centrepiece of the collection is a three-dimensional pendant depicting the corset from the Portrait collection in a gold version. It is attached to strands of pearls or gold-plated chains and is available as a necklace, bracelet and earrings.