It's Vivienne Westwood!

Our April theme is STYLE ICONS; all of us columnists are having to ponder (or I guess for some of us, it's an easy choice?) who influences our style most. It's right there at the top of our homepage! For me, that's a pretty hard question, really. I don't let anyone influence my style the most - for one thing I don't really know of anyone who's shaped like me and more importantly, when I let anyone reign over my wardrobe-thoughts for too long I start to get itchy. It's not MY style any more.

The question for me is, who makes me feel the most validated when I follow my own ornery path? Vivienne Westwood, that is who.

It's true she's said some weird-ass things which make me roll my eyes,

Feminists wish women to seem like men. They're not men.

And that, in 2007 at least, she was speaking out as pro-Tory which is less than ideal to me. But since I was a wee piglet lying on my belly every Sunday night, soaking in the Clothes Show and the base-level knowledge that just as Raphael is my Favourite Ninja Turtle so Vivienne Westwood is "My Favourite Designer", I have been willing to bend where usually my fan-principles hold hard.

She's the mother of "the punk look", fergoodnessakes. I don't care how many punkhearts don't need safety pins and tartan to rock hard! Punk fashion sings to me.

There are endless debates (or discussions, really) about the difference between style and fashion; the consensus is generally that fashion moves and style matures. Style is the unfathomable you-ness, right? What you bring to the fashion. So a style icon has to have a themness about hirself..

I decided early on that I wasn't going to do a VW retrospective or a fact-based ream of praise because.. you're reading this online and she's a huge name and brand. You can find stuff like that out easily. Plus, I'm not talking in terms of "I buy her clothes and that means that she has influenced my style, because.. I don't. I don't have enough money to buy from her new, and I've never come across anything second-hand. Style icon; influence; Your Style - that's the brief. I wanted to give a tiny tour of how VW has had a so-called influence (I really couldn't say if she's changed me, or if I've just consistently enjoyed the existence of her work because her zest naturally appeals to me) on things I actually wear, rather than objects of hers which have themselves inspired me. You see what I mean?

Here's a season manifesto she wrote in 2008:

And here she is on Jonathan Ross recently, talking about saving the rainforests and the planet and admiring Prince Charles and LOOKING AMAZING.

This is why Vivienne Westwood is "my favourite". Her public image (personality/clothes hybrid) is about pro-activity and just DOING IT - creativity in motion. DIY and really really caring. She is.. cheeky soul? Look at that penis with wings, back up on the manifesto! Her website is called Active Resistance.

The following: Things I (love to) wear, captioned with the names of the flowers in-shot (learn them!), rounded up with the relevant September '08 manifesto line reference or quotation, and explanation. This is how Dame Westwood is my Style Icon: she is pro-worldsaving, and tells me I am right to dress how I do. Thanks, lady!

"Kerchiefs worn as knickers... or tied up as a bag" VW kerchief, which I have worn in both these ways.

I didn't do anything at the Queen, whom I admire.
"Badges (preferably with political slogans)" Well there is no slogan, and this is technically a charm not a badge, but - I am pro-queen and pro-royal in general. Does this (and that below) not proclaim it?

"Your old favourites - there is status in wearing your favourites over + over until they grow old (patina) or fall apart." This isn't an old jacket, but it's a favourite and it is certainly falling apart. WOOOOO TOPSHOP! I dig it, though, holes and all, and I'm not going to throw it away just because it's disintegrating. Wasteful, no? Holes mean patches, and patches mean "Badges (preferably with political[maybe not political-political] slogans)".

"[as above]" This kilt is moth-eaten as all heck. But it's my name-tartan. And kilts put me in mind of the whole punk thing again.. so O VW, once again you're on my side.

"[as above]" Apparently this kind of pleather doesn't age well? But pink plastic houndstooth kilt-skirts don't come along every day. I'm going to wear this untill it falls off. Vivienne Westwood told me to. Vicariously.

"[as above]"This was a gift when I was thirteen. I'm twenty-three (today!), so this is ten years old and going strong. Old favourite, old favourite, when will you grow your patina?

"[as above]" So I have a lot for this "old stuff's still good" point, but I wanted to get all the flower names in. And this one has darning. Darning's good to learn. I bet my Style Icon does agree!

I don't feel comfortable defending my clothes. But if you've got the money to afford them, then buy something from me. Just don't buy too much The kerchief was my first VW item. I felt kind of silly about being as joyful as I was to open it, but.. your heroines are your heroines. These shoes were the second, and they give me just as much squee. Anglomania + Melissa, post-season sale through YOOX. They make me happy. That makes me motivated.

It's just a visual association re:attitude. Active resistance! Wooargh!

You know (hopefully) that I'm all for 'fashion activism' and that BSB have embraced the idea of it too. So I think.. you can probably all share a little, in this pedestal-raising?