At the Met Gala on Monday, Billy Norwich asked Vivienne Westwood about the designer she was wearing, and as the queen of punk herself, she didn't turn out answering the question. Instead, she used the opportunity to talk about her jewelry: A laminated photo of the Wikileaks revolutionary Bradley Manning, attached by safety pins to her pastel robes. "When I did punk all those years ago, [it was about the same thing]: Justice and [trying to] have a better world,” she explained. “I've got different methods nowadays." Then she wanted to keep going – “I’ve got one more thing to say,” she added, gesturing to the guy beside her – before she got cut-off/interrupted as the camera panned over to co-host Hilary Rhoda’s introduction to a video piece on Andrew Bolton, the exhibit’s curator. But we never got that one part. Sad.
Photo by Getty
It is so true that all the idea of punk is about rebelion and speaking the truth. Based on what? That's probably harder to answer, but sometimes justice is blinding and rebels are hardly heard.And when those glamorous people were invited (read: buy the invitation, or got that for some sort of advertising in exchange) to attend the Met Gala, it was nothing less than a lack of knowledge of punk culture. Some people wearing embroidered dresses and jewelry, with the men in luxe tuxedos and bow ties. I know it's a formal gala, but when you put punk as the inspiration and the purpose of the gala itself is to promote the culture (isn't it?), looking way too far from punk is a complete form of ignorance and idiocy, like saying, "I don't give a damn of the chaos. I will go couture", which would make a lot of sense to me.
They should have changed the title.
Signorefandi, Punk: only as far as couture allows...