Fall 2026, the 21st collection for his late wife Vivienne Westwood’s namesake label, was an act of continuity, grief, and play, delivered with the eroticism that has long defined Andreas Kronthaler’s reign at the house. Those candies that models were holding on the runway were meant to be a cheeky reference to knickers, he admitted backstage before greeting Chappell Roan.

Riffing on memory, cinema, costume, and desire to create a fall wardrobe that felt both intimate and anarchic, the designer looked at three muses.

First was Austrian silver screen legend Romy Schneider, whose many faces – which also inspired the models’ glitter makeup – and fearless choices echoed through the collection’s emotional range. “She was an incredible actress, very powerful. She wasn’t frightened. She always went for the risky things in life,” Kronthaler added. That appetite for risk appeared in dresses with rough, open seams that twisted and draped unpredictably around the body.

He also referenced Danilo Donati, the Italian costume designer behind Pasolini’s “The Canterbury Tales.” Donati’s spirit surfaced in the raw, almost improvised bridal look: fabric wrapped and left hanging in raw-cut strips, paired with a big sculptural headpiece evoking an antique world reimagined through punk romanticism.

The model wearing the look to close the show was called Vivienne. Her mother named her that because Westwood was her favorite designer. Kronthaler said he loved this full-circle moment.

Lastly, Geoffrey Chaucer’s “pursuit of a sensible existence underlined with humor” was there in the clash of college blazers, dinner jackets, coats, and stripes, all slightly off, never too polished.

With music from Boy George and Kinky Roland, the show was both a love letter and an attempt to move on.

“The world is in a funny state. It’s a terrible moment for so many things and for so many people. But you can’t stop. I’ve lost something in my life that is impossible to forget. Nevertheless, I’m trying to move on, to learn how to live with the loss and still have fun. To keep working, keep playing, and find pleasure in things, even while I’m carrying this absence with me,” he said.