CITYist

Has fashion’s reigning punk queen gone soft on us? Many would assume so upon hearing news of her recent collaboration designing, of all things, wallpaper. But rest easy: these aren’t merely floral prints for tea time.

That’s not to say that Westwood’s line rules out flowers together, but when the inspiration is the iconic designer’s own backlog, there’s bound to be some patterns outside of the home goods status quo. Teaming up with wallpaper manufacturers Cole & Son, a British company dating back to 1875, Westwood fashioned eleven patterns with many available in multiple color schemes. From tartans to dogtooth (a traditional British style of interlocking, downward-pointing rectangles), the wallpapers run the gamut of patterns, many hand-drawn by Westwood herself.

The designer drew inspiration from her own 1981/82 Pirate collection with the Squiggle pattern, a signature Westwood look she continues to use today, as well as with the Union Jack wallpaper, a British flag design so worn and weather-beaten it would look at home on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

And on the more feminine side, there’s Vivienne’s Lace, a hand-drawn, black and white, ruffled pattern with a cartoon-ish quality to give it some edge. Florals come off as clean and elegant, rather than the usual tired living room fare.

Vivienne Westwood for Cole & Son is available on the Cole & Son site. Isn’t it time you bought something for your walls rather than your body?