Vivienne Westwood can be counted on for a bit of witty, wicked historicism. Her spring collection — now designed with her partner Andreas Kronthaler — was no exception. The central theme was, specifically, the crumbling of European societies and the dystopian mess the continent finds itself in.

Add Brexit to the list of failings and you can begin to make sense of the unraveling capes and dresses; imperial ephemera in a state of dishevelment; exaggerated bodices no longer containing cake-fed bosoms; bodies stripped of their finery and laid bare; straw bedding as hats and coats. One elaborate contraption constructed around the model’s torso resembled sidewalk housing made out of shiny fabric scraps.