Stars pay glowing tribute to Dame Vivienne Westwood

Dame Vivienne Westwood has left the world with one final piece of advice: 'When in doubt, Dress up!'

In a tribute to the pioneering designer, who died aged 81 in December, many well-wishing A-listers wore classic Westwood designs, injecting bursts of colour and tartan into her memorial service in London today, The Daily Mail reports. 

The Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, who worked at Dame Vivienne's and Malcolm McLaren's boutique in punk's early days, and singer-songwriter Nick Cave performed songs in tribute to the Grande Dame of fashion.

Dame Vivienne was recognised as a punk legend, environmental activist and designer extraordinaire beloved of many A-listers in the fashion world. She emerged on the fashion scene in the 1970s, continued to break boundaries throughout her career and was responsible for some of fashion's most famous designs.

Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Stormzy were among the stylish mourners attending the service at Southwark Cathedral to commemorate Westwood today. Former Spice Girl and designer Ms Beckham, 48, wore a skintight black dress with a high neck, long sleeves and a leg slit, while British Vogue editor Edward Enninful dressed in an all-black suit and blazer.

Supermodel Moss, 49, wore a black dress with a floral design and velvet jacket, while her daughter Lila paired her outfit with a red Westwood bag. Actress Helena Bonham Carter, 56, who has worn Dame Vivienne's punk clothes on many red carpets, paid tribute to the late designer in a red and purple full tartan skirt and blazer set paired with a Westwood pearl necklace.

Actor Richard E Grant, who portrayed Dame Vivienne's counterpart in the 1994 film Prêt-à-Porter, shared snaps from the celebration of life and revealed that he wore a 'miniature hat' that she had gifted him while he worked on the film.

'Worn with pride at her extraordinary memorial today,' Mr Grant tweeted, sharing photos of the hat and the formal invitation to the service. 

Rapper Stormzy, 29, was also in attendance in an all-black suit and brooch, as was artist Tracey Emin, 59, who wore a dark-coloured long coat and tartan scarf.

Emin became a good friend of Dame Vivienne after meeting at a Vogue shoot in the summer of 1999, with the artist later saying that 'within days' she had become her 'muse'.

Actress Elle Fanning wore a black pleated blazer with a matching pillar-box hat.

The US star collaborated with the fashion designer on many occasions, with Dame Vivienne styling the 24-year-old in a custom pink corset-style dress for the Independent Spirit Awards in 2021.

'She was unwavering': Jeff Banks pays tribute to Vivienne Westwood,

Singer Paloma Faith wore a purple jumper under a rust, floral-patterned dress with red shoes, while Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks dressed in a navy and black checked coat-dress for the service. Actress Dame Vanessa Redgrave was also in attendance in a camel coat and hat alongside her daughter, actress Joely Richardson, who matched in a camel and black suit over a lime green top.

Presenter Jonathan Ross opted for a black trench coat and blue jumper, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie wore a classic black suit, as did fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu and Babs actress Jaime Winstone donned a black fitted dress paired with black lace-up platforms. US singer-songwriter Beth Ditto, fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, singer Bob Geldof, Australian singer Nick Cave and his fashion designer wife Susie Cave, designer Matty Bovan and model Lorraine Pascale were also among the guests.

Dame Vivienne emerged on the fashion scene in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs, slogan T-shirts and irreverent attitude towards the Establishment. She continued to break boundaries throughout her career and was responsible for some of fashion's most famous designs - including her take on the corset, the 'mini-crini' - a shortened version of the Victorian crinoline dress - and Carrie Bradshaw's bridal dress in the 2008 Sex And The City movie.

The designer also made a name for herself as an activist, staging public protests to raise awareness of causes close to her heart. In 1992, she famously wore a perfectly tailored skirt suit with a grey matching hat while collecting her OBE. The outfit might have been demure, but she soon started twirling for photographers - only to reveal she was not wearing any knickers underneath. She returned to Buckingham Palace in 2006 to be made a dame, and was once again without underwear - but she refrained from doing any twirling this time.