The Vivienne Westwood MAN Spring-Summer 2013 Show at Milan Fashion Week

Francis who designs with me and Andreas on MAN and who has to get the thing moving came to us and admitted that he was using the idea 'picnic' as a working title, an anchor to fix decisions. I thought: why not? We can re-cycle the grass stain and wine stain prints and the insects from previous summer collections. We remembered Manet's 'Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe' with its bohemian and artistic atmosphere and Manet's naked model, Victorine. As to why she has her clothes off is a mystery but we coloured the collection according to the blue of her discarded dress. But England owns picnics; fun on the grass and the rain stays away and for example there is Glyndebourne where the opera- lovers take their hampers on the train to sit in their evening clothes on the lawn before the opera and at the interval. - Vivienne Westwood