At first sight, a couture dress and a luxury car might not seem to have much in common, but they share the spirit in which they were both created: a passion for detail and craft, a sense of personality and style and a visionary quality grounded in an understanding of tradition.

So it is no small surprise that England´s great fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and Bentley Motors were destined to meet. Both brands first joined forces last year for the exhibition “Vivienne Westwood Shoes 1973 – 2006” held at the Castello Visconteo Sforzesco of Vigevano, just outside Italy´s style capital Milan.

This year these two quintessentially British marques have joined once again to create a fascinating venue blending extravagance and elegance, on view during the upcoming Milan Fashion Week.

Vivienne Westwood and Bentley Motors will collaborate for the designer’s highly anticipated exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan from 26 September 2007. This show, representing a singular retrospective of her work to date, was first shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and is now on tour.

The special bond between the doyenne of English fashion and Bentley Motors could recently be admired during an exclusive event celebrating the exhibition sponsored by the sophisticated car manufacturer in Düsseldorf during the German Fashion Week, enhancing a partnership based on individual flair and a sense of daring lines that has since enjoyed a resounding success with lovers of high fashion and high performance cars alike.

At the event to be held in Milan, Bentley Milano will showcase a magnificent bright yellow 1992 Bentley Continental convertible in the Piazzetta Reale, presented in front of the Palazzo Reale. This timeless, enticing and exclusive motor car will provide a fitting highlight to the unconventional spirit, so often ahead of its time, that is the signature of Vivienne Westwood’s creations.

For the duration of the designer’s visit to Milan, the British car manufacturer will offer Vivienne Westwood a Bentley Continental Flying Spur to use when she is in the city, and she will also be able to take a Seat in  another acclaimed icon of car couture from Bentley, the Continental GTC – the latest cabriolet launched by the legendary car maker and in itself a study in stylish mobility.

The exhibition will open with the Women’s Fashion Week and will close with the Men's Fashion Week in February 2008.