Gold boots, sculpted corsets and a veil with a second life. A closer look at Vivienne Westwood’s 2027 bridal collection.
A bridal mini worn as a veil. Gold boots reaching above the knee. A dress called Plot Twist. Vivienne Westwood has released its 2027 bridal collection, and I am doing very little to conceal my enthusiasm.
I love the romance, obviously. What holds my attention is how much character survives inside it. The hips are exaggerated, the necklines have conviction, and the styling sometimes verges on gloriously outrageous. These clothes make a persuasive case for a bride having a taste of her own.
The romance has a mechanism
There are two collections to distinguish. Couture Bridal takes metamorphosis as its theme, with eleven looks inspired by the butterfly and the bride’s passage from ceremony to celebration. Bustle systems, detachable trains and interchangeable elements allow one look to evolve through the day. Made-to-Order considers a longer transformation: the memories a gown collects, and how its meaning might change with its wearer.
The idea works best for me when the transformation grows out of the design itself. There is something satisfying about a beautiful detail having another use, especially when it gives the bride more ways to enjoy the outfit.
Take Seraphina. Its hand-embroidered lace corset has a deeply cut neckline and little bows that soften the architecture. The coordinating mini skirt acts as a veil for the ceremony; the look evolves from a full-length silhouette into an embroidered mini. Even the veil has somewhere to be afterwards.
I love the tension between the fine lace and the assertive line of that corset. The bows feel intimate, almost like details on lingerie, while the silhouette has real presence. That balance gives the sweetness some bite.
Aurelia has my attention
Then there is Aurelia, with its Marie Antoinette-inspired proportions, pink laser-cut floral embroidery and gold panniers. The deliberately exposed structure is part of its appeal: you can see some of what creates those extraordinary hips.
The campaign pairs the embroidered mini with long ribbons, layered gold necklaces and enormous gold platform boots. I’m particularly taken with the boots. Their weight makes the delicate embroidery feel more extravagant, and a little unruly. I think the whole look is incredibly cool.
It sits outside the classic image of a white gown and a long train, particularly styled this way, but there is plenty of romance in it. I love that the house allows something so decorative to be this bold. For me, it’s bridal for someone who wants the freedom to be theatrical.
Mariposa is my favourite
For all my enthusiasm for Aurelia, Mariposa is the one I keep returning to. I love the long, pointed bodice against that enormous cloud of tulle. Pearls, sequins and crystals concentrate the shimmer above the soft layers, giving the eye somewhere to settle among all that volume.
The house traces the corset to the Queen of Sheba silhouette from Vive la Cocotte, autumn/winter 1995–96. Seeing the original on Linda Evangelista makes the connection wonderfully clear: that sculpted, embellished body, with fullness gathering beneath it.
I absolutely love the original’s extravagance. Mariposa carries that confidence into a softer mood: the tulle changes the effect, while the sharply shaped bodice keeps its authority. That is what makes the archive reference interesting to me, the proportions still have something to contribute.
Mariposa’s full tulle pannier skirt can be exchanged for a compact mini, although personally, it’s the full-skirted version that has me. The way the bodice extends into the tulle is beautiful. I would be rather reluctant to part with all that volume.
More than one kind of romance
In Made-to-Order, Plot Twist reworks a look from spring/summer 2006’s Active Resistance to Propaganda. Its pointed strapless neckline and asymmetric draping give the outfit a distinctive outline before the accessories enter the conversation.
I love the compactness of the photographed mini: the skirt flares around the hips while the bodice stays sharply defined. The vast veiled hat pushes the proportions further. It makes me smile, which is a perfectly good response to a wedding outfit.
For a softer mood, Reverie develops the Sandy dress from spring/summer 2016’s Mirror the World. Rose lattice lace is layered with bloom-printed tulle, and an organza bow trails from the sweetheart neckline.
Here, I’m drawn to the gentler line. The bow carries the eye down the dress, and the floral-edged veil gives the whole silhouette a softness quite different from Aurelia’s exposed structure. I like having both within the collection. Romance doesn’t need one prescribed shape.
That is what makes this release so convincing to me. The historical references become decisions about proportion, texture and styling, with room for different kinds of bride. Mariposa is my favourite, but I’m delighted that Aurelia and those gold boots are part of the same conversation.
The transformations add another pleasure: the look can change as the celebration does. There is room for the entrance, the ceremony, and the woman who would quite like to enjoy the party.
A dress that makes an entrance, then makes room for the evening. Yes, I do.
Love,
Callie x
Collection photography: Ben Taylor, sourced from Vivienne Westwood. Archival runway photograph: Condé Nast Archive, via Vogue. Design references: the official Couture and Made-to-Order collections; the house archive.
