LONDON, Oct 20, 2001/ --- Vivienne Westwood was all smiles last night at the opening of the Radical Fashion exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Dressed in one of her trademark tartan taffeta dresses, the ageless designer admitted, "To be honest, I don't follow what other designers do, and I hadn't really taken in which other designers were included in the exhibition, but I have to say that I think it all looks fantastic."

The ground-breaking exhibition features installations by Azzedine Alaïa, Hussein Chalayan, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Helmut Lang, Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garçons.

In an unusual move, V & A curator Claire Wilcox allowed each designer to take charge of the way their clothes were displayed to reflect their individual aesthetic.

Unusual for a city that likes to party, the atmosphere was rather subdued. Even DJ Del Ruby couldn't get people to really let their hair down. The fashion pack turned up in force, but London's ubiquitous it-girls and party addicts were largely absent. Manolo Blahnik, Alexander McQueen, Tanya Sarne and Catherine Walker flew the flag for English fashion, while the structural nature of the clothes on show drew architects Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid.

Controversial Brit artist and Vivienne Westwood devotee Tracey Emin took position by the bar, along with Westwood's husband Andreas Kronthaler. Posh Spice's chart nemesis Sophie Ellis Bextor was spotted making a quick getaway.

Legendary retailer Joseph Ettedgui of Joseph was planted firmly by Azzedine Alaïa's exhibit. We asked him what his favorite section was: "Gaultier is wonderful of course, but Azzedine, you know, I just love him!

Joseph Ettedgui

Alexander McQueen

Lord Foster of Riverside