The Best Archival References From Palace’s Vivienne Westwood Collab

Palace is no stranger to incredible collaborations. Its archive includes linkups with brands that run the gamut from niche outdoor specialists Berghaus to luxury fashion giants such as Gucci. We still think about that kickflipping Polo Bear sweater from its Ralph Lauren collection in 2018. But Palace’s latest collab with punk pioneer Vivienne Westwood is one of its best yet.

The skate brand’s Tri-Ferg and Vivienne Westwood’s orb motif come together on co-branded hoodies and T-shirts. Many of us will surely be excited by the array of orb accessories like pendants (sorry, no pearls), belt buckles, studded wallets, and earrings. This also marks Palace’s first foray into womenswear with skirts and baby tees up for grabs.

The range perfectly blends Palace’s streetwear approach with Vivienne Westwood’s radical punk style. Palace’s signature Gore-Tex jackets are covered in prints from the Vivienne Westwood archive. Silk corsets get a personal touch with prints of Palace founder Lev Tanju’s pup Stuart.

We took a deeper dive to uncover more archival V. Westwood design references in this collection, below.

Salon Print Gore-Tex

A trio of standout items from this collaboration are the Gore-Tex shell jacket, pants, and skirt. The detailed print featured across each piece—an image of an 18th-century hair salon—is pulled from Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 1992. It was originally featured across a variety of VW like denim pants, short sleeve jackets, corsets, and shorts. The iconic imagery is still used by Vivienne Westwood to this day across maxi dresses, leggings, and tops.

The Orb Denim

Sure to be a hot commodity come drop day, these denim pieces covered in a special co-branded variation of Vivienne Westwood’s iconic orb also reference the designer’s archive. The orb denim was introduced in Spring/Summer 1985 through jeans, skirts, and jackets. Similar to the Salon print, this is another one that Vivenne Westwood still uses to this day.

Dog Print Corset

The dog print corset top is one of our favorite references in the entire collection. The original version debuted in Vivienne Westwood’s Fall/Winter 1992 collection. It was made of grey, red, black, or off white satin and featured an image of a hound from Thomas Gainsborough’s Tristram and Fox on the chest. For Palace’s version, the brand replaced the dog with an image of founder Lev Tanju’s own puppy, Stuart. How can you not smile at that?

Bears

The whimsical bear illustration found on button-up shirts, baby tees, and trucker caps is a direct reference to T-shirts sold by Vivienne Westwood in the ‘90s. Palace even decided to turn the bear into giant, plushy backpacks. We’d elect to keep ours on a shelf instead of wearing it, but to each their own.

Flight Jackets

Palace combined the Seditionaires bondage jacket from the ‘70s with a classic flight jacket. The most notable design elements are the adjustable straps that extend across the chest and back, which perfectly exemplify the shocking punk aesthetic that Westwood and McLaren helped establish with their earliest designs for Seditionaries many decades ago.

Of course, there had to be a tartan plaid version. The pattern was a favorite of Westwood for its historical ties to rebellion and freedom. Most notably, she created her own tartan pattern, MacAndreas, for the Fall/Winter 1993 “Anglomania” collection. The traditional Scottish print is still heavily used throughout Vivienne Westwood’s designs.

Ringer T-Shirt

This design is a nod to the “Tits” T-shirt designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the ‘70s. It became one of the signature items of their line, Seditonaries. It was most notably worn by The Sex Pistols, and has become a piece of punk history. The design, which featured an image of a woman’s breasts on the chest, was a commentary on society’s acceptance—or non-acceptance—of the female body. Palace’s rendition has a robotic interpretation of a woman’s breasts, which makes it more unique and ironic.

Devil Horns Beanie

One of Vivenne Westwood’s signature items are its devil horn tiaras. The accessory first debuted during Vivienne Westwood’s Fall/Winter 2004 “Exhibition” runway presentation and has been offered by the brand with various embellishments. Westwood even wore a pair of horns for her one and only Met Gala attendance in 2006. For this capsule collection, Palace decided to reference Westwood’s famous headpiece by adding horns to a blue and pink leopard-print beanie.

Sibyl Buck

Palace’s references weren’t limited to the clothing. The brand also tapped someone with a long history with Vivienne Westwood to star in the collaboration campaign. French model Sibyl Buck is a longtime friend of Westwood and muse of the brand who appeared in numerous runway shows and campaigns through the ‘90s and 2020s. In 2023, Vivienne Westwood even released the Sibyl bag.