Vivienne Westwood's Prince Charming Fashion Collection

It's always interesting to see how many designers claim fairy tales as an inspiration whenever fashion weeks come around.

This time it's Vivienne Westwood.

From Billowing Fairy Tale Silhouettes at Westwood: British eccentric Vivienne Westwood looks to fairy tales for billowing fall collection by JENNY BARCHFIELD:

Miles-worth of fabric went into Vivienne Westwood's billowing, blustering fall-winter 2010-11 ready-to-wear show, which was loosely inspired by Prince Charming.

Models sporting painted-on mustaches bravely shouldered layer upon layer of chunky oversized blanket coats, hole-riddled sweaters, scarves and shawls on their tiny frames. In keeping with Westwood's hallmark excess and irreverence, the rarely matching layers were a hodgepodge of competing prints and clashing colors, with zany accessories piled high.

Mammoth plastic flowers the size of a dinner plate dressed up (or weighed down?) some of the looks, while one model was saddled with not only an oversized backpack but also a huge leopard-print tote. Multicolored strands of ticker-tape were worn in guise of a scarf with a 1950s style cocktail gown whose skirt was overflowing with pink tulle.

The top-heavy looks were worn over printed leggings or draped, satiny jodhpurs.

In a backstage interview, Westwood told reporters that she had been inspired by the characters in Grimm's fairy tales — Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Prince Charming in his Ceylon blue tights.

"I wanted them to look really exotic as well as looking like they just stepped out of the Black Forest," the madcap, carrot-topped designer said in her distinctive drawl.

I only shared the two images here, but you can see 17 photos at Vivienne Westwood fashions.