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 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.
- 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
- Gianni Versace red cotton cutwork mini skirt suit, ss 2002By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace red cotton mini skirt suit ▪ Cutwork technique ▪ Fitted jacket with metal corset hooks ▪ High waisted mini skirt ▪ IT 40 - FR 36 - U...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirt Suits
- Thierry Mugler red pant suit with silver metal rings, c. 1990sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in London, GBThierry Mugler red pant suit with decorative silver metal rings. c. 1990sCategory
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- BodyMap orange and blue knitted maxi dress, fw 1985Located in London, GBBodyMap orange and blue knitted maxi dress from the 'Barbie Takes a Trip Around Nature's Cosmic Curves' collection. Fall-Winter 1985Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vivienne Westwood red wool cropped jacket and pencil skirt suit, fw 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool skirt suit comprising: cropped jacket with notched lapel and hidden button closure; calf-length pencil skirt with high leg slit. Fall-Winter 1993Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood red and cream Harris Tweed corseted skirt suit, fw 1995By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red and cream checked Harris Tweed three piece skirt suit comprising: halter-neck waistcoat with sixteen button fastenings, built-in corset and large lapels, equestrian style jacket with padded shoulders, large lapels and two button fastenings attaching to waistcoat, and above-the-knee pencil skirt. 'Vive La Cocotte...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Aquazurra, velvet over the knee bootsBy AquazurraLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLAquazurra, Red Thigh high velvet over the knee boots. This piece has a few small stains on the velvet. Light scuffs on the inside of both heels. •...Category
2010s Shoes
- 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
- Valentino Garavani Tan-go Patent Leather Platform Pump (38 Eu) 155 RoseBy Valentino GaravaniLocated in Montreal, QuebecCOLOR: Rose Violet / Pink MATERIAL: paten leather SIZE: 38 EU / 7 US HEEL HEIGHT: 155 mm / 6” PLATFORM HEIGHT: 55 mm / 2.2” CONDITION: Very good. Light scratches on the bottom. Ask ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
$650 Sale Price50% Off - Gucci Ribbed Fabric Red Platform Knee High Boots (588968) 38.5 EUBy GucciLocated in Montreal, QuebecGUCCI RIBBED FABRIC RED PLATFORM KNEE HIGH BOOTS (588968) 38.5 EU Gucci Ribbed Fabric Red Platform Knee High Boots (588968) 38.5 EU Red platf...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoes
- Balenciaga Red Logo Tennis Socks (Extra Large)By BalenciagaLocated in Montreal, QuebecCOLOR: Red MATERIAL: 80% Cotton & 18% Polyamide & 2% Elastane ITEM CODE: 540633 472B4 SIZE: XL 13 (28-30 cm) COMES WITH: Box CONDITION: Brand new. Made in PortugalCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Shoes
- Prada Vermillion Suede Loafers with Beaded Detail and Leather SolesBy PradaLocated in Kingston, NYPRADA, vermilion, suede, loafers with beaded embellishments and leather soles, Estate of André Leon Talley. New condition. Given to André Leon Talley by Prada, never worn. Size 14Category
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.