Vivienne Hits A High Not

Vivienne Westwood has had a busy week. As well as trending on Twitter for her comments about the British prime minister Theresa May, she has revealed her extra-curricular collaboration with the esteemed Monteverdi Choir, for which she has designed a new costume and of which the Prince of Wales in patron. We caught up with her and her husband and co-designer, Andreas Kronthaler, to find out more.

How did you become involved with the Monteverdi choir?

Andreas Kronthaler: "Three years ago, it was the 50th anniversary of the Monteverdi Choir at Buckingham Palace, we got introduced to the choir by Prince Charles, who poked us on the side and said 'You should help them out.' It is very clever of Prince Charles - he is always getting things to happen. Then we started to meet up with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, we became friends and this collaboration began."

I like working with opera singers because they are always very brave... they are not so conservative as some actors and actresses on the red carpet can beAndreas Kronthaler

What do you like about getting involved with additional projects like this?

Vivienne Westwood: "The clothes bring attention to the singers - you are constantly drawing people in as you work with the clothes, it's like a sublimation of your soul."
It would be lovely to sing in a choir, we loved it when we were kids a schoolVivienne Westwood

AK: "I like working with opera singers because they are always very brave - they understand the importance of clothes because it is part of their role and character. They are not so conservative as some actors and actresses on the red carpet can be. Opera singers are sometimes as brave in real life as the heroines that they portray. Renee Fleming and Joyce Di Donato are women who adore clothes and they can wear the most outrageous things with ease."

How did you conceive the designs?

VW: "A design is made of hundreds of decisions; how you stitch something, which button you use, everything! What I'm really delighted about is that these costumes work for every individual lady in the choir but they also all work together as a whole."

AK: "We have never done anything for a choir before. They are all different girls, they have to be functional, it should give a nice picture all together."
You have such an illustrious history in fashion - is there anything left that you want to do?

VW: "No, I want to save the world and we only have about two years left to do it in. We are all very comfortable talking about climate change, but we are all living a myth."
Did you ever harbor singing ambitions?

VW: "No, but I like singing. The school I went to we did a lot of singing, I went to a church school. It would be lovely to sing in a choir, we loved it when we were kids at school."