A/W 1991 Vivienne Westwood 'Dressing Up' Pink and Green Striped Corset
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 16.3 in (41.41 cm)Marked Size: 10 (UK)Bust: 30.2 in (76.71 cm)Waist: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. In very good vintage condition with light wear throughout, including slight pilling throughout interior (not noticeable when worn).
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3084222371862
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: North Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- A/W 1988 Paco Rabanne Haute Couture Gold Chainmail Bustier GownBy Paco RabanneLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1988 Paco Rabanne Haute Couture gown with floral chainmail bust and black and gold feather patterned velvet sleeves. Features long gold cube drop chain with black tassel at back....Category
1980s Bustiers
- S/S 1998 Atelier Versace Haute Couture Purple Strapless Oroton Chainmail TopBy Atelier VersaceLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 1998 Atelier Versace (Haute Couture) purple strapless Oroton chainmail top. Fully chainmail exterior with purple silk-satin interior lining. Atelier Versace signature 'Oroton' ch...Category
1990s Shirts
- A/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood 'Always on Camera' Rolls Royce Print CorsetBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood 'Always on Camera' collection Rolls Royce print super rare denim corset. Fitted sleeveless corset with boning and blue and white Rolls Royce print on front...Category
1990s Shirts
- S/S 2006 Balenciaga White Lace and Neutral Semi-Sheer Paneled CorsetBy BalenciagaLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 2006 Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere white lace and neutral light tan semi-sheer paneled corset. Sleeveless top with sheer white lace bra cups, side detailing and trim, with con...Category
Early 2000s Shirts
- A/W 1994 Gianni Versace Metallic Gold Cutout Mini DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1994 Gianni Versace metallic gold leather mini dress. Cutouts throughout bust with Gianni Versace signature medusa head coin button logo closures. Four back button and loop closures in upper portion of back with open cutouts between, cutouts at center back, and in front under bust. Concealed zipper closure at back. Subtle faux snakeskin pattern. Fully lined with gold-tone lining. As seen on Linda Evangelista on the runway (Look 67) and featured in Gianni Versace by Richard Avedon Book.Category
1990s Day Dresses
- A/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood 'Always on Camera' Blue Lace Print Denim Mini SkirtBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood 'Always on Camera' Collection blue lace screen-printed denim mini skirt. Red accent stitching throughout, with back zip closure, Westwood signature engrave...Category
1990s A-Line Skirts
- Cotton tunique with flowers print Christian DiorBy Christian DiorLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRCotton tunique with flowers print. Mother of pearls buttons. Front total length= 75 cm Back total length= 87 cm SIZE 40 (Fr) 8 (Us)Category
2010s Italian Chemises
- S/S 1992 Gianni Versace Runway Ad Gold Medusa Blue Jean Denim Button Down TopBy Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a blue cotton denim button-down designed by Gianni Versace for his Spring/Summer 1992 collection. Similar jackets denim tops debuted on the runway on Marpessa Hennink, Yas...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- F/W 1998 Gucci by Tom Ford Double Buckle Black Knit Wool Cardigan TopBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an open black knit Gucci cardigan, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 1998 collection, this incredible cardigan features two closures at the front, each marked 'Gucci', which tactfully leave the sweater slightly open. The sweater is made complete with diagonal perforated stripe details at the front. A rare piece of early Gucci...Category
1990s Italian Cardigans
- Gianni Versace Beige Bronze Shimmer Medusa Embroidered Bodysuit One Piece SwimBy Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful beige Gianni Versace one piece bathing suit. From the 1990s, this shimmery beige swim suit proudly features an embroidered Versace Medusa with surrounding Greek key at the front center. The piece features a scoop neckline and exposed back. This super sexy one...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Givenchy Camouflage Velcro Patch Men's Polo Shirt Size LBy GivenchyLocated in Downey, CAGivenchy Camouflage Velcro Patch Men's Polo Shirt Size L A classic Givenchy polo with an added twist added on with velcro patch areas for you to make th...Category
2010s Portuguese Shirts
- Alexander Mcqueen Blue Classic MCQ Plaid Button Down Long Sleeve SZ Small ShirtBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Downey, CAAlexander Mcqueen Blue Classic Mcq Plaid Button Down Long Sleeve SZ Small Shirt This blue cotton button-down shirt from Alexander McQueen is a fine example of the label's contempora...Category
2010s Shirts