Vivenne Westwood Slinky Jersey Dress
View Similar Items
Vivenne Westwood Slinky Jersey Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 48 in (121.92 cm)Marked Size: 4-6 (US)Bust: 36 in (91.44 cm)Waist: 36 in (91.44 cm)Hip: 37 in (93.98 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: DSMIN_ON1331stDibs: LU16121363833
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.
- 1930S Burnt Orange Rayon & Silk Crepe Satin Long Sleeve Dress With Adjustable WLocated in New York, NY1930S Burnt Orange Rayon & Silk Crepe Satin Long Sleeve Dress With Adjustable Waist Sash Handmade Neckline, XLCategory
1930s Day Dresses
- 1990S Alaia Salmon Red Rayon Blend Stretch Dress With Pleated Ruffle Hem XLLocated in New York, NY1990S Alaia Salmon Red Rayon Blend Stretch Dress With Pleated Ruffle Hem XLCategory
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1960S GEOFFREY BEENE Coral Silk Mod Sheath DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in New York, NY1960S GEOFFREY BEENE Coral Silk Mod Sheath DressCategory
1960s American Day Dresses
- 1940s Marge Riley Hand Embroidered Western SuitLocated in New York, NY1940s Marge Riley Hand Embroidered Western SuitCategory
1940s American Day 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 GIANNI VERSACE Pastel & Black Wool Blend Sateen Tropical Floral Dress WitBy Gianni VersaceLocated in New York, NYTagged European size 46. Straps can be lengthened 2+ inches. Fully lined in rayon. 1990S GIANNI VERSACE Pastel & Black Wool Blend Sateen Tropical Floral Dress...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- LeSwim Red and Black Lips Print Halter Midi Dress Size SmallLocated in Paradise Island, BSFounded by Adriana Caras, LeSwim is a modern vision of luxury resort style, offering elevated swimwear and resort wear that travels beyond the beach. The clothing is made in the US, ...Category
2010s American Day Dresses
$297 Sale Price40% Off - LeSwim Red and Black Lips Print Halter Midi Dress Size XSLocated in Paradise Island, BSFounded by Adriana Caras, LeSwim is a modern vision of luxury resort style, offering elevated swimwear and resort wear that travels beyond the beach. The clothing is made in the U, o...Category
2010s American Day Dresses
$297 Sale Price40% Off - Vintage Vicky Tiel Couture Red Lace Strapless Party DressBy Vicky TielLocated in Beverly Hills, CA80s Vicky Tiel Couture red lace strapless mini cocktail dress. Size: 4 Bust: 32"/ Waist: 28" / Length 28"Category
1980s French Mini Dress
- 1950s Silvano of Roma for Heiser Red Gold Silver Dipped Hem Silk Mini Dress TopLocated in San Diego, CAGorgeous vintage 50s SILVANO OF ROMA FOR HEISER red silk dip hem mini dress or top! Hard to find designer is hugely sought after! Features an all-over metallic brocade pattern in gol...Category
1950s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Neiman Marcus 1970s Red and Black Asian Inspired 70s Caftan Maxi DressBy Neiman MarcusLocated in San Diego, CASensational vintage NEIMAN MARCUS 1970s red and black embroidered Asian inspired kaftan / maxi dress! Lightweight red cotton, with black embroiderey at the bust, and alone every hem....Category
1970s American Kaftans
- Jacqueline de Ribes Silk Dress With Leather Straps 1980sBy Jacqueline de RibesLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous red silk dress with black dots by French designer Jacqueline de Ribes. It has a double breasted wrap style closing with round black buttons and bound buttonholes and fabu...Category
1980s French Day 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.
After Centuries, the Kimono’s Influence on Fashion Is Still Strong
We talked to museum curators and fashion experts to find out how and why the kimono has remained endlessly fascinating for more than 1,000 years.