Vivienne Westwood 'CUT AND SLASH' hipster jeans, c. 1991
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood 'CUT AND SLASH' hipster jeans, c. 1991
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 38 HIP (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14021430373
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.
- Dolce & Gabbana grey wool ribbed knit high waisted leggingsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana grey wool ribbed knit high waisted leggings. - Zip fastening on center back seam and ankles. ca. 1990-1999Category
1990s Italian Pants
- Vivienne Westwood Mens blue wool riding breeches style cropped pantsBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Mens blue wool riding breeches style cropped pants ca. 1985-1989Category
1980s British Pants
- BodyMap 1980s crinkled track pantsLocated in London, GBBodyMap 1980s crinkled track pantsCategory
1980s British Pants
- Jean Paul Gaultier Autumn-Winter 1990 black and brown leather biker pantsBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean Paul Gaultier Autumn-Winter 1990 black and brown leather biker pants with padding and bondage straps.Category
1990s French Pants
- Dolce & Gabbana Silk Chiffon Ruffled Flared Pants, ss 2004By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana Silk Chiffon Ruffled Flared Pants ▪ Spring-Summer 2004 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Semi-transparent silk chiffon pants with floral and paisley-inspired print ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pants
- Christian Dior by John Galliano Bleached-Denim and Shearling Pants, fw 2000By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Archival Christian Dior Pants ▪ Creative Director: John Galliano ▪ Fall-Winter 2000 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Trompe-l'œil printed cotton to give bleached denim appearance ...Category
Early 2000s French Pants
- CHANEL short pantsBy ChanelLocated in Rubiera, RECHANEL Spring/Summer 2006 Collection Bermuda shorts in classic blue denim with silver trimmings and logo button 98% cotton 2% elastane Size FR 42 Made in Italy Flat measures: Length ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pants
- Chanel Fall 1996 Lila Iridescent Cargo PantsBy Chanel Boutique, ChanelLocated in GOUVIEUX, FRChanel Fall1996 runway neon lila cargo pants. . High waist · Silver tone CC monogram logo · Two pockets each sides . Iridescent fabric Size Fits XS to S 36FR Flat measurements : ...Category
1990s French Cargo Pants
- STOULS navy genuine cowhide leather tight legging pants XXSLocated in Hong Kong, NTSTOULS navy genuine cowhide leather tight legging pants XXS Reference: LNKO/A02219 Brand: Stouls Material: Leather Color: Blue Pattern: Solid Closure: Elasticated Lining: Blue Fabric...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Pants
- MARNI blue cotton blend brown black tape tapered joggers IT38 XSBy MarniLocated in Hong Kong, NTMARNI blue cotton blend brown black tape tapered joggers IT38 XS Reference: CELG/A00259 Brand: Marni Material: Cotton, Blend Color: Blue, Multicolour Pattern: Solid Closure: Zip Extr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Pants
- Ungaro Vintage Leggings Deadstock 1980s Bold Colorful Abstract Graphic PrintBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Portland, ORThese late 1980's Emanuel Ungaro deadstock vintage leggings are so unique and fun! These bold, bright abstract graphic print leggings include shades o...Category
1980s Italian Pants
- Yves Saint Laurent YSL Vintage Deep Purple Cotton Trousers W Self Tie Sash BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Yves Saint Laurent purple cotton trousers are anything but ordinary! The color is the perfect rich, jewel tone saturated purple and we fell in love the with attached sa...Category
1980s European Pants
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.