Iconic Vivienne Westwood Boucher Mini Dress From The Portrait Collection c.1990
View Similar Items
Iconic Vivienne Westwood Boucher Mini Dress From The Portrait Collection c.1990
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1402907622
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swatted away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knew her way around a garment. And she knew how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.” Collectors are certainly interested in her work, and vintage Vivienne Westwood dresses, handbags, lingerie and jackets have become very desirable over the years.
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 necklaces and other 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.
For the colorful corsets of her 1990 Portrait collection, Westwood drew on 18th-century oil paintings — her models donned the pearl necklaces that have become a social media star and a favorite of influencers and fashion lovers all over the world. For a jacket-and-shorts suit from her Fall/Winter 1996–97 Storm in a Teacup line, the designer used the extreme asymmetry of a tartan mash-up to confront, according to Westwood, “the horror of uniformity and minimalism.”
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 garnered accolades for introducing corsets to the runway and dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter. And an original Vivienne Westwood wedding dress is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
The fires of political and environmental activism burned brightly for Westwood: She was 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 shirts, shoes, gowns and other items today on 1stDibs.
- Christian Dior by John Galliano equestrian printed silk scarf dress, ss 2000By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Important Christian Dior evening dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Equestrian printed silk twill in pink and yellow with an ivory base ▪ Tan leather strap at the neck ▪ Open bac...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Alexander McQueen striped cotton and lace dress with pleated skirt, ss 2005By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GB▪ Alexander McQueen dress ▪ Constructed from a fine cotton-silk fabric in two colour-ways of red, cream and blue stripes ▪ Ivory lace inserts and trim ▪ Low-waisted skirt made up of...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana pink crepe halter-neck skater dress, ss 1995By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana pink crepe skater dress ▪ 79% Acetate, 21% Rayon ▪ Nipping in at the waist and flaring out into a full skirt ▪ Halter-neck with string fastening ▪ Concealed zipper...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Prada by Miuccia Prada orange silk chiffon slip dress, fw 1996By Miuccia PradaLocated in London, GB▪ Rare Prada evening slip dress ▪ Designed by Miuccia Prada ▪ Fine silk chiffon with geometric print in orange, brown and cream ▪ Sold with a matching Prada nude silk slip dress t...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier multicoloured floral silk halterneck dress, ss 2001By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier halterneck silk dress ▪ Enlarged multicoloured floral print ▪ Accordion pleated bust with halterneck ties ▪ Nude accordion pleated silk chiffon shoulder straps...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano floral silk and lace draped dress, fw 2005By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Apricot floral printed silk chiffon ▪ Velvet trim ▪ Lace bust ▪ Draped skirt ▪ Spaghetti straps ▪ Fabric buttons at the side ...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Antique Edwardian 1910s Vintage Ivory Net Tulle Dress W Soutache Embroidery TrimLocated in Portland, ORThis is an incredible vintage dress from the 1910's!! The soutache detail is so well done and we especially love the pretty three layers of soft netting . The base layer is solid wit...Category
Early 20th Century American Day Dresses
- Moschino Cream Sand Lace Short Sleeve Mock T Neck Vintage Dress US Size 6By MoschinoLocated in Portland, ORThis is a lovely 1990's vintage Moschino Cheap and Chic floral lace dress that is lined in the body, with sheer cap sleeves. The edges are scalloped, and it closes with a zipper up t...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Roberto Cavalli Paisley Jacquard Knit Sleeveless Fitted Cocktail Dress Size 42By Roberto CavalliLocated in Paradise Island, BSThis Roberto Cavalli sleeveless cocktail dress features a vibrant orange and blue paisley print, a V-neckline, and a fitted silhouette with a trumpet hem. It is the perfect dress for...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
$717 Sale Price40% Off - Burberry Cotton Dress in BeigeBy BurberryLocated in Carnate, ITBurberry Cotton Dress in Beige Burberry dress. Missing composition label. We think it's cotton. Classic color of the English brand. Double-breasted closure, ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Missoni sleeveless pink beige blue white grey knit knitted flare maxi gown dressBy MissoniLocated in Paris, FRLook 8 from Missoni Fall 2011 Missoni sleeveless floor length dress with a fitted upper and flared skirt Missoni knit in varying shades of dusky pink, beige, blue, white and grey Raw...Category
2010s Italian Maxi Dresses
$2,196 Sale Price20% Off - Bevza wool cut out long sleeve ivory cream slit midi sweater dress XSLocated in Paris, FRA beautiful wool dress by the designer BEVZA in ivory/cream Cut out detail Three hooks at the bust Central back zip Back slit Size XS 100% wool New with tags Measurements: (dress h...Category
2010s Ukrainian Informal 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.