A/W 1996 Vivienne Westwood Red and Leopard Print Contrast Coat
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 44 in (111.76 cm)Marked Size: 8 (UK)Bust: 39 in (99.06 cm)Waist: 21.1 in (53.6 cm)
- Period:
- Material Notes:100% Wool with 100% Acetate lining.
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3084221811972
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.
- Pre-Fall 2014 Céline by Phoebe Philo Black Shearling Coat with Gray AccentsBy Phoebe Philo, CelineLocated in North Hollywood, CAPre-Fall 2014 Céline by Phoebe Philo black shearling coat with silk lapels and gray contrast pockets. Features built-in silver-tone grommet waist-belt with silver center buckle and s...Category
2010s Coats and Outerwear
- A/W 1999 Jean Paul Gaultier Black Magnetic Tube Jacket with Double ZipperBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1999 Jean Paul Gaultier black magnetic tube jacket with double zipper. Long sleeve black jacket with padded neckline, hem, and cuffs with magnetic snap closures. Signed JPG silve...Category
1990s Coats and Outerwear
- c. 1950 Christian Dior 'New Look' Black Wool JacketBy Christian DiorLocated in North Hollywood, CAc. 1950 Christian Dior Couture 'New Look' black wool jacket. Long sleeve blazer with notched lapels and fitted waist, creating signature 1950's 'New Look' Dior silhouette. Functional...Category
1950s Coats and Outerwear
- A/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood Faux Fur Leopard Print Coat and Glove SetBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1992 Vivienne Westwood 'Always on Camera' Collection faux fur red and beige leopard print coat and glove set. Midi length long sleeve faux fur double-breasted coat with large lapels and pockets at hips pairs with matching faux fur gloves...Category
1990s Coats and Outerwear
- A/W 2003 Christian Dior ‘Hard Core’ Collection Red Leather PantsBy Christian Dior, John GallianoLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 2003 Christian Dior by Galliano ‘Hard Core’ collection mid to low-rise red leather pants with silver-tone details. Features silver-tone stamped b...Category
Early 2000s Pants
- 2000's Jean Paul Gaultier 'Soleil' Red Below-Knee Sleeveless DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in North Hollywood, CA2000's Jean Paul Gaultier 'Soleil' red below-knee sleeveless dress. V-neck dress with gathered, fitted drop waist and gathered straps. Fabric Contents: 100% Nylon (feels like stretch...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood red checked wool waistcoat with caplet, fw 1988By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red checked wool waistcoat with caplet detachable leather buckle fastenings. Fall-Winter 1988Category
1990s British Capes
- Gucci Small Scarlet 80's Sold Out Rare Hoodie GG-0624N-0002By GucciLocated in Downey, CAGucci Small Scarlet 80's Sold Out Rare Hoodie GG-0624N-0002 Fresh from the House of Gucci brings a sweatshirt continues to evolve with each new collection, the Oversize GUCCI print ...Category
2010s Hooded Jackets
- The North Face Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons Bag Inside Long Jacket Parka MBy Junya Watanabe Comme des GarçonsLocated in Kaunas, LTItem for sale is 100% genuine The North Face Junya Watanabe Parka Color: Red (An actual color may a bit vary due to individual computer screen interpretation) Material: 100% nylon Ta...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Coats
- Vintage Donald Campbell Red CoatLocated in London, GBA warm and elegant vintage coat by Donald Campbell. The coat has a stand up collar, yoke, 5 button opening at the front and two pockets. It is fully...Category
1980s British Coats
- Indian Cashmere Kani Squared Shawl Circa 1840Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1840 India for export to the West Beautiful Indian cashmere shawl woven Kani called Rumal. Very fine weaving espoliné by crocheting wefts, close to the tapestry point. Large ...Category
1840s Indian Textiles and Quilts