With the death of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood on Thursday, The Times’ entertainment and arts section immediately thought of her seismic impact on pop culture — through both the red-carpet looks that dressed some of Hollywood’s top stars and through the lasting imprint of her distinctive aesthetic. Among the most recent and vivid examples are the Oscar-winning costumes for Disney’s live-action origin story “Cruella” (2021), a glorious riff on Westwood’s vintage punk, with a touch of Alexander McQueen and some Mouse House whimsy to boot.
We caught up with the film’s costume designer Jenny Beavan, who is also behind the looks in this year’s “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” and many other films, to discuss Westwood’s influence, Beavan’s memory of meeting the late fashion icon and why she was “scared” to go into Westwood’s King’s Road outposts. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
We we’re so taken with your work in ‘Cruella’ and it seemed so inspired by Vivienne Westwood that as we’ve been thinking about people to talk to on her passing, you came right to mind. What comes to mind for you when someone mentions Vivienne Westwood?
She was a very important presence in London. And as you probably know from past interviews, fashion isn’t really my thing, but obviously “Cruella” is a poem about fashion [laughs], and ’70s fashion — so obviously Vivienne Westwood was going to be high up in the research list, along with people like [British fashion label] BodyMap. … Viv Westwood seemed the perfect, punky designer to be the [basis for] Cruella, but at the same time, Cruella is her own person. And the thing I didn’t want to do was to slavishly repeat the Westwood … She was an inspiration without a doubt.
And what were some of the ways that Westwood’s work did inspire you?
I think it’s because it was so radical. What I loved was the variety of work she produced. You certainly knew it was her because it was so way out there, but it wasn’t just one thing. She had an amazing range. And that was very helpful. But I think for me, with “Cruella,” it was more the punk aspect of it. That I loved. I had to find something that was so opposite to the Baroness’ look in her studio.
As someone who isn’t very oriented toward fashion, did the way that Westwood could be so playful with fashion — and at times people might describe her as antifashion — particularly speak to you?
I think it did, absolutely. In that way of her variety of looks — I mean it with Westwood herself, which I absolutely loved about her. Her activism and her energy was fantastic. In terms of “Cruella,” what I had to do really was to find “Cruella’s” look. If I’d started to actually, you know, copy Westwood, I would’ve been picked up on. And I didn’t think that was right anyhow, because the whole thing of storytelling. It’s all about “Cruella’s” story. You know, you look at all these wonderful things, I’ve [dug] into my own past and remembered wandering down the King’s Road, or Kensington Church Street and the different shops. Occasionally I’d buy a piece from Biba, all these places that were around in the ’70s … I mean, the only problem with Vivienne Westwood during “Cruella” was so many people kept saying, “Oh, you know, you’ve got to look at Vivienne Westwood.” And in the end, I thought, “Oh, God, just stop going on about Vivienne Westwood [laughs] … But in truth, I had enormous fondness for her and once had the enormous delight of sitting next to her and [widower] Andreas Kronthaler at [a] birthday party celebration. This wonderful woman came and sat next to me and said, “Hello, I’m Vivian.” And I thought, “I know you are.” [laughs]. She hadn’t clue who I was, obviously.
She must have been dressed amazing.
Do you know what? I cannot remember. I’m sure she was [laughs]. I remember seeing her once in Ville Street. She was wearing such high shoes, gold or something, and … I thought, “God, you must be mad.” [laughs]. … I had no idea she was ill. Someone said apparently she’d been ill for a little while and didn’t want to make a fuss. I had no idea. I’m sort of surprised because she seemed very young.
With ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ and ‘Cruella,’ it’s funny for you, as a person who doesn’t think of yourself as a fashion person, you keep getting these assignments involving, you know, copying making fashion.
I see it all as storytelling. It’s just, I think my world has always been more theatrical. I wanted to be a theater designer and do sets and, you know, create worlds. And somehow the whole time, I was never that interested in fashion. Like some people, I didn’t buy magazines or anything, but now when I do it, of course I plunge in. And I got really bonded to Dior, doing “Mrs. Harris.”
I’ll just ask you one more thing about Vivienne. I’m so taken with this idea of you wandering the shops of London in the ’60s and ’70s. I’m so jealous. Did you ever go to Vivienne’s shops like Sex or Let It Rock?
Was far too scared … I sort of remember hovering on the step thinking I shouldn’t. Because I was quite a nervous and I think I was probably dressed in a rather sober and conventional way in those days. I still am, actually [laughs]. I’ve never done clothes for myself much. But, you know, I remember just being intrigued. … I’m not sure I ever owned one [laughs], because in those days I was working in theater and it was terribly badly paid. So I never had any money.
I definitely never bought anything Westwood [laughs]. I could absolutely never afford it. But I do remember the shops very well. It was terribly exciting, that period, the whole thing had changed … It was all very brown in the ’50s and then it sort of suddenly exploded into miniskirts and white tights and white makeup. I’m sort of mentally back there right this minute.
