NEWS

Dame Vivienne Westwood RIP

8th May 1941 - 29th december 2022

The world has just lost one of the most remarkable, influential and fearless women that ever lived, a woman who could truly say that she did it her way. Whether it be through her revolutionary clothes designs, confrontational slogans or politics, she was entirely committed to free speech, equality and saving the planet right to the end, trail-blazing throughout her life with the spirit of a modern day suffragette..

From the first time I saw her in the early 70s, clanking down the Kings Road, with that shock of cropped blonde hair, biker t-shirt, leather mini skirt, ripped tights and Persian lamb boots chained together, to the very last time I spoke to her about 4 years ago when we were both cycling up the Mall, Vivienne was always unmistakable. That glorious day I spotted her way off in the distance looking like a very chic homeless person with ripped and faded clothes flapping in the wind. She had on one of those oversize 80s silk blouson jackets with a vivid Picasso print on it, bits of printed fabric wrapped around her body and head, gold cupid print stockings, red high heel court shoes and her then black lips and signature red eyebrows, and she looked fucking incredible.! She casually mentioned she had been asked to give advice to the Duke of Edinburgh at Clarence House about something that she couldn’t really remember, but she wasted no time in inviting me to a lecture she was giving about the perils of fracking. It was a joyous, uplifting and unforgettable encounter and so typical of the woman we all loved and admired so much.

Vivienne always had an amazing enthusiasm for all things stylish and was obsessed with historical dress and detail. I remember only too well spending an entire day at her flat in Clapham in 1979, as she bombarded me with influences and ideas for her latest pirate collection for the new Worlds End shop I was about to design. Every surface of her tiny living room was piled high with historical reference books, art books, fashion magazines, records and bin liners full of clothes.. Amidst it all, Vivienne talked infectiously about her influences as she constantly rifled through old books showing me fabulous reference pictures of colonialized Native American’s at the turn of the century sporting top hats and frock coats decorated with feathers and war-paint, and infamous 18th century pirates, wearing customized Naval uniforms, alongside her passion for science fiction. I got a clear message that with this new collection she was going to create a world of style which would drag the past screaming into the future. Vivienne and Malcolm had already thrown the rule book out of the window years ago and changed fashion forever, so nothing was going to stop her now.

When we were building the Worlds End shop Vivienne would occasionally stop by on her bike, always dressed immaculately in one of her latest creations, even so she was always very hands on and never afraid to pick up a hammer or paint brush. She was fascinated with the shop build being an organic process, always encouraging teamwork and lending great vision to the project. We would have lengthy discussions over where and how the clothes should be displayed, and that the key outfits be displayed in a line on metal scarecrows like drunken sailors. She always maintained a strong belief that ideas should be shared and in effect be a collaboration, with no one person receiving full credit. She would obsess about different paint finishes and in particular the interior colour of the shop, which was actually re-painted five times until we got the right subtle shade of turquoise, such was her attention to detail. 

In 1993 I curated the Vive Le Punk exhibition at the Horse Hospital as a tribute to her and Malcolm’s collaboration throughout the 70s. The fact that they were reunited after 10 years to share memories even for just one hour made it all worthwhile, as the unique footage we captured remains a lasting legacy of their time together. I am proud of the fact that that exhibition also threw the rule book out of the window, and has remained the flag bearing ethos of the Horse Hospital program for the last 30 years.

There seems to be no end to the interest that those punk designs still generate and I am very fortunate in having a good representative collection of her original garments. Copies and fakes have always been rife, but to me one of Vivienne’s most endearing qualities is the fact that she always believed plagiarism was the sincerest form of flattery.

Vivienne was a true English eccentric who managed to inspire everyone she came into contact with. She proved over the years that her unconventional methods and maverick attitude are still the envy of the fashion intelligentsia. Through pure determination, this formidable women has consistently pushed world fashion to the limits. Her legacy will continue to be an inspiration to anyone that has even a remote interest in design.

I feel extremely honoured to have taken part in her remarkable journey.

