S/S 1999 Vivienne Westwood Red Label Hot Pink Silk Gown with Front Ties
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 51.1 in (129.8 cm)Marked Size: 44 (UK)Bust: 33 in (83.82 cm)Waist: 31.6 in (80.27 cm)Hip: 46.8 in (118.88 cm)
- Period:
- Material Notes:Fabric contents unmarked; feels like silk and nylon blend.
- Condition:In very good vintage condition with minor discoloration near hemline and disconnected loop for side hook closure; otherwise in excellent vintage condition with original tags.
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3084219954312
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: North Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- c. 1959 Jean Patou by Karl Lagerfeld Couture Strapless Blue Satin Evening GownBy Jean Patou Paris, Karl LagerfeldLocated in North Hollywood, CAc. 1959 Jean Patou by Karl Lagerfeld Couture strapless blue satin evening sheath gown. Matching oversized fabric buttons and large bow at back. Subtle wrap-like effect at back with c...Category
1950s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- S/S 2000 Valentino Black Strapless Gown with Open BustBy ValentinoLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 2000 Valentino black strapless gown with open bust. Strapless gown with open bust paneling and open center drape wrap front. Built-in corset with boning at sides. Concealed side ...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1968 Malcolm Starr Off-White Pleated Gown with Crystal Cutout WaistBy Malcolm StarrLocated in North Hollywood, CA1968 Malcolm Starr off-white silk chiffon pleated gown with empire waist and hand-beaded embellished cutout detail. Built-in corset with boning and back zip closure. As seen in Harpe...Category
1960s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1970's James Galanos Couture Ecru Pleated Gown with Polka Dot Interior BustierBy James GalanosLocated in North Hollywood, CA1970's James Galanos Couture Label ecru silk chiffon pleated gown with polka dot strapless interior bustier and embellished upper. Interior white strapless bustier with black and whi...Category
1970s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- S/S 1996 Jean Paul Gaultier 'Cyberbaba' X-Ray Print Wrap DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 1996 Jean Paul Gaultier 'Cyberbaba' Collection cyber print wrap dress. Upper portion features semi-sheer button-up silk collared long sleeve top with contrasting striped cyber pa...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- S/S 2016 Calvin Klein White Silk Gown with Bronze Loop Side DetailsBy Calvin KleinLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 2016 Calvin Klein white silk long sleeve gown with open sleeves and bronze loop details at sides, with raw unfinished hem. Snap closures at shoulders. Fabric Contents: 100% Silk....Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vicky Tiel Black & White Lace Strapless Dress w/ Beading - 44By Vicky TielLocated in West Palm Beach, FLVicky Tiel Black & White Lace Strapless Dress w/ Beading - 44. This beautiful dress is in excellent condition. It features a gorgeous black lace over a white nylon blend, a built-i...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Dresses
- Vicky Tiel Purple Silk Taffeta Strapless Gown w/ Floral Detail On Back - 42By Vicky TielLocated in West Palm Beach, FLVicky Tiel Purple Silk Taffeta Strapless Gown w/ Organza Floral Detail On Back - 42. This special gown is in excellent condition. This dress features a purple silk taffeta material...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Gowns
- Carolyne Roehm 1980's Black Velvet Dress with Olive Ruffle Bottom - 4By Carolyne RoehmLocated in West Palm Beach, FLCarolyne Roehm 1980's Black Velvet Dress with Olive Ruffle Bottom - 4. This dress is in excellent vintage condition. It is short sleeved and has side ruching with rhinestone buttons ...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses and 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
- Rose Taft Vintage Purple & Teal Silk Blend Strapless Gown w/ Floral Design - 10By ROSE TAFTLocated in West Palm Beach, FLRose Taft Vintage Purple & Teal Silk Blend Strapless Gown w/ Floral Design - 10. This lovely vintage gown is in excellent condition. It features a purple and teal silk blend materi...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Linda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10Located in West Palm Beach, FLLinda Cunningham Taupe Silk Gown w/ Multi Floral Lace & 3 Tier Ruffle Bust - 10. This gorgeous gown is in excellent condition. It features a taupe silk material, three tier ruffle ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Gowns