Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 Café Society Corset
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: UK 12 (NA)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Prague, CZ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2389213415892
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: Prague, Czech Republic
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 2000s Jean-Paul Gaultier Draped Silk TopBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Prague, CZA stretch silk draped top from main Jean-Paul Gaultier line. Size FR 40, US 10. Measurements (flat, on one side): - Armpit to armpit - 42-50 cm (16,5-19,5 in) - Waist - 44-52 cm...Category
Early 2000s Blouses
- SS 2000 Anna Molinari Sequin TopBy Anna MolinariLocated in Prague, CZA stunning, fully embellished sequin top from Anna Molinari SS 2000 collection. Excellent condition. Please note that a size/composition label is missing. Measurements (flat lay on...Category
Early 2000s Blouses
- FW 1994 Roberto Cavalli Leather Patchwork TopBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Prague, CZA beautiful leather corset-style top made out of patches of printed fine suede leather with a metallic sheen. Size Medium, will also be great on a curvy Small. Measurements (flat...Category
1990s Blouses
- Dior by John Galliano Spring 2003 SIlk BlouseBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Prague, CZA stunning blush pink silk blouse with multiple knots. Size FR 44, US 12, but can be styled on smaller sizes too. Excellent vintage condition, rare piece.Category
Early 2000s Blouses
- Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld Spring 2000 Asymmetrical Silk BlouseBy Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi, FendiLocated in Prague, CZA beautiful asymmetrical blouse with signature for the collection ruffles and ties in a classic black color and the lightest crimped silk chiffon. Size IT 42, but fit corresponds to...Category
Early 2000s Blouses
- Versace Spring 2002 RTW Silk Cut Out DressBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Prague, CZAs seen on the runway and Chloe Sevigny in 2002. Deep V-neck and sleeves with lace up, and sexy symmetrical slits all over the skirt - looks very lively when worn! Size IT 38, fit...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980S Multicolor Status Print Silk On Paisley Jacquard BlouseLocated in New York, NY1980S Multicolor Status Print Silk On Paisley Jacquard BlouseCategory
1980s Blouses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Beaded TopBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Los Angeles, CABeaded Vintage top by by Jean Paul Gaultier Made in Italy Black V-Neck Metallic beaded argyle embellishment covering front Sleeveless Functional zipper detail along left side seam ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Blouses
- F/W 2000 Gucci by Tom Ford Plunging Gold Lurex Ruffle Disco TopBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a gold lurex Gucci ruffle top, designed by Tom Ford. From the Fall/Winter 2000 collection, this top appeared in black as part of look 9 on Taly...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
- Gianni Versace black and gold leather bondage Medusa vest, fw 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace black leather and wool bondage vest with large gold Medusa encrusted plates. Fall-Winter 1992Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- Alberta Ferretti 1990s Silk Chiffon Size 4 Printed Vintage 90s Cap Sleeve BlouseBy Alberta FerrettiLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful vintage late 90s ALBERTA FERRETTI printed silk chiffon cap sleeve blouse / top ! Features grey, pink, purple, ivory and beige throughout. Hidden zipper up the back with hoo...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK Wild & Lethal Trash c.1990's Asymmetric Dual Tone TopBy Walter Van BeirendonckLocated in Thiensville, WIWALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK Wild & Lethal Trash c.1990's Asymmetric Dual Tone Top Circa: 1990’s Label(s): Wild and Lethal Trash Designer: Walter Van Beirendonck Style: Asymmetric top; h...Category
1990s Italian T-Shirts