The Vivienne Westwood orb logo embodies Westwood’s ethos of linking to the past and culture, to inform ideas. At the centre of the house emblem is an orb representing history and heritage, encircled by the celestial rings of Saturn, symbolising the future. In its latest collection, the British fashion house has unveiled her compelling selection of men’s necklaces, continuing a journey that began in the early 1980s, when the brand first debuted on the runway.
Since then, Vivienne Westwood has become essential for men and women who expect rather more from their clothes, accessories and jewellery. The latest collection is the result of a long creative evolution, dancing along the boundary between the acceptable and the eccentric, and redrawing rules that few others would ever have dared to break.
The necklaces and pendants draw generously on the great themes Vivienne Westwood has established on the global fashion stage: from the orb, at once regal and planetary, to materials once, and mistakenly, regarded as exclusively feminine. In the hands of the house’s designers, they become the foundations of contemporary men’s jewellery.
Pearl strands are paired with the iconic orb, while crystals, passionate heart motifs and set pearls add further layers of detail. Then there are the equally recognisable finishes through which the brand has made its mark in a field as demanding and, in some respects, as unexplored, as men’s jewellery.
The latest collection comprises seventy distinct necklace designs for men, all of which can be viewed, browsed and quietly coveted on the house’s website.
A choice for everyday wear, too?
Absolutely. The idea that a man may only wear jewellery around his neck with a particularly formal or important outfit is well past its sell-by date.
Vivienne Westwood’s men’s necklaces are designed to be worn in the spirit of freedom: whenever you like, wherever you like and with whatever outfit feels right, or simply needs one final detail to bring it to life.
There is no shortage of choice. With seventy necklace designs, the collection offers remarkable breadth and variety. Partly because the possible combinations are almost endless, and partly because captivating an audience in this way has always been one of the house’s defining talents – and Vivienne Westwood does it like no one else.
There is room to play, too, with the balance between rules and those occasions when rules are best ignored, provided one does so with style.
Pearls, which until recently many men might never have imagined wearing, remain perhaps one of the house’s most enduring signatures for the British house: shaped, altered and reinterpreted across its accessories.
The result is a collection that encourages a more expressive approach to personal style.
Our advice is simple: approach the collection with an open mind and without settling for less. The necklaces will do the rest, guiding you, as in every great love story, towards the one that feels like a true soulmate.