As a stylist Vivienne Westwood has remained peerless for decades. From co-founder of the punk style to DBE, it's been a long road out of Tintwistle to the international fashion arena and back again. She managed to tuck some big names under her belt along the way, like Wedgwood. And she picked up a few best designers awards as well.

She lives and breathes individuality and originality. Just a glance at her credentials will allay any doubt of her ability. Her everlasting style is characteristic of such a proud reputation, evidencing exacting specifications, an unwavering attention to detail and an extraordinary calibre of artisan workmanship. She continues to outstrip limitations.

Incorporating historic elements into contemporary styles has been the hallmark of Vivienne's many successes over the past 30 years. Her label is recognised worldwide as an icon of British style. It's a home grown classic with a distinct provenance. Since its founding in England in the early 70's, Vivienne Westwood has been synonymous with quality, as defined by the endurance.

Now, with an impressive range of silk ties and cufflinks, they're as cool and refreshing as a sea breeze on a hot summer's day. Far from being garish novelties, they reflect a fashion designer's talent at its peak.

The cufflinks take on the Orb in variation. Using rhodium as a base and encrusted with crystals, they glean boldly from subtle stems, skull and cross bones, love and hate, or just simply the Orb, into what is unmistakably Westwood -- a designer brand, impossible to mimic. Radicalism is captured cleverly, using "tongue in cheek" styles balanced with smart design and a classical edge.

The silk ties, expertly made in Italy, just a brief handle will satisfy your senses and make you feel immediately you're in touch with stylish quality. You're compelled to tie the knot, if not just for the experience, but to have it as part of your collection. An abstract stroke of an artists brush sitting on a familiar background tells a story all its own. Vivienne takes a classical form and adds her signature; abstractly or otherwise there is no mistaking.

Vivienne Isabel Swire was born in Glossopdale, Derbyshire, on 8 April 1941. Her mother had been a weaver in the local cotton mills and her father came from a family of shoemakers. Her parents ran a sub post office in Tintwistle before moving to north-west London in the 1950's.

In 1965 she met Malcolm McLaren together they went on to become one of the most creative partnerships in history and as they say the rest is history.

Vivienne Westwood accepted a DBE in the 2006 New Year's Honours List "for services to fashion", She has won the award for British Designer of the Year three times. In December 2003, she and the Wedgwood pottery company launched a series of tea sets featuring her designs, testimony to her versatility and maturity and the respect she has garnered, a far cry from Punk.