Vivienne Westwood Tapestry
1990s English Tapestries
Fabric
1990s English Tapestries
Fabric
People Also Browsed
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Plastic, Fiberglass
Vintage 1960s Dutch Industrial Bookcases
Metal
2010s Contemporary Portrait Prints
Screen
Vintage 1980s English Abstract Sculptures
Leather
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Mohair
Vintage 1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography
Archival Pigment
1990s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Pigment
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Foam, Wood
2010s Nepalese Central Asian Rugs
Wool, Silk
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Foam, Wood
Recent Sales
21st Century and Contemporary English Tapestries
Wool
Vivienne Westwood for sale on 1stDibs
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.
Finding the Right tapestry for You
Whether you hang them behind your bed as a dazzling alternative to a headboard or over the sofa as a large-scale focal point in the living room, vintage tapestries can introduce an array of textures and colors to any space in your home.
Woven wall hangings haven’t consistently enjoyed the popularity or earned the highbrow status that other types of wall decorations have over the years, at least not since the 1970s, which was somewhat of a heyday for tapestries. Today, however, these tactile works of art are seeing a renaissance, as modern weavers are forging new paths in the medium while the demand for antique and vintage tapestries continues to grow.
“We are drawn to texture in environments, and we see tapestries as a subtle layer of soft ornament,” says Lauren Larson of the New York design duo Material Lust. Indeed, and a lot of opportunity comes along when decorating with this distinctive brand of soft ornament.
Think of wall hangings as paintings created by hand with fabric instead of oil or watercolors. If you’re not simply securing your treasure to a wall with nails, pushpins or Velcro, tapestries can be stretched over a frame, used to create a canopy in a cozy living-room corner, hung from a rod or placed inside a shadowbox. And because this kind of textile art is hundreds of years old, options abound with respect to subjects and designs.
For richly detailed depictions of landscapes and garden scenes, look to antique Chinese tapestries and Japanese tapestries. Aubusson tapestries are ornate wall hangings manufactured in central France that are also characterized by romantic portrayals of nature. For weavers of mid-century modern tapestries, as well as those working in textile arts today, the styles and subject matter are too numerous to mention, with artists exploring experimental shapes, bold colors and provocative abstract designs.
Antique, new and vintage tapestries can make a room feel warm and welcoming — find yours on 1stDibs now.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Your Vivienne Westwood rubber shoes will come with care instructions that will detail how to care for your high-fashion footwear. Be sure to follow the instructions to help prolong your footwear’s life. You can find vintage and contemporary Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and shoes from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To open your Vivienne Westwood watch, you need a special watch tool to take the case back off. To avoid potentially damaging your luxury timepiece, a professional watchmaker can make any fixes you need. On 1stDibs, you can find vintage and contemporary Vivienne Westwood designs from some of the top boutiques around the world.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Herald Group subsidiary Zeon Limited is responsible for manufacturing, marketing and distributing watches under the Vivienne Westwood brand. This agreement began in 2011 when the brand rolled out its watch line. Zeon Limited manufactures watches for many different brands. It is the UK’s largest distributor and importer of timepieces. Shop a collection of vintage and new Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and accessories from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 14, 2024What Vivienne Westwood’s logo means has to do with the past as well as the future. She had both tradition and innovation in mind when she created the logo for her pioneering fashion brand in the mid-1980s. For what became known as “the Orb,” Westwood drew on prominent symbols associated with the British monarchy such as the orb from the Crown Jewels (the past) as well as images from outer space (the future). For the latter, which takes on the form of Saturn’s rings in the logo, Westwood mined images from astronomy magazines. Dubbed “the undisputed Queen of British fashion” by musician Boy George, the acclaimed designer bridged the gap between music and fashion in a manner that has reverberated for decades. Find vintage Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and shoes from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To tell if a Vivienne Westwood bag is real, check for the plate. Each bag will feature a plate with an inscription of the brand. Look to see that the plate features crisp and evenly spaced lettering. Continue examining the bag to look for any stitching flaws or asymmetrical details. A true Vivienne Westwood bag will be flawless. Always purchase Vivienne Westwood bags from a reputable seller to ensure authenticity. Shop a large collection of Vivienne Westwood bags from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To change the battery on a Vivienne Westwood watch, you will need a specialized tool to take the case back off. To avoid potentially damaging your luxury timepiece, a professional watchmaker can change the battery stress-free. You can find vintage and contemporary Vivienne Westwood clothing and accessories from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes and no. Vivienne Westwood has a collection of handbags that are made of genuine leather and produced in Italy. The brand also has a collection of ethical handbags that are not made of animal products and these bags are produced in South Africa. Shop a collection of vintage and new Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and accessories from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The Mini Melissa shoe is made by the company Grendene and is considered a pioneer in the design and development of high-end plastic footwear. The designs that this brand is getting recognized are made in collaboration with some top luxury brand names, including Vivienne Westwood. But the Vivienne Westwood brand does not own the Mini Melissa and it is not the only brand contributing design ideas. Shop a collection of vintage and new Vivienne Westwood shoes from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To ensure the authenticity of your Vivienne Westwood T-shirt, check that the brand tag is an off-white embroidered tag stitched to the garment on the top left and top right corners. The logo and name also appear on the care instructions tag. Be sure to also check that any graphic is printed crisp and clean and that the hem is evenly double-stitched. You can also find expertly vetted vintage and contemporary Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and shoes from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Many Vivienne Westwood bags are made in Italy. That information is noted on a plate within the bag, which is one way to authenticate a Vivienne Westwood bag. However, in 2014 the brand introduced a line of ethical bags that do not contain leather. These bags are made in South Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Shop a collection of vintage and new Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and accessories from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer who entered the scene in 1971 and quickly grew in popularity. She is known for being outspoken, edgy and unconventional. Her designs and cutting-edge style in the 1970s shaped the look of the punk rock movement, taking runway and streetwear fashion in a different direction. You’ll find a large collection of Vivienne Westwood from many of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Vivienne Westwood’s style has been described as punk, new wave, new romantic and more. She was the embodiment of the punk fashion movement in the 1970s, inspiring the likes of the Sex Pistols. You can find vintage and contemporary Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and shoes from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 29, 2024Many shops sell Vivienne Westwood jewelry. The iconic brand’s necklaces, rings, bracelets and other accessories are available for purchase in its boutiques, which can be found in London, Los Angeles, Beijing, Milan and elsewhere.
Vivienne Westwood jewelry is also available from the brand’s retail partners, including at department stores in the United States such as Nordstrom. For information on the physical store locations, consult the brand’s official website.
Vintage Vivienne Westwood jewelry is available for purchase through multiple e-commerce platforms, including 1stDibs, which has a team of industry experts working to thoroughly evaluate all sellers and makers, so that its listings are high quality and offered by experienced professionals.