Vivienne Westwood Toile de Jouy printed cotton dress with pannier, ss 1996
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood Toile de Jouy printed cotton dress with pannier, ss 1996
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: UK 12 - EU 40 - US 8 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Some fading to print towards the hem - photos upon request.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140212064822
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.
- Gianni Versace studded evening dress, c. 1990sBy Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBA Gianni Versace studded silk jersey evening dress from the 1990s. It 42 - Fr 38Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano fuchsia silk bias cut evening dress, fw 1999By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior fuchsia silk one shoulder evening dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Cowl neckline ▪ Spaghetti strap and short sleeve ▪ Fabric covered buttons at side seam ▪ Antique brass bead embellishment and gold thread embroidery...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vivienne Westwood indigo cotton jersey dress printed dress, ss 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Constructed from indigo cotton jersey ▪ Neoclassical print inspired by Andre-Charles Boull...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace purple viscose and mohair rayon knitted mini dress, ss 1998By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace purple rayon knitted mini dress with yellow mohair string straps and appliqués. Spring-Summer 1998Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano fuchsia crepe satin evening dress, fw 1999By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior evening dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Fuchsia crepe satin ▪ Bias cut ▪ Multiple fabric covered buttons at the side opening ▪ Wide collar extending over the ...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière checked silk structured mini dress, ss 2008By BalenciagaLocated in London, GB▪ Important Balenciaga purple and white checked silk mini dress ▪ Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière ▪ Structured form made out of silk backed with foam ▪ Edges expose the layers of fab...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Amethyst Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated amythest colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. Named after a Greek cla...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request - Ralph Lauren Collection Purple Label Silk Nautical Evening Gown S/S 2016 Size 2By Ralph Lauren Purple LabelLocated in Saint Petersburg, FLRalph Lauren Purple Label - Full length nautical evening gown with voluminous sheer fabric panels. This vibrant gown has a strapless pleated bodice and built in corset with a zipper...Category
2010s American Evening Dresses
- Vicky Tiel 1980's Purple Silk Velvet GownBy Vicky TielLocated in Scottsdale, AZA 1980's gem! Make a statement in this electrifying purple maxi-dress in a beautifully soft silk velvet. There are so many smart design features done by Vicky Tiel including an ultra-flattering ruched mid-section, exaggerated shoulder...Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- Peter Pilotto Yellow Taffeta Crop Top with Purple Ballroom Skirt Size 4By Peter PilottoLocated in Thousand Oaks, CAPeter Pilotto Yellow Taffeta Crop Top with Purple Ballroom Skirt This Peter Pilotto paneled, yellow, taffeta Top with purple long Skirt is a show-st...Category
2010s Polish Evening Dresses
- Herve Leger Purple Bandage Knit Bodycon Dress XSBy Herve LégerLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Make a luxe fashion statement by wearing this designer dress. It is tailored using fine fabric into a flattering silhouette.Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- Dolce & Gabbana Purple Draped Silk Corset Detailed Strapless Mini Dress MBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Look nothing but lovely as you don this marvelous dress from Dolce & Gabbana. Pair it with your favorite accessories as you head out for the day.Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
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.