Vintage VIVIENNE WESTWOOD 1990s Black Silk Halter Wrap Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 2/4 (US)Bust: 32 in (81.28 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:silk
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4262825923
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- 1970s Purple and Gold Silk Maxi GownsLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1970s Raksha Purple and Gold long sleeve maxi gown with silk belt. Size :6/8 MediumCategory
1970s Indian Wedding Dresses
- Vintage 1980s Bill Blass Red and Black One Shoulder Sequin GownBy Bill BlassLocated in Beverly Hills, CAVintage 1980s Bill Blass Red and Black One Shoulder Sequin Gown sequin one gown with slit on the side. Sexy and Fun Vintage cocktail dress. B:...Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- Gianfranco Ferrè Green Velvet Strapless Cocktail DressBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Beverly Hills, CA90s Gianfranco Ferre Green Velvet cocktail dress with black silk origami bow. Built in bustier bra. Size Small Measurement: Bust : 30” / Wa...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1980s Janice Wainwright Long Sleeve Black Velvet V neck Cocktail DressBy Janice WainwrightLocated in Beverly Hills, CAVintage 1980s Janice wainwright V neck Velvet Long sleeve cocktail dress. Bust: 36”/ Waist: 26”/ HIp: 34”Category
1980s British Evening Gowns
- 1960s Geoffrey Beene Grey Wool Shift DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Beverly Hills, CAVintage Geoffrey Beene gray wool shift dress with rhinestones on collar and sleeve. Dress has pockets. Silk lining need to be replaced. ( see images) ...Category
1960s American Mini Dress
- 1970s Geoffrey Beene Navy Blue Metallic Halter DressBy Geoffrey Beene, Geoffrey Been BoutiqueLocated in Beverly Hills, CASexy and timeless 1970s Geoffrey Beene navy blue metallic jersey halter dress with bare back. Size: 4/ SmallCategory
1970s American Evening Dresses
- Valentino vintage black dress NWOTBy ValentinoLocated in Capri, ITValentino vintage black dress NWOT size 44Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vintage 1960 Norman Norell Sequin Star Novelty Black Sheer Illusion Tulle GownBy Norman NorellLocated in Beverly Hills, CAThis iconic Norman Norell couture gown exemplifies his signature blend of couture level quality with quintessentially American style; elegant in its simplicity. Dating back to his 19...Category
1960s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Chic 1960s Black and Silver Metallic Lace Rayon Crepe Vintage 60s Sheath DressLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1960s black rayon crepe and silver metallic lace vintage sheath dress ! Features an empire style waist with bow at side left waist. Swag detail at ...Category
1960s Cocktail Dresses
- 1970s Nolan Miller Couture Chocolate Brown Silk Chiffon Vintage 70s Midi DressBy Nolan MillerLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful 1970s NOLAN MILLER COUTURE chocolate brown silk chiffon long sleeve midi dress ! Miller, who was the famed designer for all the wardrobe on "Dynasty" in the 80s, started hi...Category
1970s American Evening Gowns
- 2000s Moschino Cheap & Chic Black and White Size 6 8 Hand Painted Vintage DressBy Moschino Cheap and Chic, MoschinoLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing vintage early 2000s MOSCHINO CHEAP & CHIC black and white hand painted short sleeve y2k dress! Features flattering white handpainted white stripes around the neck and sleeves...Category
Early 2000s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Lanvin Navy Crown and Shield JL Logo Vintage Belted Shirt Dress, 1960sBy Lanvin ParisLocated in San Francisco, CALanvin vintage 1960s by Jules Francois Crahay navy blue long sleeve shirt dress with buttons to waist and belt. Features crown and shield design with Lanvin JL logos throughout in re...Category
1960s American Casual Dresses