 Roger K Burton

Season’s Greetings

Happy holidays from the Contemporary Wardrobe Team! ❤️💚❤️💚

Thank you as ever for your ongoing support and we can’t wait to see you again in the new year!

Festive opening times:
December 22nd: 10am-2pm
December 23rd-January 2nd: closed
January 3rd: open as usual

JORDAN MOONEY RIP

23rd June 1955 – 3rd April 2022

'I was utterly shocked and devastated to learn that dear Jordan has been taken by cancer. To me she was not only a style icon but truly a woman of great strength, courage, personality and amazing individualism who paved the way for thousands who adored her and sought to emulate her unique style. I am proud to have helped to get out her book with Cathi Unsworth, and known her as a dear friend.

They broke the mould when she was born, and we will never see the like again…!

-Roger K Burton

hackers: online exhibition tour

For those of you who weren't able to visit in person and for those who just want more !

The Horse Hospital is pleased to present an exclusive guided tour of the Hackers costume exhibition with the film's costume designer Roger K. Burton.

Hear about the inspiration and original styling for the film’s costumes, and first-hand stories from behind the scenes, how everything came together for this timeless and much-loved movie, which continues to influence today’s street fashion subcultures.

You will learn how the films wardrobe process works, and the way cast reacted to their eclectic outfits, plus much more background information, making this tour a must see for every fan and aficionado of the movie.

Merry christmas from the contemporary wardrobe team

We’re wishing everyone the happiest of holidays and a great new year! We’re thankful for all the support we’ve received throughout this difficult year, and we hope next year will bring back life as it should be!

We’ll see you back in 2021, when we’ll be back on January 4th, 10am-6pm.

hackers: costumes from the motion picture - press

With the HACKERS exhibition underway, we would like to share some press articles about the exhibition, all featuring behind-the-scenes images and stories from the film’s production.

The exhibition is on until 19th December, reopening in the new year on the 4th January until 6th February.

TOTALLY LONDON - Meet the Londoner: Roger Burton, the Hackers Costume Designer

DAZED - Never-before-seen Polaroids from the set of cult cyber classic Hackers

GARAGE - Accidental Style Icon: Angelina Jolie in "Hackers"

GRAMMY - "Hack The Planet!" An Oral History Of Hackers' Soundtrack & Score

We are proud to announce our HACKERS (1995) Film Costume Exhibition

Coming December 2020 at the Horse Hospital, the place where the costumes were originally conceived and have been stored all this time

RIP Layla Griffin

It is with great sadness that on Monday 1 June 2020 we learned of costume designer Layla Griffin’s passing, after her ordeal battling a devastating cancer.

Layla was a very special multi-talented person whose energy, enthusiasm and down to earth approach to life and particularly the fashion and film world was inspiriting, always smiling, her wry sense of humour was infectious.

First introduced to me by her dad the photographer Brian Griffin, and she worked for me in the wardrobe when she was still learning the ropes as a stylist. Later she became my regular assistant on commercials and great friend, then carving out a successful career as a freelance costume designer, while also managing to raise a family, and she did it all by being incredibly organised.

It seems like only yesterday that we joined the throng at Layla and Ed’s idyllic wedding in Cornwall, all beautifully orchestrated by Layla, she was at her happiest and looked absolutely radiant in an Edwardian dress she had skilfully adapted for her petite frame.

A beautiful kind-hearted person who understood the importance of how clothes make you feel, she regularly gifted choice vintage items to the collection. She was also a passionate and unrelenting supporter of the Horse Hospital, and even when she was quite ill she was writing to production companies demanding they show us support in saving the building, in fact earlier on this year The Metro wrote an article about her career and she chose to photographed among the clothes she so loved at Contemporary Wardrobe for the piece, it’s a fascinating insight into the workings of a costume designer and really amplifies her stolid approach to her craft, you can read it here…

It is so unbelievably unfair that she was taken while in the prime of her life, and not able to see her two small children grow up.

She left a lasting impression on all who met her and will be sadly missed by all who loved her..

Roger & Izabel Burton

Image Credit : https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/07/my-odd-job-as-a-costume-designer-i-was-once-asked-to-dress-an-ostrich-8852255/