Vivienne Westwood mens tan ruffled pant suit, ss 1997
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Medium (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14028669222
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.
- Azzedine Alaia copper acetate bandage skirt and bodysuit, ss 1986By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GB▪ Azzedine Alaia copper bandage skirt and bodysuit ▪ 100% Acetate ▪ Eight connecting panels ▪ Skin bearing lace-up string fastening ▪ Halterneck bodysuit ▪ Size Small ▪ Sprin...Category
1980s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Christian Dior by John Galliano camel wool skirt suit, fw 1999By John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GBChristian Dior by John Galliano camel wool skirt suit comprising: fitted jacket with a chunky knitted collar and cuffs, and matching skirt with ribbed wool hem and large button back ...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Gianni Versace multicoloured silk pant suit, ss 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace multicoloured silk pant suit. Spring-Summer 1992Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Christian Dior by John Galliano green tweed 3-piece suit, fw 1998By John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GBChristian Dior by John Galliano green tweed 3-piece suit comprising: single breasted blazer jacket with shawl lapel, straight leg pants and knee le...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Alexander McQueen quilted nude leather jumpsuit fw 2004By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GBQuilted nude leather jumpsuit by Alexander McQueen, from his F/W 2004 collection "Pantheon Ad Lucem"Category
Early 2000s British Jumpsuits
- Issey Miyake multicoloured devoré and silk skirt suit, fw 1996By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GBIssey Miyake multicoloured devoré and silk skirt suit. Loose fit blouse with button fastenings paired with a maxi skirt with exposed red silk lining and two side pockets Fall-Winter...Category
1990s Japanese Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- S/S 1991 Gianni Versace Marilyn Monroe Pop Art Warhol Skirt SuitBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Concord, NCGianni Versace Couture skirt suit in excellent condition from Spring Summer 1991 featuring an Andy Warhol inspired pop art motif of pop culture icons Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. ...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Christian Lacroix Skirt SuitBy Christian LacroixLocated in New York, NY1990s Christian Lacroix skirt suit. Such a beautiful piece with bright floral details throughout; an embodiment of his extravagent craftsmanship and love fo...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- 1970s Yves Saint Laurent Pop Art Floral Cotton Skirt and Shirt SetBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Miami, FL1970s Yves Saint Laurent YSL set of button down shirt and skirt in a bright pop art floral print on crisp cotton. Collared and button down shirt with a zip and...Category
1970s French Skirt Suits
- Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 Checked Two Piece Skirt Suit SetBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 “Cafe Society” collection Blue & yellow checked skirt & jacket suit set Fitted blazer jacket High waisted mini skirt Zip up side of skir...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- Chanel golden sand cashmere and silk twin set F/W 2008 FR 42By ChanelLocated in Rubiera, REChanel golden sand twin set F/W 2008 collection Cashmere and silk Golden metal lions buttons Size FR 42 Made in Italy Excellent conditionCategory
Early 2000s Twin Sets
- Jean Paul Gaultier Abstract Polka Dots Set Cardigan and Tank TopBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in GOUVIEUX, FRBy Jean Paul Gaultier from the iconic 1994 Spring Summer Ready to Wear Collection. 2 piece set Cardigan and Tank Top. Circa 1994. · Long sleeves cardigan · Tank Top . Mesh Size F...Category
1910s Italian Twin Sets
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.