S/S 1999 Vivienne Westwood 'La Belle Hélène' Runway Corseted Blue White Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10UK/8US (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Light wear from age and use throughout.
- Seller Location:West Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2388220748752
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swats away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knows her way around a garment. And she knows how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.”
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 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.
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’s dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter, and a wedding dress that she created is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
Today, the fires of political and environmental activism burn brightly for Westwood: She is 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 handbags, shoes, evening dresses and other items today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- F/W 2005 Roberto Cavalli Ming Vase Print Studded Purple Flare Chinoiserie GownBy Roberto CavalliLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an incredible purple and white chinoiserie print Roberto Cavalli gown. From the Fall/Winter 2005 collection, this Asian-inspired print depicting dragons and floral element...Category
Early 2000s Italian Maxi Dresses
- S/S 1996 Dolce & Gabbana Hooded Stretch Leopard Print Hit Slit DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous cheetah print hooded Dolce and Gabbana dress from the Spring/Summer 1996 collection. A similar look debuted on the seas...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- F/W 1994 Dolce & Gabbana Runway Brown Velvet Viscose Maxi Flare Evening GownBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a gorgeous brown velvet Dolce and Gabbana gown. From the Fall/Winter 1994 collection, the blue version of this fabulous gown debuted ...Category
1990s Italian Maxi Dresses
- NWT 1990s Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld Iridescent Red Blue Linen Plunge Beaded DressBy Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi, FendiLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful iridescent red linen Fendi dress, designed by Karl Lagerfeld. From the 1990s, this dress features a deep neckline, red and black beaded squares at the front, a...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- F/W 1996 Gucci by Tom Ford Runway Ad Cashmere Plunging G Buckle Epaulet DressBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an incredible black knit cashmere Gucci gown and matching belt, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 1996 collection, this dress debuted on the season's runway as lo...Category
1990s Italian Maxi Dresses
- S/S 2005 Gucci Beyoncé Marigold Yellow Ruched Satin Braided Leather Halter DressBy GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous marigold yellow satin Gucci dress, designed by Alessandra Facchinetti. From the Spring/Summer 2005 collection, this incred...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Leonard of Paris Pastel Silk Chiffon Day / Evening DressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYPretty pastel silk chiffon Leonard of Paris special occasion day / evening dress. Bodice has a ruffled capelet that flows from the center of the dress...Category
Late 20th Century French Day Dresses
- Leonard of Paris Fuschia Multi Color Silk Chiffon Strapless GownBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYVintage Leonard of Paris bright and flirty ruffled silk chiffon cocktail dress / evening gown, unmarked size, approximately US 6. Featuring four layer...Category
Late 20th Century French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Antonio Berardi FW-2004 Silk Sleeveless Print DressBy Antonio BerardiLocated in Brussels, BEDespite being born in the UK, Antonio Berardi’s roots are Sicilian ones, explaining his love of drama and femininity. This gorgeous silk dress, which mixes a variety of prints and mo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Sonia Rykiel SS-2002 Viscose Mix Flower Print Slip DressBy Sonia RykielLocated in Brussels, BEFlower Power remains an all-time boho statement, and Sonia Rykiel’s career interestingly took off in the early 1970s. Throughout her prolific years as a designer, Rykiel loved going ...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Vintage EMANUEL UNGARO Boutique 1980s DAISY Black Parallele PARIS Dress XS/SBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Asheville, NCUngaro Boutique, Vintage 1980's, Sheer Cotton, Fully Lined, Belted, Straps Tie at Top, Five Round Buttons at Front, 2 Large Front Pockets, Daisy Floral Details on Top, Front and Bott...Category
1980s French Day Dresses
- Iconic Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Olive Green Safari Tunic, 1968.By Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Olive Green Safari Tunic, 1968. Olive green cotton tunic features laces at the front with long cords that are run through metal grommets, to be worn op...Category
1960s French Tunics and Wrap Dresses
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.
Barbra Streisand Channeled Klimt’s ‘Woman in Gold’ in This Shimmering Dress
Costumer to the stars Ray Aghayan brought the famed painting to life with his spectacular design.