Vivienne Westwood's 15 best red carpet looks

Maane Khatchatourian
·3 min read
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CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 20: Actress Diane Kruger attends the "Amour" Premiere during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 20, 2012 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage) HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Actress Zendaya attends the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 26: Dua Lipa attends the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Diane Kruger, left, Zendaya and Dua Lipa. (Dominique Charriau / WireImage; Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images; Amy Sussman / Getty Images)
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Pioneering fashion designer Vivienne Westwood first made a name for herself in the ’70s London punk scene, before her designs became a staple on Hollywood red carpets.

The iconoclastic fashion maven, who died Thursday at age 81, popularized edgy glamour, becoming the go-to designer to such stars as Helena Bonham Carter, Christina Hendricks and Gwen Stefani. The Queen of Punk had a resurgence of sorts in the last few years as Gen Z celebs embraced her designs. Zendaya, Dua Lipa, Elle Fanning, Olivia Rodrigo and Daisy Ridley are just a few of the performers who have donned her draped, corseted, structural gowns at awards shows and other major events, including on the global stage at the Cannes Film Festival.

Here are some of her memorable designs.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter in a pink dress.
Helena Bonham Carter attends the premiere of "The Wings of the Dove" in London in 1997, wearing an off-shoulder corset-style blush pink Vivienne Westwood gown specially created for the occasion. (Fiona Hanson / PA Images via Getty Images)
A woman in a column dress holds the leash of a pig.
Emma Thompson, wearing a signature Vivienne Westwood "Lily" dress, and a pig companion storm the world premiere of "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" in London in 2010. (Fred Duval / FilmMagic via Getty)
A woman shows off her gown on the red carpet in front of a line of photographers.
Thandiwe Newton dons a custom Vivienne Westwood Couture gown printed with photos of iconic Black "Star Wars" characters at the screening of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" during the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018. (George Pimentel / WireImage via Getty)
A woman shows off her white gown on the red carpet at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood in 2015.
Zendaya is a vision in a white off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood gown — later immortalized in Barbie form — at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood in 2015. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
A blond woman walks the red carpet in a pink gown.
Gwen Stefani is the epitome of classic glamour in a pink Vivienne Westwood dress at the 2004 premiere of "The Aviator" at Grauman's Chinese in Los Angeles. (L. Cohen / WireImage via Getty)
A blond woman looks over her shoulder as she shows off a hand-painted white gown.
Wearing a white duchess satin gown hand-painted by Vivienne Westwood herself, Elle Fanning attends the "Les Fantomes d'Ismael" (Ismael's Ghosts) screening and opening gala at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017. (Dominique Charriau / WireImage / via Getty)
A blond woman sparkles in a draped evening gown.
Diane Kruger sparkles in a draped Westwood creation at the "Amour" premiere during the 65th Cannes Film Festival in 2012. (Dominique Charriau / WireImage via Getty)
A woman in sunglasses and a thigh-high cut evening dress in front of smoke at a fashion show.
Rihanna steals the show in a black custom Vivienne Westwood corset dress with a thigh-high slit at the 2012 Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)
A dark-haired woman sports a dark evening gown.
Kim Kardashian wears a black velvet Westwood gown (complete with a butt bustle) at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2019. (Fox Image Collection via Getty Images)
A blond woman shows off her strapless evening gown, sleevelets and thigh-high stockings.
Donning a powder-blue Westwood design, Billie Piper attends the 2021 Fashion Awards in London. (Karwai Tang / WireImage via Getty)
A dark-haired woman in a blue bodice dress in front of a Star Wars sign.
Not even Sith stormtroopers could upstage Daisy Ridley in a midnight blue Vivienne Westwood bodice dress at the "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" European premiere in London in 2019. (Dave J Hogan / Getty Images)
A woman with blond hair wears a two-piece white gown on a red carpet.
Dua Lipa levitates in this satin two-piece number at the 62nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2020. (Amy Sussman / Getty Images)
A smiling dark-haired woman shows off her brown gown.
Anne Hathaway shimmers in a brown Westwood gown at the world premiere of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 in London. (Mike Marsland / WireImage via Getty)
A woman in a flouncy light blue ball gown is the center of attention on a red carpet.
Blake Lively has a Cinderella moment in her Vivienne Westwood ruffled gown at the "Ma Loute" (Slack Bay) premiere during the 69th Cannes Film Festival in 2016. (Andreas Rentz / Getty Images)
A woman in a shiny red dress stands in front of a sign that says "I don't know how she does it" multiple times.
Christina Hendricks sports a rose-colored silk Westwood number at the premiere of "I Don't Know How She Does It" in New York City in 2011. (Jim Spellman / WireImage)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.