On a sunny afternoon, with only a mild September chill in the air we took to the streets of London yesterday; armed with cameras and notepads, invitations in hand, we ventured to the first show on our agenda: Vivienne Westwood Red Label. Political controversy surrounded the show, aptly held in the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices. Never shying away from the political limelight, she used this opportunity to create pro-Julian Assange T-shirts for her guests to wear front row and the show notes were a manifesto on the urgency of climate change.

Up on the catwalk, much like her desire to reinvent the way we live to help make a more sustainable world, her latest collection was an invigorated reinvention of classic Red Label.

It referenced the old and the new with pastels and pinstripes replacing her usual tartan and political prints. It was a beautiful stream of lady-like modern interpretations of the retro highlighted by satin gloves, pearls, Marlo Thomas hairstyles and structured handbags reminiscent of Jackie O and Marilyn Monroe or Queen Elizabeth in the swinging 60s. The show-stopping finale dress was a stunning silk hot pink number, which encompassed the crisp new elements that Dame Westwood has brought to the table for SS13.

Ending the show with the ‘Climate Revolution’ banner, which she initially unveiled during the Paralympic Games in London, she strutted down the catwalk in a helmet, t-shirt and knickers embodying the Westwood unruly spirit.