Punk designer gives Blair style tips

Carole Caplin would be appalled – fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has advised Cherie Blair about the British prime minister’s wardrobe.

The 62-year-old, famous for turning up at Buckingham Palace with no knickers and dressing up as Margaret Thatcher, met Mrs Blair earlier this month.

The designer attended Britain’s Women of Achievement reception at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, alongside the likes of supermodel Kate Moss and author JK Rowling.

She told the next issue of Time Out magazine: “I took the opportunity to tell Cherie Blair exactly what I thought of Tony.

“He hasn’t got a clue what culture is and his dress sense is appalling.”

The flamboyant designer is the subject of a retrospective of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London next month.

Westwood, whose creations once involved sticking safety pins through pictures of the Queen, played a vital role in the emergence of punk rock style in the 1970s.