1999 Vivienne Westwood Couture Runway Wool Tartan Jacket & Skirt Suit
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Style:Punk (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Altered (not by designer).
- Seller Location:Sheffield, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3407221072792
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: Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- 1990's Christian Lacroix Khaki Green & Gold Jacket Mini Skirt Set - 2 Piece SuitBy Christian LacroixLocated in Sheffield, GBFabulous 1990's Vintage Cropped Jacket and A-line Mini Skirt Set by Christian Lacroix, in a thick Khaki Green Cotton with Contrasting Gold button details ! The Jacket is fitted w...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Patchwork 2000's KENZO Micro Mesh Ensemble Matching Long sleeve Top & Skirt SetBy KenzoLocated in Sheffield, GB2000's Vintage KENZO set in a slightly sparkly micro mesh, patch-worked fabric. The set comprises a Stretchy Long sleeved Mesh Tee and a Mid rise matching skirt which is lined by a ...Category
1990s European Skirt Suits
- S/S 1993 ROCHAS Jewel Tone Lime Green Tweed Boucle Jacket & Skirt Matching SetBy RochasLocated in Sheffield, GBDecadent Spring / Summer 1993 ROCHAS Runway Tweed suit in Green and sparkling Jewel toned shades, composed of a Blazer & pencil skirt, both of which are fully lined in pure silk. MA...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- 2000's Y2k Roberto Cavalli Vintage Snakeskin Silk Shirt & Low rise Skirt SetBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Sheffield, GB2000's Vintage Silk crepe shirt and matching Skirt Set by Roberto Cavalli, with Contrasting Gold cufflink, Buckle and button details ! The shirt is crafted from a super light crin...Category
Early 2000s European Skirt Suits
- 1990s Christian Lacroix matching Green Lilac Jacket Mini Skirt Set Jacquard SuitBy Christian LacroixLocated in Sheffield, GBFabulous 1990's Vintage Boucle Jacket and Mini Skirt Set by Christian Lacroix, in a superb 'LaCroix' signature material constructed of Lilac, Green and Pink Jacquard ! This divine J...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- FW 1999 Jean Paul Gaultier Micro Mesh Ensemble Matching Top & Skirt SetBy Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Sheffield, GBSuperb, F/W 1999 JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 'Hiva Oa' 2 piece set in a print inspired by the French Polynesian 'Marquesa Islands' in a Burgundy colour palette, seen first referenced by Gault...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Thierry Mugler Couture SS-2001 Jumpsuit with plastic & glass beads embroideriesBy Thierry Mugler Couture, Thierry MuglerLocated in Brussels, BELook 39 of the runway Spring/summer 2001 100% polyester Plastic & glass beads embroideries Made in france Size FR42 ( size conversion 10US - 14UK - 46IT - MEDIUM) Measurements (all...Category
Early 2000s French Jumpsuits
- GLORIA SACHS Couture 1980s Two Piece PAISLEY FUR Suit Skirt Jacket Wool 10By Gloria SachsLocated in Asheville, NCGloria Sachs, Iconic Suit, Vintage 1980's, 100% Pure Wool (Soft), Made in USA, Union Tag, Fully Lined. Jacket - Quilted, Five Wooden/Clay Round Buttons, Shoulder Pads, Two Pockets, ...Category
1980s Skirt Suits
- Vintage TRAVILLA Dress Jacket Ensemble Blue Rhinestones Satin 10By TravillaLocated in Asheville, NCTravilla, Dress and Jacket Ensemble, Three Rhinestone Buttons on Jacket front and One on Each Sleeve, Hook and Eye Closure on Jacket with Buttons, Double Straps on Dress, Zipper on B...Category
1980s Dress and Coat Ensembles
- Vintage PIERRE CARDIN Paris Couture 1960s Two Piece Ensemble Skirt Jacket 38By Pierre Cardin Paris, Pierre CardinLocated in Asheville, NCPierre Cardin, 100% Wool, 1960's Couture, Made in France, Asymmetrical Layered Design, Two Faceted Buttons, Pleated Skirt, Metal Zipper, Slit on Back of Skirt, Vintage 38 Measuremen...Category
1960s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage HALSTON 1970s Tropical Jersey 2 Piece Ensemble Skirt Halter Top OOAKBy HalstonLocated in Asheville, NCHalston, Vintage 1970's, Jersey Blend, Halter Top with Neck and Waist Tie, Metal Talon Zipper on Side of Skirt, One Pocket on Skirt, Vintage Size 10, Rare, One of a Kind! Measuremen...Category
1970s American Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage NEIMAN MARCUS Couture 1970s Two Piece 100% CASHMERE Skirt Jacket 8By Neiman MarcusLocated in Asheville, NCNeiman Marcus, Vintage 1970's, 100% Cashmere, Made in USA, Union Tag, Fully Lined. Jacket - Four Mother of Pearl Buttons, Small Shoulder Pad. Skirt - A-Line, Two Pockets, One Butt...Category
1970s American Skirt Suits