Tartan mode

In 1970, Vivienne Westwood shook up British fashion indelibly. She and then-partner Malcolm McLaren of the Sex Pistols opened a store on Kings Road, called Let it Rock, which functioned as an outlet for the two to showcase their respective interests. For Westwood, it was her penchant for leather and zippers. Her designs have grown leaps and bounds in sophistication but retain the same tropes as always (pirates, tartans, courtesans, Victoriana, bondage).

Discover our range of tartan fabric . Many patterns available #tartan #ScottishTartan3 #newzealand

Westwood’s continued use of tartan connects the now with the then. It approaches fashion through a contemporary lens, as opposed to merely constituting an exercise in rehash. “You can’t copy the past – even when you try to copy, you discover things from today,”

Tartan in fashion in the 1970s - a collection of vintage fashion photographs and fashion advertisements

From the 1707 Act of Union to royal unions and even rugby union - highlights from the last three centuries of shared history