Vivienne Westwood black t-shirt with gold foil vagina print, ss 1994
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Medium (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14029516702
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Christian Dior by John Galliano blue silk corset, fw 2001By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior blue silk corset top ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Gathered polka-dot silk organza stomacher with velvet bands ▪ Raw silk side and back panels ▪ Silk fringe trim ▪...Category
Early 2000s French Corsets
- Margiela artisanal black leather glove top, ss 2001By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GBMartin Margiela, iconic artisanal glove top made from an assortment of vintage leather gloves. Halter neck, open back with snap button closures....Category
1990s French Shirts
- Saint Laurent gold metal mesh evening top, pf 2021By Saint LaurentLocated in London, GB▪ Saint Laurent evening top ▪ Gold metal mesh ▪ Two scarf neck ties with chain tassel trim ▪ Black silk organza lining ▪ FR 34 - UK 6 - XS ▪ Pre-Fall 2021 ▪ 100% MetalCategory
2010s French Shirts
- Azzedine Alaia black laser cut boiled wool fringed tunic, fw 1993By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBAzzedine Alaia black laser cut boiled wool fringed tunic. Fall-Winter 1993Category
1990s French Sweaters
- Gucci by Tom Ford Mirror-Embroidered Artisanal Backless Cotton Top, ss 1999By Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Archival Gucci Mirror-Embroidered Artisanal Backless Cotton Top ▪ Creative Director: Tom Ford ▪ Spring-Summer 1999 ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Con...Category
1990s Italian Shirts
- John Galliano grey linen oversized button-up shirt, ss 1985By John GallianoLocated in London, GBJohn Galliano grey linen oversized button-up shirt with ruffled trim on cuffs and pocket. Afghanistan Repudiates Western Ideals, Spring-Summer 1985Category
1980s British Shirts
- Gucci by Tom Ford Black Polyester Long Sleeves TopBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage Gucci by Tom Ford black polyester long sleeves pullover top from fall 1996 collection. - Button detail on the side of the sleeves. - Size 44. - 100% Polyester.Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Christian Dior Green Velvet Sleevesless BodysuitBy Christian DiorLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Christian Dior green velvet sleeveless bodysuit. - Lace and silk bottom part with three button closure. - Size 40. - 74% Viscose, 26% Silk....Category
1990s French Blouses and Tops
- Dior Black Tank Top With Silk Wrap DetailsBy Christian DiorLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- This Dior black tank top from early 2000s John Galliano. It has a black silk wrapping details connected from the bottom front to the back top. You can pla...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tank Tops
- Gucci Black Ruffle Striped Laced Button Up Ls Shirt (M) 572339By GucciLocated in Montreal, QuebecGucci Button-Up Top. From the 2018 Collection by Alessandro Michele. Black. Lace Pattern. Ruffle Embellishment. Long Sleeve with Collar. Button Closure at Front. Lace construction. S...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shirts
- Off-white C/o Virgil Abloh 2018 Graphic Print Black T-shirt (Small)Located in Montreal, QuebecOff-White c/o Virgil Abloh T-Shirt. From the Spring 2018 Collection by Virgil Abloh. Black. Graphic Print. Short Sleeve with Crew Neck. COLOR: Black MATERIAL: 100% Cotton; Combo 100...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shirts
- Gucci Black Polyester Long Sleeves TopBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Gucci by Tom Ford black polyester long sleeves pullover top from fall 1996 collection. - Button detail on the side of the sleeves. - Size 44. - 100% Polyester.Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
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.