Vivienne Westwood 17th century Baroque painting silk corset, fw 1993
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood 17th century Baroque painting silk corset, fw 1993
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Vivienne Westwood size 12 (EU)
- Style:Corset (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Bodice - 100% Silk Nude Panels - 75% Polyacril 25% Elastic
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU143117123542
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.
- Bill Tice 1980s Lotus Flower RobeBy Bill TiceLocated in Scottsdale, AZIntroducing the Bill Tice 1980s Lotus Flower Robe – a timeless piece of luxury and style. This classic ivory robe is more than just loungewear; it's a statement of elegance and comfort. Crafted with care and attention to detail, it features a soft, neutral ivory shade and a delicate pink and ivory tie at the waist. But the star of the show is undeniably the incredible pink and green lotus flower motif gracing the back. The level of detail and beauty in this embroidered lotus flower is truly exceptional, making this robe a work of art. Whether you choose to wear it at home to lounge in style or take out the tie and flaunt it as a fashion statement, you'll radiate grace and sophistication. This robe is not just a piece of clothing; it's a symbol of refined taste and timeless beauty. Don't miss the chance to own this Bill Tice masterpiece from the 1980s. Elevate your wardrobe with a touch of luxury - style over a Christian Dior slip...Category
1980s Robes
- Tom Ford for Gucci F/W 2003 Bustier Top Bra Garter Belt Lingerie 3 Piece SetBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Naples, FLTom Ford for Gucci F/W 2003 Satin Bustier Crop Top & Bra & Garter Belt Lingerie 3 Piece Set Size M/L Please note the bustier crop top and the garter belt...Category
Early 2000s Lingerie
- 1930 pale pink lingerie combinaisonLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FR1930 pale pink lingerie with appliqué in the same fabric, embroidered and top-stitched on the bustCategory
1930s French Lingerie
- 1930 pale pink silk -crêpe night gown with embroideries and laceLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRpale pink silk-crêpe night gown with embroideries and lace " entre-deux" and strapsCategory
1930s French Lingerie
- Pink embroidered silk sleeping gown Circa 1930Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRPink embroidered silk sleeping gown Circa 1930 SIZE MCategory
1930s French Lingerie
- Robe and pyjamas in pastel silk satin and lace appliqué Circa 1930Located in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRobe and pyjamas in pastel silk satin and lace. Size (40) LCategory
1930s French Lingerie