Vivienne Westwood 'Portrait Collection' silk tie, A/W 1990
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood 'Portrait Collection' silk tie, A/W 1990
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14026072862
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swatted away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knew her way around a garment. And she knew how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.” Collectors are certainly interested in her work, and vintage Vivienne Westwood dresses, handbags, lingerie and jackets have become very desirable over the years.
Westwood was born Vivienne Isabel Swire in a village in Derbyshire, in central England, but moved to London as a teen. In the early 1960s, she began to make her own necklaces and other jewelry and met an artist, activist and entrepreneur named Malcolm McLaren. They became involved romantically and she made clothes for him in the style of the Teddy Boys — the city’s music-crazed, occasionally violent teenagers at the time who wore high-waisted trousers and tailored velvet blazers that drew on Edwardian-era fashions.
Westwood and McLaren opened a vintage shop on King’s Road in London in 1971. The flared denim and peasant blouses of the 1960s, then still popular with the “peace and love” set, didn’t hold any weight for Westwood. Instead, she was interested in provocative, edgy apparel. She repaired used clothing and endeavored to create bold new designs from scratch.
Together Westwood and McLaren sold older rock-and-roll records, customized T-shirts with antiestablishment slogans, biker jackets and snug trousers inspired by the Marlon Brando film The Wild One as well as bondage fetish wear. The shop, once called Let It Rock and then Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die before Sex became a more appropriate moniker, evolved into a youth mecca. The DIY garments — zippered tops, burnt tees emblazoned with anarchist messages — flew off the shelves. More notably, it brought punk to the masses.
Westwood was soon dressing the Sex Pistols, a band that McLaren managed, all the while bridging the gap between music and fashion in a manner that has reverberated throughout the industry for decades.
In 1981, the couple’s first fashion show marked the debut of their Pirate collection — a swashbuckler-themed line that sprang from Westwood’s research into Indigenous Americans and the “power garments” of the Louis XIV era. The collection’s ample proportions and cutting-edge tailoring countered punk’s geometry and tight latex fits as well as what rocker Adam Ant called the “Puritanism” that plagued England at the time. The Pirate collection’s enduring influence on the world of fashion as well as the theatrical work of designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen is undeniable.
For the colorful corsets of her 1990 Portrait collection, Westwood drew on 18th-century oil paintings — her models donned the pearl necklaces that have become a social media star and a favorite of influencers and fashion lovers all over the world. For a jacket-and-shorts suit from her Fall/Winter 1996–97 Storm in a Teacup line, the designer used the extreme asymmetry of a tartan mash-up to confront, according to Westwood, “the horror of uniformity and minimalism.”
The self-taught Westwood enjoyed a rapid ascent in fashion, with British society embracing her looks and Vogue immortalizing them in its glossy pages. She garnered accolades for introducing corsets to the runway and dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter. And an original Vivienne Westwood wedding dress is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
The fires of political and environmental activism burned brightly for Westwood: She was a Greenpeace ambassador, having designed the organization’s official “Save the Arctic” logo; her clothing brand is committed to using recycled canvas and other eco-friendly materials in the production process; and in 2020, she protested the extradition of Julian Assange by suspending herself in a bird cage outside London’s Old Bailey court. But she will always be the grande dame of British design.
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Vivienne Westwood shirts, shoes, gowns and other items today on 1stDibs.
- Prada brown alligator bucket hat, fw 2003By PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Prada brown alligator bucket hat ▪ Metal buckle detail ▪ Limited edition ▪ Nylon lining ▪ Comes with Prada hat box ▪ Size Medium ▪ Fall-Winter 2003Category
Early 2000s Italian Hats
- Vivienne Westwood veiled raffia boater hat, ss 1988By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood raffia boater hat ▪ Black grosgrain ribbon with bow ▪ Black fishnet veil ▪ Size Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 1988Category
1980s British Hats
- Prada tan python bucket hat, ss 2004By PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Prada tan python bucket hat ▪ Metal buckle fastening on band ▪ Wide floppy brim ▪ Nylon lining ▪ Size Small ▪ Spring-Summer 2004Category
Early 2000s Italian Hats
- Emanuel Ungaro couture quilted gold lamé high waisted pants, c. 1980sBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in London, GBEmanuel Ungaro Couture quilted lamé gold high waisted pants from the 1980s. The pants and the pockets have a silk chiffon lining. Small Wai...Category
1980s French Pants
- Dolce & Gabbana copper and gold lace beaded fringe pants, ss 2000By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana gold lace evening pants with copper beaded fringe trim Spring-Summer 2000Category
1990s Italian Pants
- Comme des Garcons Homme Plus brown wool knitted v-neck sweater dress, A / W 1995By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GBAutumn-Winter 1995Category
1990s Japanese Day Dresses
- Burberry's Copper Silk Equestrian Theme Silk Necktie circa 1990sBy BurberryLocated in University City, MOBurberry's Copper silk equestrian theme silk necktie c 1990s The stylish silk necktie is illustrated with a series of horse figures distinguished in various designs Underneath the horse figures are saddles set...Category
Late 20th Century British Ties
- Yves Saint Laurent necklace Russian collection 1976.Located in Carnate, ITYves Saint Laurent necklace year 1976 Russian period. Made of gilded metal with enamelled charms in various colours. Adjustable closure on 3 different lengths. Held very well only i...Category
18th Century and Earlier Ties
- Etro Brown Green Silk Vintage Polka Dot TieBy EtroLocated in Brindisi, BtEtro 90s vintage polka dot tie. Brown and green color, 100% silk. Made in Italy. Length: 142 cm Width: 9 cmCategory
1990s Italian Ties
- Guy Laroche Red Beige Silk Vintage Floral TieBy Guy LarocheLocated in Brindisi, BtGuy Laroche 80s vintage floral tie. Red, beige and blue color with paisley and floral designs. 100% silk. Made in Italy. Length: 150 cm Length: 9 cmCategory
1980s Italian Ties
- Etro Green Red Silk Vintage Classic TieBy EtroLocated in Brindisi, BtEtro classic geometric vintage 90s tie. Green and red, 100% silk. Made in Italy. Length: 144 cm Width: 9 cmCategory
1990s Italian Ties
- Yves Saint Laurent Green Red Geometric Silk TieBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Brindisi, BtYves Saint Laurent vintage tie, 100% silk, geometric designs in red, orange and green. 1990s. Made in Italy. Excellent conditions. Length: 136 cm Width: 11 cmCategory
1990s Italian Ties
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.