Telling Tales and Weaving Worlds
Review of Andreas Kronthaler For Vivienne Westwood Fall 2026 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
A trifecta of influences were on Andreas Kronthaler’s mind for his latest Vivienne Westwood collection. The kinship he shares with famed actor Romy Schneider who is also from Austria, The Canterbury Tales (adapted by Pier Paolo Pasolini and featuring the costumes of Danilo Donati) and Chaucer’s pursuit of nonsense (read humour) and sensibility and last the titillation of what could lie hidden beneath our daily wares i.e. erotic underwear.
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Inner Becomes Outer, Coordinated Chaos, Spinning Yarns
Vivienne Westwood has never been about creating collections that felt like they were costumes for the theatre. The brand has maintained the viewpoint of researching and reworking historical fashion and filtering them through a punk lens to create new statements that have something to offer contemporary fashion. Vivienne Westwood once told the Victoria and Albert Museum “I take something from the past that has a sort of vitality that has never been exploited – like crinoline – and get very intense. In the end you do something original because you overlay your own ideas.”
Her very British take on reinvigorating historical dress meant her method of looking into historical references and making them work for a modern world never felt like costume – from her freeing of the corset from its stuffy high society connotations to bringing back the bustle, creating the iconic mini-crini, and never wavering from her love of tweeds and tartans. Giving the brand a distinctly British feel that has endured it to a global audience.
Fall 2026 will mark 21 collections under Kronthaler’s belt with the designer taking inspiration from Italian costume designer Danilo Donati and his work with the director Pier Paolo Pasolini on his version of The Canterbury Tales from 1972. Updating the retelling of the popular literary tale Kronthaler used humour and witty references to look to the work without repeating it. His gathered group of modern-day pilgrims wore fanciful flourishes in the form of over-stitched mesh, smock dresses, collage blazers and off-the-shoulder wrap dresses with suggestive cut-outs, serving as front ‘windows’ to reveal a pair of garter-strapped legs.
The nod to the erotic sexually charged looks with said garter belts and lace bras worn both over and under looks with a nod and a wink weaving humour into the collection as in the book. Humour is a theme that has been tapped by a number of other designers too, as if sensing the need for a small dose of levity to cope with the current climate. Designers have zeroed in on the idea of joy and humour within their collections. And here, that manifested as cheeky lingerie reveals and making a play for the most dramatic headwear of the season.
Westwood isn’t for wallflowers, the practicing thespian maybe, or those who have a firm grip on what it means to embraces your personal style definitely. And yes, some references may get lost in the mash-up of influences likely to have been on Kronthaler’s moodboard this season, but the spirit of Westwood has always remained in the designers work, even after 21 collections. Admittedly, a little less political than it once was, at a time when we need the punk rebellion most, yet Kronthaler has avowed to ‘keep working’ to shore up the Westowood legacy.
THE WRAP UP
With his 21st collection for Vivienne Westwood, Andreas Kronthaler reaffirmed that the label’s greatest strength lies in its refusal to behave politely.
Drawing on everything from The Canterbury Tales through the lens of Pier Paolo Pasolini and costume designer Danilo Donati, Kronthaler delivered a collection where humour, a little of the erotic, and historical dress codes collided in coordinated chaos. Corsetry, garters, exaggerated headwear, and theatrical tailoring served as reminders that Westwood has always thrived on turning the past inside out and letting what is deemed private become provocatively public.
