1990s Vivienne Westwood deconstructed body-con dress
View Similar Items
1990s Vivienne Westwood deconstructed body-con dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14021024302
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.
- Worlds End by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren grey smock dress, ss 1983By Worlds End, Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ A rare Worlds End grey cotton smock dress ▪ Designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren ▪ Tain panel at the front skirt which can be worn as a shawl ▪ Drawstring neckline ...Category
1980s English Day Dresses
- Gucci by Tom Ford suede lace-up maxi dress with 'G' belt, ss 1996By Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci suede lace-up maxi dress and belt ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Deep v-neck with leather lace up fastening ▪ Large cape collar with natural edge ▪ Bishop sleeves with ruffled ...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- BodyMap black viscose cotton jersey maxi dress, c. 1980sLocated in London, GB▪ BodyMap black jersey maxi dress ▪ 52% Viscose, 48% Cotton ▪ Three front button fastenings belted at the hips ▪ High neck with elastic collar ▪ Size Medium ▪ c. 1980sCategory
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaïa green and black wool jersey wrap dress, fw 1982By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Azzedine Alaïa wool jersey wrap dress ▪ Green long-sleeve bodice ▪ Black knee-length wrap skirt ▪ Black patent leather straps with metal buckle ▪ Press studs at the center-back o...Category
1980s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gucci by Tom Ford bottle green pintuck leather shift dress, fw 1999By Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci bottle green leather shift dress ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Pintuck detail ▪ Three-quarter circular flounce sleeves ▪ Black leather rosette on sle...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Miu Miu by Miuccia Prada green wool fleece slip dress with crystals, ss 1998By Prada, Miu MiuLocated in London, GB▪ Miu Miu wool fleece slip dress ▪ Designed by Miuccia Prada ▪ Allover flat-back crystals ▪ Lace-up ties to the front opening ▪ Loose fit ▪ Fully line...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jackie Rogers Classic Black Satin Bias Cut DressBy Jackie RogersLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJackie Rogers classic silky black satin bias cut dress from the 1990s. The perfect black dress to dress up with jewelry and or a belt. The dress slips o...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- 80s Kevan Hall Couture Black Sequin 1980s Off Shoulder Vintage Cocktail DressLocated in San Diego, CALate 1980s KEVAN HALL COUTURE black off-the-shoulder sequin dress ! Features a nude chiffon underlay with a lace nad sequin bodice. Flowy silk chiffon skirt. Boned bodice. Hidden zip...Category
15th Century and Earlier Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1980S THIERRY MUGLER Black Rayon Blend Crepe Asymmetrically Draped Cocktail DreBy Thierry MuglerLocated in New York, NYTagged a European 36 1980S THIERRY MUGLER Black Rayon Blend Crepe Asymmetrically Draped Cocktail Dress With Sheer Lace Back & SleevesCategory
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Emanuel Ungaro Size 10 Black Rayon Vintage 90s Bell Sleeve Wrap DressBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in San Diego, CAChic late 90s EMANUEL UNGARO black rayon blend size 10 bell sleeve wrap dress ! Tailored bodice with a flirty skirt. Buttons up the front. Ruffle detail at center front neck, down th...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s Navy Blue Chiffon White Rhinestone Flowers Vintage 60s Gown Maxi DressLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful 1960s navy blue and white silk chiffon flower rhinestone applique gown ! Features a tailored bodice with hand-sewn white flowers that are encrusted with rhinestones. Sheer ...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- 1990s Calvin Klein Collection Inside Out Black Jersey Vintage 90s Midi DressBy Calvin Klein CollectionLocated in San Diego, CASuch an amazing take on the little black dress ! CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION black jersey 'Inside Out' short sleeve midi dress ! Features unfinished seams that look like they are inside out. Hidden zipper up the back with hook-and-eye closure. The perfect black dress...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
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.