2012 Vivienne Westwood Red Label Black Lace and White Dress With Drape
View Similar Items
2012 Vivienne Westwood Red Label Black Lace and White Dress With Drape
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: See Description (NA)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:89% cotton 1% pvc 30% nylon Lining -100% poly
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Portland, OR
- Reference Number:Seller: 38671stDibs: LU223219829262
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.
- 1980s Salvatore Ferragamo Vintage Black Wool Coat or Coat Dress Italy 10By FerragamoLocated in Portland, ORThis is a wonderful vintage black wool coat dress from Salvatore Ferragamo. This could be worn as a coat if you don't mind slipping it over your head. I love the mandarin collar, a...Category
1980s Italian Coats and Outerwear
$500 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Ungaro Parellele Floral 2 Pc SIlk Dress & Skirt Jacket 1980s GarfinckelsBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Portland, ORThis is a fabulous vintage 2 piece silk dress that was designed by Emanuel Ungaro and made in Italy in the 1980's. This pretty, vintage outfit includes ...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Vintage Strapless Turquoise Blue Green Leather 1980s Dress in Size 4/6By Yucatan BayLocated in Portland, ORThis is a vintage Yucatan Bay 1980's Strapless Turquoise Leather Dress from the 1980's. This strapless leather dress has interesting top-stitching an...Category
1980s South Korean Day Dresses
- Vuokko Suomi Finland Vintage Dress by Marimekko Designer Vuokko NurmesniemiLocated in Portland, ORVuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi designed this adorable striped vintage dress. Vuokko was one of the two original designers for Marimekko. Nurmesniemi design...Category
1970s Finnish Informal Dresses
- Royal Blue Vintage Angora Sweater Dress With Cartoon Style Lightning BoltsLocated in Portland, ORThis unique late 1980's vintage sweater dress has great ivory and black cartoon style lightning bolts across the shoulders! The dress is in a a...Category
1980s Chinese Informal Dresses
- Deadstock Wayne Clark Couture Vintage Wool 1980s Dress New With Original TagsBy Wayne ClarkLocated in Portland, ORThis dress is very hard to capture in photographs, but it is a stunning vintage wool Wayne Clark dress with a full skirt and a cinched waist. The dress has buttons down the front an...Category
1980s Unknown Day Dresses
- New Chanel Baby Pink Silver Studded Embellished Dress Size 38By ChanelLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in fashion making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Chanel always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. The beautiful dress takes timeless creation to a ...Category
2010s French Cocktail Dresses
- c. 1970s HALSTON Orange Matte Jersey Halter Dress with Matching JacketBy HalstonLocated in New York, NYc. 1970s HALSTON Orange Matte Jersey Halter Dress with Matching Jacket; Draped U-Neckline with Cowl Back; Rouleau Strap with Hook and Eye Closure; Slit at Center Front; Short Sleeve ...Category
1970s American Aesthetic Day Dresses
- ALAÏA 1990 black knitted mini dressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Genève, CHAlaïa knitted mini dress with sheer raised edge skirt -Back closing with a hidden set zipper -Long sleeves -Nude knitted lining -Made in Italy -100% V...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dress
- ALBERTO BINI 1990 leather mini dress with gold tone Lion NEW with tagBy AlbertoLocated in Genève, CHThis vintage dress from Alberto Bini is coming directly from the 90s, and it's also a beautiful ode to Versace universe. -Lion detail in metal gold tone ...Category
1980s French Mini Dress
- D&G 90S gold spaghetti strap hand print Mini DressBy Dolce & Gabbana, D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Genève, CHMiami club vibes! This dress speaks for itself and is just plain FUN. We love the curated color way, especially the pops of chartreuse, lilac and baby pink. A faux patent leather tr...Category
1990s Mini Dresses
- Moschino vintage dressBy MoschinoLocated in London, GBMoschino vintage dress Moschino archive vintage grommet lace-up bodice belted detail side zip condition: this item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural wear and a...Category
Early 2000s Casual Dresses