Vivienne Westwood’s obsession with art extended far beyond a single look or a one-off collection. The designer was especially taken by the London museum, The Wallace Collection, and often looked to its archive for prints. It was the French Rococo painter, François Boucher, though, who seemed to inspire Westwood the most. She first referenced his work at her autumn/winter 1990 show, where she printed Boucher’s 18th-century painting, Daphnis and Chloe, across dresses, corsets, and other articles of clothing. It was known as The Portrait Collection, and it started a movement for the brand, which is now known for these printed corsets. “I wanted the look of a model who’d just stepped out of a portrait,” Westwood said, adding that she chose Boucher, specifically, because his work is so “typical and so pretty.”
Following that collection, Westwood continued to pull inspiration and imagery from The Wallace Collection. During the spring/summer 1993 season, it was time for the painting Hercules and Omphale to have its moment on the runway. She also used Abduction of Europa as well as Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Swarm of Cherubs and The Swing.
Westwood also produced dresses inspired by pieces in Boucher’s paintings. In her 1995 show, Vive La Cocette, she recreated a gown from Boucher’s 1759 portrait of Madame de Pompadour. She returned to the artist and subject in her fall/winter 2002/2003 collection, designing another—this time more subdued—gown from a 1758 portrait of Madame by Boucher.