Dinner by Design Calgary: Inspired by Vivienne Westwood and THANK YOU, Dinner by Design sponsors
I’ve always loved the edgey whimsy of Vivienne Westwood’s fashion.
Her couture tailoring, playfulness with shapes and volumes and rebel nature.
Vivienne Westwood has never tried to fit into any box. She’s an original–and she wants you to be one too. She’s the anti-mainstream fashion fashion designer. She is provocative.
At the outset, she may seem a paradox: a fashion designer who is an activist against consumerism? She’s known for promoting quality over quality–something I strongly believe it. She says, Buy less – Choose well – Make it last! And she would tell you to use the time you gain from stepping out of the consumer mindset to read and take action against in your world. She’d also probably encourage you to make art.
A force to be reckoned with, she uses her platform to draw attention to important social concerns, she’s political. If she isn’t on your radar already, you can learn more about how she stormed the world stage here, I’d suggest adding her for the simple reminder of expressing yourself, staying educated, and speaking up about what you believe in. That’s inspirational. @FollowWestwood and Instagram
This week we’re busy with our creation for Calgary’s Dinner by Design. Besotted by the enchanting world of the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland, we are reimagining the cast of characters of the beloved 151-year-old childhood story though the edgy fashion of 80’s punk fashion queen Vivienne Westwood. We are attiring the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and Alice in classic Westwood style, and conspire to have a Vivienne rendition at the table weaving her Edwardian punk magic throughout the table’s fragments and ephemera.
A dark and twisty elegance…. To borrow from the Mad Hatter himself: There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter.
In between fits of creativity, I sometimes paused to wonder how I would pull off the world we were envisioning. For a second that daunting feeling would set it, and then I would envision the famous exchange of Alice saying “That’s impossible.” and Mad Hatter’s perfect reply, “Only if you believe it is.” And Alice began to believe that very few things were impossible.
Thank you to our sponsors for helping us do something that at times seemed impossible. You recognized the importance of creativity and arts in our community and stepped up to make Dinner by Design an exceptional event. We are grateful to the following Calgary businesses:
We hope to you see at Dinner by Design this week. If you haven’t bought tickets, it’s not too late! It’s a great way to inspire yourself to stay bonkers — something Ms. Westwood, Alice and the LBI team would agree is of the utmost importance.