Vivienne Westwood metallic silver figure hugging mini dress, fw 1992
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140211749742
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.
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld metallic silver leather sheath dress, fw 1999By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel metallic silver lambskin leather sheath dress ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ V-neck ▪ 2 front pockets ▪ Top stitch seams with raw edge ▪ Curved seaming accentuates the wai...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianfranco Ferre silver lamé lace embellished mini dress, ss 2006By Gianfranco FerréLocated in London, GB▪ Gianfranco Ferre silver lamé lace embellished mini dress ▪ Embellished with turquoise stones and metal studs and beads ▪ Turtle neck ▪ Silk back with waist ties ▪ Side slits ▪ Can...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Alexander McQueen metallic silver silk lamé open-back evening dress, ss 1997By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GB▪ Alexander McQueen metallic silver silk lamé evening dress ▪ V-neck ▪ Open back with a belted waist ▪ Accordion pleated panel starting at the hip and finishing into a train ▪ Conce...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace metallic gold leather mini dress, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace metallic gold leather mini dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 1994 ▪ Croc-embossed ▪ Diagonal front zipper ▪ 2 front pockets ▪ IT 40 - FR 36 - UK...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace navy blue open-knit bodycon dress and cardigan set, fw 1993By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace navy blue open-knit dress and cardigan 2 piece set ▪ Sleeveless bodycon maxi dress with lining ▪ Long-sleeve full-length cardigan ▪ Gold Medusa buttons ▪ Can be wo...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vivienne Westwood bronze stretch-velvet and gold foil printed dress, fw 1990By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood bronze stretch-velvet evening dress ▪ Gold foil neoclassical print inspired by Andre-Charles Boulle ▪ Concealed zipper at center-back ▪ Size Medium ▪ Fall-Winter...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980s A J Bari Vintage Silver Evening Dress w Puffed Gathered Sleeves & PocketsBy A.J. BariLocated in Portland, ORWe love this vintage A. J. Bari vintage dress from the 1980's. The dress is in a silver abstract pattern fabric and it has a gently pleated skirt, gather...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses
- KaufmanFranco Rhinestone & Silver Studded "Rockstar" Silk Tank Dress Size 4By KaufmanFrancoLocated in Palm Springs, CAA dress fit for a rockstar or a super cool Fashionista. Designed by du KaufmanFranco, a sueded silk tank dress with all the emphasis on the bottom of t...Category
2010s American Cocktail Dresses
- Jane Booke Silver Cross Back Silver Slip DressLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Jane Booke Silver Cross Back Silver Slip Dress is an stunning and unique piece! It is made of 100% silk in a beautiful silver color with a very ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Silver lurex jersey dress with lozenges pattern Pierre Balmain "Les tricots"By Pierre BalmainLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRSilver lurex jersey sleeveless dress with lozenges pattern. Polyester lining. SIZE LCategory
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Stretch silk cocktail dress with python print and silver dots Roberto CavalliBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRStretch silk cocktail dress with python print and silver dots and zip in the middle front . Cut-work on the waist and hips with some gather. Fabric composition: 94% silk, 6% lycra. ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood Silver Glitter "ORB" Criss-Cross Dress 1998By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer an iconic vintage Vivienne Westwood silver glitter “Orb” dress featuring embroidered Orb logo, criss-cross straps, and mini length from the 1...Category
1990s 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.