Vivienne Westwood runway rafia knitted dress with floral appliqués, C. 1995
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood runway rafia knitted dress with floral appliqués, C. 1995
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14021723873
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swatted away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knew her way around a garment. And she knew how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.” Collectors are certainly interested in her work, and vintage Vivienne Westwood dresses, handbags, lingerie and jackets have become very desirable over the years.
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 necklaces and other 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.
For the colorful corsets of her 1990 Portrait collection, Westwood drew on 18th-century oil paintings — her models donned the pearl necklaces that have become a social media star and a favorite of influencers and fashion lovers all over the world. For a jacket-and-shorts suit from her Fall/Winter 1996–97 Storm in a Teacup line, the designer used the extreme asymmetry of a tartan mash-up to confront, according to Westwood, “the horror of uniformity and minimalism.”
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 garnered accolades for introducing corsets to the runway and dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter. And an original Vivienne Westwood wedding dress is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
The fires of political and environmental activism burned brightly for Westwood: She was 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 shirts, shoes, gowns and other items today on 1stDibs.
- Worlds End orange cotton jersey toga dress with Henri Matisse print, A / W 1982By Vivienne Westwood, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLarenLocated in London, GB- Designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren - Henri Matisse - Femmes et Singes (1954) printed in brown 'Buffalo / Nostalgia of Mud' Autumn-W...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana red velvet patchwork maxi dress, fw 1993By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana, red velvet diamond patchwork maxi dress. Fall-Winter 1993Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Atelier Versace transparent plastic and red wool mini dress and jacket, fw 1995By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBAtelier Versace; Red wool strapless bustier mini dress with transparent plastic trim and built in corset. Sold with a matching jacket with plastic yoke and silver zip fastenings. A...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano red bias-cut evening dress, fw 2004By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior red evening dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Red satin-backed crepe ▪ Multiple curved panels ▪ Halter neck and shoulder straps ▪ Floor-length skirt ▪ FR 36 - UK 8...Category
Early 2000s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier red jersey cone breast maxi dress, fw 1985By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier red jersey maxi dress ▪ Pointed cone breast panels ▪ Front metal zip fastening ▪ Size Small ▪ Missing label ▪ Fall-Winter 1985Category
1980s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia red open knit fishtail evening dress, ss 1996By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBPresenting an alluring Azzedine Alaia red ribbed knit evening dress, a true masterpiece from the spring-summer 1996 collection. This dress showcases the designer's unparalleled craft...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1976 Halston Red One Shoulder GownBy HalstonLocated in Austin, TX1976 Halston red one shoulder gown as seen in Met Collection 28" bust, 26" waistm 29" hips, 57" length Condition: Excellent fits sz 2 - 6Category
1970s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace 1990's Vintage Embellished Sheer Panel Red Evening Dress GownBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace 1990's Vintage Embellished Sheer Panel Red Evening Dress Gown Gianni Versace red evening dress featuring sheer front panel, embellishments, and front high slit. Pleas...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Bill Blass Red Lace Vintage Long Evening Runway Dress Spring Summer 1997By Bill BlassLocated in Portland, ORThis vintage Bill Blass Spring Summer 1997 runway dress is simply incredible! This stunning evening dress is in a gorgeous, intricate red lace and it has a nude silk slip underneath. The double layered slip has thin straps and a scoop neckline and the red lace dress has short sleeves and a high round neckline. There is a metal zipper down the center back seam with a hook and eye for closure. The seams of the red dress are in the same nude color as the slip and the lace has a ruffle near the shins...Category
20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Oscar de la Renta 1990's Red & Purple Satin & Velvet Color Block Dress-Size 8By Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOscar de la Renta 1990's Red & Purple Color-Block Dress - 8. This dress is in excellent condition and is long sleeved. The top part is velvet and the ...Category
1990s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Oscar de la Renta Red Silk Taffeta Dress with Rose Detail - 6By Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Oscar de la Renta red silk taffeta dress is sleeveless with a drop waist and pleating at the beginning of the skirt. This dress also has a ruffle that leads into a rose along th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Lilli Diamond 1970s Bright Red Crinkle Crepe Shift with Giant Bow at ShoulderBy Lilli DiamondLocated in San Francisco, CALilli Diamond 1970s bright red shift dress with huge satiny bow at shoulder. Base shift is made of a taffeta like fabric with a crinkly crepe covering, and a second layer of crepe fo...Category
1970s Unknown Cocktail Dresses
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.