A/W 1991 Vivienne Westwood White and Gold Boulle Print Corset
View Similar Items
A/W 1991 Vivienne Westwood White and Gold Boulle Print Corset
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 17.1 in (43.44 cm)Marked Size: 14 (UK)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 13 in (33.02 cm)
- Period:
- Material Notes:Fabric contents: 98% Viscose; 2% Lycra. Appears like silk satin.
- Condition:In very good vintage condition with minor fading throughout gold and faint spots on interior (not visible when worn).
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3084219827842
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.
- A/W 2003 Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal Inverted JeansBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 2003 Maison Martin Margiela artisanal jeans with inverted button-up front detail. These jeans were originally vintage denim Levi's, turned inside-out for a reverse variation. Hig...Category
Early 2000s Jeans
- S/S 1999 Dries Van Noten White and Gray Gradient Stripe Bustle GownBy Dries van NotenLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 1999 Dries van Noten white and gray gradient stripe bustle gown. Spaghetti strap gown with long hem that can be buttoned into bustle. Cross-back straps...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1968 Malcolm Starr Off-White Pleated Gown with Crystal Cutout WaistBy Malcolm StarrLocated in North Hollywood, CA1968 Malcolm Starr off-white silk chiffon pleated gown with empire waist and hand-beaded embellished cutout detail. Built-in corset with boning and back zip closure. As seen in Harpe...Category
1960s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- S/S 1992 Vivienne Westwood Salon Print Denim PantsBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 1992 Vivienne Westwood salon print denim pants. Cotton high-rise denim pants with screen printed salon motif throughout. Oversized, f...Category
1990s Pants
- S/S 2018 Old Céline by Phoebe Philo PVC Handbag with Green Interior ClutchBy Celine, Phoebe PhiloLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 2018 Old Céline by Phoebe Philo PVC plastic handbag with green interior clutch. Exterior bag is large plastic handbag with center Céline ID and warning l...Category
2010s Shoulder Bags
- S/S 1992 Givenchy Haute Couture Deep Brown Strapless Gown with Embroidered BustBy GivenchyLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 1992 Givenchy Haute Couture deep brown strapless gown with embroidered sequin and raffia bustier by Maison Lesage. Bustier features brown geometric pattern throughout and 3D fili...Category
1990s Evening Dresses
- Chantal Thomass Vintage 1990's Backless Lace Up Floral ShirtBy Chantal ThomassLocated in Berlin, BEChantal Thomass Vintage 1990's Lace Up Floral Shirt Brand: Chantal Thomass Designer: Chantal Thomass Collection/Year: 1990's Fabric: Cotton Color: Grey Size: Approx S Chantal Thoma...Category
1990s French Blouses
- KhaiteLocated in Toronto, CAElevate your winter wardrobe with the Saint Laurent red skiing leggings—a seamless blend of haute couture and practical sportswear. Meticulously crafted to marry luxury with function...Category
2010s Turkish Blouses
$1,950 - Margiela pink cotton oversized deconstructed folded shirt, ss 2001By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GB▪ Martin Margiela pink oversized shirt ▪ 100% Cotton ▪ Oversized fit ▪ Deconstructed design with sewn folds ▪ Embroidered four-leaf clover ▪ Size Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 2001Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
- Martin Margiela white and black striped inverted overlocked vest, ss 1991By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GBPresenting an extraordinary archival Martin Margiela inverted vest top from the Spring-Summer 1991 collection, a key piece that marks the inception of Martin's illustrious career and...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- Worlds End pink cotton 'Punkature' oversized blouse, ss 1983By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBWorlds End by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. Pink cotton oversized blouse. Oversized turn up cuffs with Velcro fastening, signature using Bla...Category
1980s British Blouses
- Vivienne Westwood 'Cut, Slash & Pull' blue voile oversized shirt dress, ss 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood; dusty blue cotton voile oversized blouse with large bishop sleeves, pointed collar, and ascending hemline from front. Signature slashes throughout the whole blouse...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns