Anglomania 70

Vivienne Westwood cotton shirt

Vivienne Westwood plaid cotton shirt from "Anglomania" the patent brand born from the 1993 A/W collection. The release year of this shirt is unclear, Vivienne Westwood likes to incorporate old graphics into new clothes, the number 70 is maybe a reference to the opening of her first store “let it rock”. 

Anglomania refers to the fascination and obsession with “Englishness,” an admiration that first gained force during the Enlightenment, when England was idealized as a land of liberty, reason, and refinement. This cultural myth of Britain, perpetuated across Europe, created a mania for English manners, lifestyle, and dress.

In fashion, Anglomania manifests as both reverence for tradition and playful subversion.

On one side, it celebrates the heritage of British tailoring, aristocratic pageantry, countryside attire, and historic fabrics such as tartan or tweed. On the other, it thrives on irony and rebellion, recycling these symbols through distortion, punk, and eccentric reinterpretations.

Designers like Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen have each drawn upon this duality transforming English history, class codes, and even weather-born gloom into theatrical clothing that oscillates between elegance and provocation. Ultimately, Anglomania is less about literal England than about the myth of Englishness itself: a fantasy of wit, rebellion, and romance that continues to shape global fashion.