Fashion world gathers for Vivenne Westwood’s funeral

The iconic designer died in December

The funeral for the late Dame Vivienne Westwood is taking place today (Thursday 16 February) at Southwark Cathedral, with prominent guests in the fashion world gathering to pay their last respects.

Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and more have joined Westwood’s family and other guests at the ceremony.

The iconic designer died “peacefully” at the age of 81 surrounded by her family in Clapham, southwest London, on 29 December 2022, her representatives have said.

Many of the guests who have arrived at the funeral have styled themselves in classic Westwood fashion, with tartan designs and colourful bold tailoring on display.

The Great star Elle Fanning was among the first celebrities to arrive at Southwark Cathedral, wearing a long black coat-dress with a matching pillar-box hat, while Good Girls actor Christina Hendricks donned a muted grey and blue tartan coat dress and black stilettos.

Fashion designers Erdem Moralioglu and Dame Zandra Rhodes are also in attendance, with the latter opting for a bold look with a red jumpsuit and leather jacket along with her signature bright pink hairstyle.

Dame Zandra Rhodes attends a memorial service to honour and celebrate the life of Dame Vivienne Westwood at Southwark Cathedral on February 16, 2023 (Getty Images)

Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie was spotted heading into the service in a black suit, as well as singers Beth Ditto and Paloma Faith.

Beckham and Moss, as well as Moss’ daughter Lila, have also joined the guests at the ceremony. The former Spice Girl wore a skin-tight black dress with a high neck, long sleeves and a leg slit. Moss wore a caftan-style dress with a blazer, while Lila carried a red Westwood bag.

Kate Moss attends a memorial service to honour and celebrate the life of Dame Vivienne Westwood at Southwark Cathedral on February 16, 2023 (Getty Images)

Enninful arrived wearing a black blazer and trousers. Meanwhile, Stormzy made a surprise appearance wearing an all-black suit and shirt combo. He was spotted alongside rapper Big Mike, Australian singer Nick Cave and his fashion designer wife Susie Cave, and artist Tracey Emin.

Victoria Beckham attends a memorial service to honour and celebrate the life of Dame Vivienne Westwood at Southwark Cathedral on February 16, 2023 (Getty Images)

Westwood rose to fame in the fashion scene in the 1970s. She was known for her androgynous designs, slogan T-shirts and irreverent attitude towards the establishment.

As well as making strides in fashion, Westwood was renowned for her activism, including suspending herself in a birdcage in 2020 in a demonstration against the detention of Julian Assange.

The WikiLeaks founder is currently being held in Belmarsh prison as he continues an appeal to fight extradition to the US on charges in connection with the leaking of US military documents. He has been denied permission to leave prison to attend the funeral.

Additional reporting by PA

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