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Vivienne Westwood strikes gold

Vivienne Westwood is BIG in Japan. Every rock chick, punk kid and Gothic Lolita wannabe has an Orb necklace or a tartan, peplum jacket. Even the schoolgirls wear Westwood knee socks. Long before Gwen Stefani and her “Harajuku girls” co-opted the British designer, Japan was in her thrall. So it was great to see her presentation of her S/S 2010 Men’s and GOLD collections last week at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, known as the home of boxing and pro wrestling in Japan. Boxing was a major theme, with baggy shorts, ballgowns accessorised with boxing gowns, bold stripes, dandy suiting and lots of tartan. The GOLD collection is a kind of “greatest hits” range, expressly for the Japanese market. Real boxers Takayuki Kohiruimaki and Yasuhiro Kido then took to the ring for a fight, clad in Westwood. So what did she do before the show? Westwood revealed that she spent four hours watching Kabuki – so expect some dramatic outfits – if not wild makeup, for her next collection.