Vivienne Westwood F/W 2008 Red long sleeve Avant Guard Full length Maxi Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 50 in (127 cm)
- Style:Avant Guard (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Sheffield, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3407220518582
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Y2k Gold Knitted Christian Lacroix Sheer lace Panelled Lamé Logo Mini DressBy Christian LacroixLocated in Sheffield, GBChic, 2000's Vintage Mini dress by Christian Lacroix, in a shimmery Gold Lamé Knit with a sheer lace panel detailed front and printed signature logo reverse. MADE IN ITALY. Pit...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mini Dresses
- Versace Jeans Couture 90's Rock Royalty Colourful Body Con Patterned Mini DressBy Versace, Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in Sheffield, GBIconic 90's Versace Jeans Couture 'Rock Royalty' patterned mini dress made from figure hugging jersey material. MADE IN ITALY. Features: Classic shift style shape strap shoulders ...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dresses
- Beautiful 1990's Romeo Gigli Grey Long Sleeve Wool Avant Guard Body Con DressBy Romeo GigliLocated in Sheffield, GBAvant Guard 1990's detailed ROMEO GIGLI figure hugging body con dress, crafted from a thick, stretchy Wool material. MADE IN ITALY ! 94% Wool 6% Spandex Measurements are in inches...Category
1990s Italian Casual Dresses
- 1990's Pink & Green Christian Lacroix Ruffle detail Wrap around Linen DressBy Christian LacroixLocated in Sheffield, GBChic, 2000's Vintage Wrap around dress by Christian Lacroix, elegantly constructed in a Pink & Green two-tone linen with a ruffle detailed pl...Category
Early 2000s French Casual Dresses
- 1990's Vintage Versace Jeans Couture Yellow Mini Zip down Body Con DressBy Gianni Versace, Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in Sheffield, GBVintage 1990's Versace Jeans Couture fitted, sleeveless, body con mini dress. Made from stretchy, bright yellow Cotton / Nylon mix fabric, with checkboard textured surface and iconic...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dresses
- Courrèges 1960'S Green Wool Long Sleeve Shift Mini DressBy André CourrègesLocated in Sheffield, GBSwinging sixties, 1960's Andrè Courrèges mod-style, zip down mini dress in emerald green wool. Features; Central line zip fasten x2 Breast pockets Ico...Category
1960s French Shift Dresses
- Adolfo Tropical Silk Jersey Strapless Dress with Half CapeletBy AdolfoLocated in New York, NYAdolfo strapless dress with bold green, indigo and white tropical floral print. Wonderfully tailored, with fitted bodice and draped open tulip front slit above the knee for movement...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Leonard of Paris Pastel Silk Chiffon Day / Evening DressBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYPretty pastel silk chiffon Leonard of Paris special occasion day / evening dress. Bodice has a ruffled capelet that flows from the center of the dress...Category
Late 20th Century French Day Dresses
- Leonard of Paris Fuschia Multi Color Silk Chiffon Strapless GownBy Leonard of ParisLocated in New York, NYVintage Leonard of Paris bright and flirty ruffled silk chiffon cocktail dress / evening gown, unmarked size, approximately US 6. Featuring four layer...Category
Late 20th Century French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Sonia Rykiel SS-2002 Viscose Mix Flower Print Slip DressBy Sonia RykielLocated in Brussels, BEFlower Power remains an all-time boho statement, and Sonia Rykiel’s career interestingly took off in the early 1970s. Throughout her prolific years as a designer, Rykiel loved going ...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- Antonio Berardi FW-2004 Silk Sleeveless Print DressBy Antonio BerardiLocated in Brussels, BEDespite being born in the UK, Antonio Berardi’s roots are Sicilian ones, explaining his love of drama and femininity. This gorgeous silk dress, which mixes a variety of prints and mo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Vintage EMANUEL UNGARO Boutique 1980s DAISY Black Parallele PARIS Dress XS/SBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Asheville, NCUngaro Boutique, Vintage 1980's, Sheer Cotton, Fully Lined, Belted, Straps Tie at Top, Five Round Buttons at Front, 2 Large Front Pockets, Daisy Floral Details on Top, Front and Bott...Category
1980s French Day Dresses