Archival 1994 Vivienne Westwood Pinstripe Wool Jacket and High-Low Trained Skirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. beautiful condition.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU30921274062
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: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vintage 1920's Magenta Pink Beaded & Rhinestone Silk-Velvet Flapper Deco DressLocated in Beverly Hills, CAA simply stunning and seldom found magenta pink heavily beaded silk-velvet dance dress dating back to the mid-1920's. Vibrant colored flapper dresses from this decade are perennial f...Category
1920s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- 2000 Christian Dior by Galliano Purple Silk Sheer-Sleeve Asymmetric Draped GownBy John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn incredibly chic and ultra rare Christian Dior plum purple silk asymmetric draped gown from John Galliano's highly acclaimed 2000 spring-summer collection. John Galliano is widely ...Category
Early 2000s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Pauline Trigere Black Lace & Ivory Satin Off-Shoulder Party DressBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn exceptionally beautiful, museum worthy Pauline Trigère designer dress dating back to the early 1950's. These early examples of her work are hard to come by. During this time period, Pauline Trigère's name was part of the glamorous excess in Hollywood fashion. Her exquisite tailoring and feminine fitting clothing were highly desired by the wealthy and famous. Trigère designs commanded some of the highest prices...Category
1950s American Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1999 Galindo Couture Metallic Amber Devoré Velvet Bias-Cut Trained GownLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn absolutely breathtaking and incredibly rare Galindo Couture "Where Angels Rest" metallic amber devoré silk-velvet trained gown dating back to fall/winter 1999. This custom couture dress was made for Melanie Griffith who wore this incredible look while attending the Producers Guild Awards with Antonio Banderas. The fabric used to create this gown is sensational; shimmering metallic amber devoré silk-velvet in the prettiest large-scale rose garden motif. I love the front plunge and very low-cut sides which work flawlessly with the incredible double layered draped cowl back. The flattering trained bias-cut is such a beautiful nod to 1930's fashion which was made very popular during this time due to John Galliano's vintage inspired collections...Category
1990s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 2004 Gucci by Tom Ford Pleated Purple Silk Bell Sleeve Cut-Out DressBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAbsolutely gorgeous and instantly recognizable 2004 fall/winter Gucci by Tom Ford documented runway look #27 worn by Liya Kebede . This iconic purple show-stopper is one of the most coveted dresses from his last collection with Gucci. Vogue stated, "The emotional ending of the Tom Ford era at Gucci was a look back in glamour—a fabulous farewell in which this perfection-obsessed superstar of fashion seized the moment to run his eye over everything he has achieved for the brand, and then do it better. There is no doubt who the Gucci woman...Category
Early 2000s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Vintage 1960's André Courrèges Black Vinyl-Bows Minimalist Space-Age Mod GownBy André CourrègesLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn ultra chic André Courrèges Paris vibrant black minimalist gown dating back to the late 1960's. Andre Courreges launched his unique space-age collection in 1964. The shapes of his ...Category
1960s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- VERSACE F/W 1993 Vintage Lace Detail Black Dress by Gianni VersaceBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Berlin, BEVersace Fall Winter 1993 Vintage Lace Detail Dress Brand: Versace Designer: Gianni Versace Collection / Year: Fall / Winter 1993 Fabric: Wool / Lace Color: Black Size: IT42 Versace's fall winter collection featured beautiful gowns with lace details. This lace detail dress is a commercial design inspired by the elaborate runway evening looks. Made from wool it features two cut-out lace details at the shoulders, and another deep V lace cut out at the back. You can wear the dress backwards and have the deep-V at the front. With a high turtle-neck neckline and a sleek silhouette this is the perfect black dress - one you will wear again and again. Size Information: Marked size IT42 Measured flat and across Bust 45cm Waist 37cm Hips 47cm Total length 95cm (measured from centre back) This vintage Fall Winter 1993 Versace wool dress...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses
- ALEXANDER MCQUEEN 2018 Red Cut-Out Gown XSBy Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Alexander McQueenLocated in Berlin, BEALEXANDER MCQUEEN 2018 Red Cut-Out Gown Brand: Alexander McQueen Designer: Sarah Burton Collection / Year: 2018 Fabric: Viscose / Silk Color: Red Size: ...Category
2010s Italian Evening Gowns
- AZZEDINE ALAÏA S/S 1988 Runway Knit Maxi Dress MBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Berlin, BEThe perfect black dress from Alaïa’s Spring Summer 1988 collection . Azzedine Alaïa gained his reputation by creating sleek dresses that hug the body, this dress is the ideal example...Category
1980s French Maxi Dress
- New LANVIN Duchesse Satin Vintage Gray Long Wedding Celebrity Gown US 2 4 FR 36By Lanvin ParisLocated in Goshen, KYSize: French 36 Brand: LANVIN Color: Light Dove Gray Season: Vintage Features: Strapless sweetheart neckline Draped detail throughout Ruffle detail at side Belt at waist Long leng...Category
2010s Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Neymar Couture Duchess Satin & Beaded Gown UK 4 US 0Located in Cheltenham, GBA once in a lifetime piece, this original 1950's Neymar Couture duchess satin gown, in the most sumptuous shade of cream, showcases true craftsmanship i...Category
1950s Ball Gowns
- Vintage Early 1940's Crimson Red Satin Evening Dress UK 10-12 US 6-8Located in Cheltenham, GBThis breathtaking early 1940's crimson satin dress, rendered in a full circle cut and tailored to perfection, is the perfect piece for that special occasion. The V shaped neckline...Category
1940s Evening 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.
Madonna Wore the Same Plunging Azzedine Alaïa Design on the Cover of ‘Cosmo’ in 1987
The gold silk stunner was part of a knockout collection that changed the trajectory of Alaïa's then-troubled brand.