When FASHION and CARS COLLIDE

"Fashion should be a form of escapism," claimed the late, great Alexander McQueen, which perhaps explains why car makers have been so keen to collaborate with leading designers and fashion houses over the years. But this pursuit of the last word in style has often had mixed results. Here we take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly among the cars created in tandem with the world's most respected sartorial trendsetters.

- Graham Hope

Fiat 500 by Gucci

WITH the luxury fashion house Gucci based in Florence, Italy, some 250 miles from Fiat's home in Turin, it was perhaps inevitable that the pair would collaborate on a version of the 500, given the manufacturer's inexhaustible desire to roll out special editions of the city car.

And so, in 2011, the '500 by Gucci' sashayed down the automotive catwalk, available in white or black and sporting the fashion brand's signature green and red stripes. Marketed at "fashionista customers" keen to "distinguish themselves", the car was promoted by Russian supermodel Natasha Poly who, Fiat said, "lived life at full speed". That probably made her faster than the 1.2-litre 500, which dispatched 0-60mph in a leisurely 12.5 seconds.

Land Rover Defender by Paul Smith

ANOTHER British classic that benefited from Smith's bold use of colours was Land Rover's iconic 4x4. In 2015, as the Defender entered its final phase of production, he teamed up with Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations division and design boss Gerry McGovern to produce this dramatic one-off.

The SVO team was sent 27 Pantone references, which were applied as directed. According to Smith, the patchwork scheme was intended to "honour the honest history of the Defender, especially its use in the farmyard and the emergency services," while inside the vehicle had some luxurious touches. Smith's specific vision was easily explained; he was an owner who drove one extensively at his home in the Italian countryside.

Mini 40th Anniversary by Paul Smith