Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swats away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knows her way around a garment. And she knows how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.”
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 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.
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’s dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter, and a wedding dress that she created is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
Today, the fires of political and environmental activism burn brightly for Westwood: She is 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 handbags, shoes, evening dresses and other items today on 1stDibs.
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1990s Vivienne Westwood
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- 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, 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, 2022No, Vivienne Westwood necklaces are mostly made of sterling silver and brass along with other imitation stones and metals. Most gold-looking pieces in her collection are actually brass. Even though the metals are not real gold, it’s still important to protect and care for your Vivienne Westwood jewelry as it may tarnish and lose its luster over time. You’ll find a large collection of Vivienne Westwood from many of the world’s top sellers 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, 2022No, Vivienne Westwood does not offer a student discount on its designs. If you’re looking for a discount or a sale on Vivienne Westwood clothing, shoes, and accessories, following them on social media may help as it sometimes offers discounts to loyal followers. Shop a collection of vintage and new Vivienne Westwood bags, clothing and accessories from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.