Iconic Vivienne Westwood Super elevated court shoe c. 1993
View Similar Items
Iconic Vivienne Westwood Super elevated court shoe c. 1993
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 6 (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1402923562
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.
- Vivienne Westwood black leather 'Rocking Horse' shoes, circa 1980s (SZ 41)By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBA rare pair of Vivienne Westwod black leather 'Rocking Horse' shoes with wooden platforms and extra long ankle straps, circa 1980s.Category
1980s British Shoes
- Vivienne Westwood red wool jacket with black velvet collar, AW 1990By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool jacket with black velvet collar, - large orb buttons - black velvet pocket flaps Autumn-Winter 1990Category
1990s British Jackets
- Vivienne Westwood red and black equestrian style pant suit, fw 1994By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood equestrian style pant suit comprising: red wool jacket with accentuated waist, shoulder pads, large double lapel and gold orb button fastenings, high ride black vel...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood red wool back-to-front skirt suit, fw 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool back-to-front skirt suit with gold fox engraved button fastenings at the centre back opening and black velvet Peter Pan collar. Vivienne Westwood was photographed wearing this suit at various public events in 1991-1992, including the presentation of her fall-winter 1992 collection (March, 1992), photographed alongside Azzedine Alaia, Kylie Minogue...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Prada orange nylon hooded gillet and skirt set, c. 1999By PradaLocated in London, GBPrada orange nylon set comprising: hooded zip-up gillet with black wool back panel and two elastic fastenings; zip-up mini skirt with two pockets c. 1999Category
1990s Italian Sportswear
- Dolce & Gabbana red rayon drawstring mini dress and sleeves, ss 2003By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana red evening mini dress ▪ 91% Rayon, 9% Lycra ▪ Multiple drawstring fastenings ▪ Leg slits ▪ Detached ruched sleeves ▪ IT 38 - FR 34 - UK 6 - US 2 ▪ Spring-Summer...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mini Dress
- Dolce & Gabbana Bellucci lace red heelsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Nottingham, GBThe red lace Dolce and Gabbana Bellucci pumps are made up of an intricate floral lace covering the whole shoe. These shoes ooze vintage glamour and can be paired with any evening attire. The scarlet red is what makes these shoes stand...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Louis Vuitton 2000s Fuchsia Satin Pumps With Textured Gold HeelsBy Louis VuittonLocated in Scottsdale, AZLooking to make a statement? Well the perfect shoes have arrived! Circa recent 2000s, these Louis Vuitton fuchsia satin heels feature various hues of fuchsia on the straps and a scul...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Dior Red Leather Round Toe Pumps Size 39By Christian DiorLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Look chic and make an elegant style statement in this pair of pumps from the leading luxury house of Dior. They are crafted from leather featuring round toes, high heels, an understa...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Red Strappy high heel platform Shoes by Miu MiuBy Miu MiuLocated in Bilbao, ESRed Open Toe Stiletto Shoe by Miu Miu Soles will be set brand new for good and waterproof. Year 2006 The original box is not available. Miu Miu is the most unrestrained portrayal of...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Sergio Rossi Red Blue Fluo Yellow DecolleteBy Sergio RossiLocated in Capri, ITSergio Rossi Red Blue Fluo Yellow Decollete totally made in italy in size 39Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
$306 Sale Price20% Off - Guiseppe Zanotti Red Embroidered Crystal Dragon Loafers (45 EU)By Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in Montreal, QuebecFeaturing an intricately embroidered dragon exterior, a black interior, and black soles. COLOR: Red MATERIAL: Silk SIZE: 45 EU / 12 US MENS COMES WITH: Dust bag Made in ItalyCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.