Six gloriously chaotic Vivienne Westwood moments we’ll never forget
We mark what would have been Dame Viv's birthday by celebrating some of her most iconic moments, from causing chaos at the Attitude Awards to ripping into the Spice Girls
By Dale Fox
Today (8 April) would’ve been Vivienne Westwood’s 84th birthday – and we’re still not over the loss of fashion’s most rebellious genius.
Dame Viv didn’t just make clothes – she made trouble. The original queen of punk was infamous for stirring up a storm, as she railed against conformity, consumerism, and climate collapse.
To celebrate her legendary life, here are some brilliantly iconic moments that show nobody did chaos quite like Vivienne Westwood.
From riding tanks through quiet English villages to championing the virtues of whale poo, here’s Viv at her uncompromising best.
1. That time she absolutely slated the Spice Girls (1997)
Vivienne had no time for synthetic fibres – or synthetic pop. Speaking in the late 90s, she declared: “Those Spice Girls have never had any education, they have never been brought up – they have just been allowed to grow up like animals.” Ouch. She also slammed their “dreadful clothes” and “no style,” making it clear she saw ‘Girl Power’ as little more than commercial packaging. You could almost hear the safety pins snapping in disgust.
2. When she flashed the Queen (1992)
After receiving her OBE from the Queen in 1992, Dame Vivienne posed for photographers in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, but gave them more than they bargained for. With a twirl of her skirt and no knickers underneath, she revealed all in what became one of the most notorious images in British fashion history. Viv later said she wasn’t trying to be deliberately provocative, but simply didn’t realise how high the fabric would go. Sure, Viv.
3. Driving an actual tank to David Cameron’s house (2015)
In what remains one of the most iconic protest visuals in British political history, Vivienne rolled up to then-PM David Cameron’s Oxfordshire pile in a full-blown tank. The protest was against fracking and the government’s environmental recklessness. Perched atop the armoured vehicle, she declared: “Britons no longer have any choice but to fight back.” Our real-life Tank Girl.
4. Her birdcage protest for Julian Assange (2020)
In 2020, Vivienne Westwood took her protest against Julian Assange’s extradition to dramatic new heights – literally. She suspended herself in a giant birdcage outside the Old Bailey, dressed in head-to-toe yellow and declaring herself the “canary in the coal mine.” It was bold, bizarre and unapologetically Westwood.
5. Leaving her award behind at the Attitude Awards (2015)
When Attitude honoured Vivienne Westwood with the Style Hero Award at the 2015 Attitude Awards, she didn’t arrive in a limo like everyone else, of course – she showed up on her bicycle. Picking up her award, she gave a 19-minute, unscripted speech (still the record for longest Attitude Awards speech ever, we believe) covering everything from the climate catastrophe to the surprising ecological power of whale poo. Then, in true Viv style, she left her trophy behind on the table and cycled off into the night. Rumour has it some gays in the audience are still clapping for the utter campness of the whole situation.
6. Talking Sapphic sensations with Kate Moss
Vivienne once confessed to long-time collaborator and friend Kate Moss that the supermodel could’ve been her first and only lesbian lover. Backstage at a show, Westwood told Moss, “Kate, you know I’ve never been into girls, but I could have got into you,” as Moss recalled in the documentary Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist. Cute 💖