The Earls Court venue was vast, the faithful were out in force (looking a little more ragged each year), and of course there was an hour s wait. But aside from those echoes of Westwood spectacles past, Queen Viv s show for her secondary Red Label line was actually an up-to-date collection of appealing outfits with just enough of her legendary iconoclasm and body-consciousness to give the clothes some kick. The story could have been "The Berber and the Brit." There was a flavor of North Africa in the hooded dresses, the hats, the stripes, the prints, and the long white shirt worn with a waistcoat over dropped-crotch pants. But the plaid suit with the flared peplum, the severely tailored jackets with draped or origami-ed lapels, and the tea dresses with fabric draped around the hips and knotted in front were vintage Anglomania. The chic of a navy halter sheath or a black silk shirtdress almost compensated for the metallics, which just looked cheap.
