Vivienne Westwood black jersey draped maxi shoulder, ss 1997
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood black jersey draped maxi shoulder, ss 1997
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Fr 40 - UK 12 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14027062372
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.
- Gianni Versace black studded metal mesh chainmail shift dress, A/W 1983By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace black studded metal mesh chainmail shift dress Autumn-Winter 1983Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana black silk spandex and leather lace up dress, ss 2003By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana; black silk spandex figure hugging evening dress. - Lambskin leather grommet trim - Open on both sides with lace up fastenings - Invisible side zip closure ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia navy acetate knit hooded maxi dress, fw 1986By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBAll photographs in this listing EXCLUDING any reference or runway imagery needs the credit of the copyright owner ONE OF A KIND ARCHIVE if you want to perform certain acts, such as c...Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano blue open-knit sleeveless bodycon dress, ss 2000By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior blue open-knit bodycon dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Crew neck ▪ Knee-length ▪ Various knitted techniques used to create a shredded appearance to the fabric ▪...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana black long-sleeve corset and maxi skirt ensemble, fw 1997By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana corset and skirt evening ensemble ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Constructed from a fine silk with 10% elastane for a slight stretch ▪ Long-sleeve corset...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Tom Ford silk organza evening dress in a lattice of blue glass beads, ss 2013By Tom FordLocated in London, GB▪ Evening dress comprising; skirt and top ▪ Constructed with black silk organza and a lattice of blue glass beads ▪ Skirt formed from pieced strips ▪ Matching bodice with sheer nec...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Nipon Boutique Black Velvet Halter Dress with Satin Ribbon Size US 6By Albert NiponLocated in New York, NYNipon Boutique black velvet cocktail dress with satin ribbon trim and bows tied at neck and back. Flirty six paneled dress body with flared bottom. Fu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening 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
- Valentino Boutique Black Beaded Silk Chiffon Evening Gown Size US 6By ValentinoLocated in New York, NYLuxurious Valentino Boutique black silk evening gown with tiered ruffles, sweeping hemline and hand beaded and embroidered bodice. Two ruffles at bodice are hand beaded with tiny jet...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Black Silk Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with matte frosted colored glass beads threaded through the cordin...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
Price Upon Request - Mariano Fortuny Black Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
Price Upon Request
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.