1990s Vivienne Westwood Lurex Corset and Skirt Ensemble
View Similar Items
1990s Vivienne Westwood Lurex Corset and Skirt Ensemble
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: M - L (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1402861682
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.
- John Galliano purple and black herringbone mohair sweater and skirt set, fw 1999By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano purple mohair sweater and skirt set ▪ Black herringbone design with purple base ▪ Turn-over cuffs ▪ Large high-neck fold-over c...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Jeanne Lanvin haute couture green tartan tweed coat and skirt set, c. 1940sBy Jeanne LanvinLocated in London, GBIntroducing an exquisite Jeanne Lanvin 1940s couture green and brown tartan tweed coat and skirt ensemble, a true gem that embodies the timeless elegance...Category
1940s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood metallic sea green denim jacket and pants set, ss 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood metallic sea green denim jacket and pants set ▪ Inverted seams ▪ Gold orb etched buttons ▪ Red contrast stitch ▪ High...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Junya Watanabe indigo denim brocade tailcoat jacket and pants set, ss 2007By Junya WatanabeLocated in London, GB▪ Junya Watanabe pant suit ▪ Indigo denim brocade ▪ Fitted tailcoat jacket ▪ Matching skinny pants with cummerbund-style waistband ▪ Size: Extra Small ▪ Spring-Summer 2007 ▪ 100%...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Azzedine Alaia navy blue knitted wool pant suit, fw 1986By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBAzzedine Alaia navy blue knitted pant suit comprising: long turtle neck sweater with fitted sleeves and zip fastenings, and extra long knitted pants. Fall-Winter 1986Category
1980s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Issey Miyake blue knit jersey convertible sweater and pants set, c. 1980sBy Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GBPresenting an exceptional Issey Miyake knitted 2-piece pant suit, a true treasure from the illustrious 1980s era. This unique suit showcases Issey Miyake's signature design ingenuity...Category
1980s Japanese Trouser Pant Suits
- Tom Ford for Gucci S/S 1993 Runway Vintage Zipper JumpsuitBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Naples, FLTom Ford for Gucci S/S 1993 Runway Vintage Zipper Jumpsuit IT 38 Excellent Condition! Like New!Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Batik Print Skirt and BodiceLocated in London, GBA charming two piece that could be worn equally well seperately. In a batik like print of grey , white and blue, the skirt has gathering at the waist and a scalloped hem. The bodice...Category
1950s Unknown Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1980s David Hayes Red and Black Asymmetrical SuitBy David HayesLocated in San Francisco, CA1980s David Hayes Red and black asymmetrical suit with front hidden front button closure, along a black boarder and decorative button at the neckline...Category
1980s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
$399 Sale Price20% Off - 1950s Green and Black Wool SuitLocated in San Francisco, CA1950s wool suit featuring shades of olive, sage, and forest green with an asymmetrical button closure accented with additional matching hand-covered buttons. The shawl collar is modi...Category
1950s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Marella blouse and pants suitLocated in Capri, ITMarella blouse and pants suit Blue sequins blouse with black belt and dark blue pants suit made in italt in size 42Category
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
$420 Sale Price20% Off - Sonia Rykiel Three Piece Tuxedo Style Black Pant Suit, 1980'sBy Sonia RykielLocated in Atlanta, GAA versatile 1980's Sonia Rykiel three piece suit in a black rayon/acetate blend crepe fabric, including jacket, top and pants. The chic details, including a satin finish to the coll...Category
1980s French Trouser Pant Suits
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.