Vivienne Westwood couture purple iridescent taffeta corset and skirt, c. 1990s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: UK 12 - Fr 40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14026631972
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset and mini skirtBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 1992 brown leather corset with boning, zip fastening and two long tie-up sashes at the front. High waisted mini skirt with slit at the rear.Category
1990s British Skirt Suits
- Dolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana Autumn-Winter 1990 beaded corset blouseCategory
1990s Italian Corsets
- John Galliano London black cotton jersey bodysuitBy John GallianoLocated in London, GBJohn Galliano London black cotton jersey bodysuit ca. 1988-1990Category
1980s British Bodysuits
- John Galliano red lycra bodysuit c.1990By John GallianoLocated in London, GBRed bodysuit by John Galliano circa 1990Category
1990s British Bodysuits
- Jean Paul Gaultier grey pinstripe wool three piece corseted pant suit, c. 2000sBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean Paul Gaultier grey pinstripe wool three piece suit comprising: blazer jacket with two-way front zipper, corseted waist with lace-up back fastening, wide leg pants, corset with m...Category
Early 2000s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Paco Rabanne metal corset top with natural nut beads, ss 2003By Paco RabanneLocated in London, GB▪ Paco Rabanne beaded metal corset top ▪ A variety of natural nut beads ▪ Stainless steel tube beads ▪ Chain halter and back fastening ▪ Sizing: Adjustable Small - Medium ▪ Sprin...Category
Early 2000s French Corsets
- Royal Blue Vintage Silk Kimono Robe With Pink & Yellow Flowers and Silk LiningLocated in Portland, ORThis beautiful royal blue floral silk kimono is from an estate of Asian textiles and clothing we acquired a while back. This kimono has wonderful flowers and leaves in the silk print...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Robes
- Deep Rich Violet "Festival of Florals" Japanese Silk KimonoLocated in New York, NYThis wonderful Rich deep violet "Festival of Florals" silk kimono accented with silk cream embroidery. The length measures 52 inches, underarm circumference measures 40 inches, ...Category
1970s Japanese Loungewear
- Purple On Purple Floral with Multi-Color Floral Silk KimonoLocated in New York, NYThis wonderfully detailed purple silk kimono first has purple floral with the purple silk accented with multi-colors of florals in his hand-sewn Japanese Kimono. The length meas...Category
1960s Japanese Loungewear
- Tracy Feith Purple Silk Bustier W/Hot Pink Trim & Metallic InsetBy Tracy FeithLocated in Studio City, CATracy Feith royal purple silk bustier with hot pink trim and multi-colored lurex ethnic inset detail at top. Back zipper closure. In excellent condition. Size US 1. MEASUREMENTS: B...Category
Early 2000s American Lingerie
- A Lanvin Couture Evening Dress or Négligé Numbered 18073 - France Circa 1990By Jeanne LanvinLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1990 France Long evening dress Jeanne Lanvin Numbered 18073. Fuchsia brilliant satin silk 100%. Fully lined with a purple and cream silk dyed b...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Edwardian Quilted Magenta Embroidered RobeLocated in San Francisco, CAEdwardian silk hand quilted and embroidered magenta floor length robe / coat. Frog closures. PocketsCategory
Early 20th Century American Robes
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.