1990's Vivienne Westwood Vintage Velvet Bustier Top
View Similar Items
1990's Vivienne Westwood Vintage Velvet Bustier Top
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 14 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Carmel, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4175006843
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.
- Giorgio Sant’Angelo Vintage Beaded Lace BodysuitBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in Carmel, CAGiorgio Sant’Angelo full lace bodysuit features beading along the front, back, and sleeves. Bodysuit has snap fastenings and a keyhole design at the back...Category
Early 20th Century Blouses
- Obiko Art to Wear Silk Embroidered DusterLocated in Carmel, CABurnout velvet duster is featured in neutral tones with a black embroidered trim along the opening and at the cuffs. Duster has embroidered roses throughout, pockets at the waist, th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Coats and Outerwear
$960 Sale Price33% Off - NWT Gucci Powder Blue Ruffled BlouseBy Alessandro Michele, GucciLocated in Carmel, CAGucci blouse featured in a powder blue color with concealed button closures, ruffled collar, and pearl buttons on the cuffs. Blouse is a size 44, composed with 100% silk. Measuremen...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- Romero Gigli Vintage Button Up Top with Wraparound SleevesBy Romeo GigliLocated in Carmel, CARomeo Gigli top is featured in a Kelly green with button closures and a wraparound detail around the sleeves. Top is in excellent condition. Measurements: Bust 52'' Sleeves 23'' Len...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Blouses
- Loris Azzaro 1970s Vintage Gold Knit Chain TopBy Loris AzzaroLocated in Carmel, CALoris Azzaro 1970s Vintage Gold Knit Bead Fringe Chain Top Loris Azzaro top featured a gold metallic knit with dangling beads and chains throughout, an...Category
1970s French Blouses
- YSL Yves Saint Laurent Vintage 1970s Matte Jersey Top/Skirt EnsembleBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Carmel, CAYSL matte jersey set includes: ruched strapless shell, waist tie/scarf, full gathered short skirt. Strapless shell has a zipper and hook-and-eye fastening a...Category
1970s French Skirt Suits
- Galanos Black Silk Blouse with Drop Hem Size Medium LargeBy GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Galanos gown is composed of a black silk. Features an asymmetrical front hem detail, long sleeves, and a center back zipper closure. In excellent condition. Made in USA. *...Category
20th Century American Blouses
- Henry Beguelin Top Laser Cut Tunic Knit Sleeves Unique and Fabulous LBy Henry BeguelinLocated in Miami, FLHenry Beguelin Black semi sheer relaxed cowl neck long sleeve asymmetrical top. Deconstructed top with a cowl neck that has a tie inside to hold top in place. Laser cut velvet abstra...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- Vintage Multicolour Silk Blouse by Donald CampbellLocated in London, GBA chic vintage silk blouse by Donald Campbell. In a hounds tooth print, in grey, green , purple and black. The blouse has a stand up collar, zip back and popper cuffs.Category
1980s British Blouses
- STELLA MCCARTNEY black viscose Long Sleeve POCKET Blouse Shirt 38 XSBy Stella McCartneyLocated in Zürich, CHauthentic Stella McCartney long-sleeve round-neck blouse in black viscose (79%) and acetate (21%). Features a longer back and two patch pockets at front. Opens with a zipper on the b...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- STELLA MCCARTNEY grey silk MOCK NECK Long Sleeve Blouse Shirt 40 SBy Stella McCartneyLocated in Zürich, CHauthentic Stella McCartney long sleeve blouse in charcoal silk (100%). Opens with a zipper on the back. Has been worn with a very faint deodorant stain on the right armpit. Overall i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses
- 1970s Janice Wainwright Vintage Lurex TopBy Janice WainwrightLocated in London, GBAn easy to wear vintage gold lurex top by Janice Wainwright. The top has tapered sleeves and a drape over front.Category
1970s British Blouses