1990s Vivienne Westwood Black and Blue Cardigan
About the Item
- Designer:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU228216343092
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: Toronto, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1990's Chanel Navy Classic Long Sleeve TopBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990's Chanel navy classic long sleeve cotton knit top. Crew neckline, with a small single resin CC button fastening at the back. A great non black staple piece for every wardrobe. E...Category
1990s French Pullovers
- 1950s Black Hong Kong Beaded SweaterBy Elise TuLocated in Toronto, OntarioElise Tu Hong Kong label black beaded cashmere sweater from the 1950s. Decorated down the front, along the back of the neck and on the c...Category
1950s Hong Kong Cardigans
- Early 2000s Oscar de la Renta Navy Cardigan With Crochet CollarBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in Toronto, OntarioA lovely Oscar de la Renta cardigan from the early 2000s. Navy blue thin, very fine wool with ribbing at the cuffs, centre seam and hem. Beautiful, contrasting off white floral croch...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cardigans
- 1980s Sonia Rykiel Cashmere/Cotton Mix Navy Blue CardiganBy Sonia RykielLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Sonia Rykiel cotton/cashmere blend knit cardigan. Navy blue with contrasting white at cuffs and interior of horizontal slit pockets. Crewneck with matching blue buttons. Ribbe...Category
1980s French Cardigans
- 1980s Karl Lagerfeld Grey Knit Sweater with Classical Roman FiguresBy Karl LagerfeldLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Karl Lagerfeld knit sweater. Grey with cream trim at cuffs and hem. Centre features a scene of a classic Roman Empire man and woman. Oversized with slouchy turtleneck collar an...Category
1980s French Pullovers
- 1990s Jean Paul Gaultier Striped Boiled Wool CardiganBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Toronto, OntarioJean Paul Gaultier Maille boiled wool long cardigan from the early 1990s. Black, pale blue, brown and cream thick stripes. Open front with hanky hem and large patch pockets. Unlined....Category
1990s Italian Cardigans
- YSL Colorblock Knit SweaterLocated in New York, NYSize: S Material: cotton Condition: very good Lisa's Measurements: Height: 5"11 inches Bust: 32" inches Waist: 25" inches Hips: 35" inchesCategory
1990s Sweaters
- 1990s Valentino Miss V Double Ply Lambswool Navy SweaterBy Valentino Miss VLocated in Miami, FL1990's Valentino Miss V navy lambswool and angora wool sweater. A doubly ply knit with red detailing around the collar with 3 red acrylic buttons and red detailing on the inside lay...Category
1990s Italian Pullovers
- Enfants Riches Deprimes Green Assemblage Heroin Needle Patch HoodieLocated in Bear, DEEnfants Riches Deprimes Green Assemblage Heroin Needle Patch Hoodie Size XL Excellent condition Extremely rare ERD hoodie Heroin needle patch ...Category
2010s American Pullovers
- Haider Ackermann Gathered Bomber Perth Black 2020 size MediumBy Haider AckermannLocated in Bear, DEGently used (worn x1) w/ tags Haider Ackermann Perth Black Reversible Bomber Size M (can fit up to an XL; see measurements) This is the FW14 reissued Heat Collab version As seen on K...Category
2010s Pullovers
- Yohji Yamamoto navy and black knitted wool oversized sweater, fw 1984By Yohji YamamotoLocated in London, GB▪ Yohji Yamamoto navy and black knitted sweater ▪ 90% Wool, 5% Cotton, 5% Polyurethane ▪ Extremely oversized fit ▪ Labelled size medium ▪ Fall-Winter 1984Category
1980s Japanese Sweaters
- Dolce & Gabbana black viscose cropped vest with colourful silk beads, ss 1992By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana rib-knit cropped vest ▪ 68% Viscose, 32% Nylon ▪ Multicoloured silk bead adornments ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 ▪ Spring-Summer 1992Category
1990s Italian Sweater Vests