1992 Vivienne Westwood x Sock Shop Black Toile Sheer Mesh Bodysuit Top
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: XS-S (UK)
- Style:1990's (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sheffield, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3407220559072
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 Dolce & Gabbana Distressed Denim 2000's Corset BustierBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Sheffield, GB2000's Dolce & Gabbana distressed vintage denim boned Bustier. Features; Zip up back Boned body Fully lined interior 100% Cotton (Denim) Sizing; Pit to Pit; 16.5'' Waist; 27'' ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Bustiers
- 1990s Versace White Turtle Neck Ribbed zip down Body Con LeotardBy Versace, Gianni VersaceLocated in Sheffield, GBVersace White Turtle Neck Ribbed Body Suit, 1990's 1990's Versace Jeans Couture white long sleeve, high leg bodysuit with Zip down Medusa collar. Made fr...Category
20th Century Italian Bodysuits
- Y2K Christian Dior By John Galliano 'Miss Diorella' Fw 2001 Denim Corset BustierBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Sheffield, GBIconic Christian Dior 'Miss Diorella' bustier corset in a Denim Trompe-l'oeuil Print , from the highly coveted Fall / Winter 2001 collection by John Galliano. Features; Fully adjus...Category
Early 2000s European Corsets
- Y2K Christian Dior Ss/2003 'Rasta Mania' Reggae Corset Bustier by GallianoBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Sheffield, GBIconic Spring Summer 2003 Dior 'RASTA MANIA' Corset designed by JOHN GALLIANO for CHRISTIAN DIOR. Features; Fully adjustable / detachable shoulder strap...Category
Early 2000s Italian Corsets
- 1990's Vintage MOSCHINO Fringed showgirl Tasseled Bikini Cowgirl CostumeBy Moschino, Franco MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBFabulous early 1990's Vintage Moschino Showgirl Swimsuit Set in Black & Gold, designed by Franco Moschino. MADE IN ITALY. This Epic Bikini set comprises a fringed Bralet with s...Category
1990s Italian Corsets
- Rare Archival 1990's Moschino Beaded Cowboy Moc Denim Rodeo Bralet Crop TopBy Franco Moschino, MoschinoLocated in Sheffield, GBRare, Decadent 1990's Archival Moschino Jeans label stretchy moc denim bralet. This superb, Archival piece features heart shaped cups, contrast stitching, buttons down the front and...Category
1990s Italian Bras
- Balmain jacquard lame evening blazer, c. 2010By Balmain, Christopher DecarninLocated in London, GBA rare and highly sought after Balmain evening blazer from the Fall 2010 runway collection, designed by Christophe Decarnin. The blazer is in a high quality jacquard fabric with gold...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Lingerie
- Vivienne Westwood black velvet button-up corset, fw 1998By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood black velvet corset ▪ 77% Cotton, 21% Rayon, 2% Lycra ▪ Large orb buttons ▪ Front zip closure ▪ UK 12 - FR 40 - US 8 ▪ Fall-Winter 1998Category
1990s Italian Corsets
- Dolce & Gabbana black knitted wool strapless corset, fw 2010By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana black knitted corset ▪ 45% Wool, 28% Acrylic, 10% Nylon, 6% Merinos Wool, 6% Polyester, 3% Alpaca, 2% Angora ▪ Lining: 50% Virgin Wool, 48% Silk, 2% Elastane ▪ In...Category
2010s Italian Corsets
- Dolce & Gabbana black corset and leggings set, fw 1992By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana black corset suit ▪ Satin corset with attached white cotton shirt collar and cuffs ▪ Internal boning ▪ Wool jersey sleeves ▪ Extra long ruched wool jersey legging...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Gianni Versace beaded halterneck corset bra with crystal embellishment, fw 1989By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace silk corset bra ▪ Fully beaded with black and clear beads ▪ Crystal embellishment ▪ Halterneck ▪ Hook fastenings at centre back ▪ IT 4...Category
1980s Italian Corsets
- Vivienne Westwood black velvet corset and pants ensemble, fw 1992By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood black velvet corset and pants ensemble. Fall-Winter 1992Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles