Vivienne Westwood 'Cut, Slash & Pull' Open Toe High Sole Platforms, Circa 1991
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 7 (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14021871133
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.
- Vivienne Westwood black leather and suede platformsBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood black leather and suede platforms ca. 1990-1996Category
1990s British Shoes
- Vivienne Westwood black suede round toe pumpsBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood black suede round toe pumps with buckle closure ca. 1986-1990Category
1980s British Shoes
- Azzedine Alaia black leather and crochet pointed heels, ca. 1985-1988By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBPancaldi for Azzedine Alaia ca. 1985-1988Category
1980s Shoes
- Hussein Chalayan Autumn-Winter 2002 black leather bondage shoes with metal heelBy Hussein ChalayanLocated in London, GBHussein Chalayan Autumn-Winter 2002 black leather shoes with metal heelCategory
Early 2000s British Shoes
- Martin Margiela black leather heeled pumps with sock boots, fw 1999By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GBIntroducing the Martin Margiela Autumn-Winter 1999 shoes, a remarkable and innovative footwear creation from the avant-garde designer's iconic collection. Crafted from luxurious bla...Category
1990s Italian Shoes
- Alaia pony hair leopard print coat and boots ensemble, c. 2010By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBIntroducing an extraordinary Alaia pony hair leopard print coat and boots ensemble, a true statement of bold and luxurious style. This ensemble showcas...Category
2010s French Coats and Outerwear
- Chanel Black and White Patent Leather Cage Peep Toe Booties Shoes Size 41 or 11By ChanelLocated in Tustin, CAHard to find size 11 or 41, Chanel Black and White Patent Leather Cage Peep Toe Booties Shoes from the Spring 2015 runway collection of the legendary luxury brand Chanel. These edgy...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
- Atelier Versace Black Satin Sling Backs, Never Worn Size 7By Atelier VersaceLocated in Buchanan, MIAtelier Versace Black Satin Sling Backs, Never Worn Size 7Category
20th Century Italian High Heels
- Atelier Versace Black Satin Sling Backs, Never Worn Size 7By Atelier VersaceLocated in Buchanan, MIAtelier Versace Black Satin Sling Backs, Never Worn Size 7Category
20th Century Italian High Heels
- Atelier Versace Black Satin High Heels, Never Worn Size 7By Atelier VersaceLocated in Buchanan, MIAtelier Versace Black Satin High Heels, Never Worn Size 7Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- PRADA black/orange leather Mules, late 1990sBy Prada, Miuccia PradaLocated in Genève, CHEasy to wear mules with front metallic chain detail with little bow. These beautiful sandals were worn little times and are in very good conditions (front sole has been change becaus...Category
1990s Italian Sandals
- PRADA F/W 2021 Runway Platform Boots Miuccia Prada Raf SimmonsBy PradaLocated in Berlin, BEIncredible platform boots from the third collection co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons. This Prada Fall Winter 2021 collection was inspired by the idea of change and transf...Category
2010s Italian Block Heel
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.