Vivienne Westwood Black Velvet Corset With Macandreas Plaid & Rhinestone 1993
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 10 (UK)
- Style:1993 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4519705642
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Balenciaga By Ghesquiere Grey Neoprene Top 2008By BalenciagaLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is pleased to offer a vintage Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiere grey neoprene top featuring 3/4 length sleeves, high neckline, cross seaming detail at the center ...Category
Early 2000s French Shirts
- Miu Miu Dark Navy Top With Green RhinestonesBy Miu MiuLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Miu Miu navy blue top featuring green rhinestones, a straight neckline, bust darts, and a covered b...Category
Early 2000s Italian Shirts
- Dries Van Noten Ivory Button Front Short Sleeve TopBy Dries van NotenLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Dries Van Noten ivory top featuring an asymmetrical front, button front closure, and multi-c...Category
Early 2000s Belgian Shirts
- Gianni Versace Rhinestone & Velvet Couture BustierBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection is excited to offer a vintage Gianni Versace blue satin and purple velvet Versace Couture bustier featuring an intricate multicolor rhinest...Category
Early 2000s Italian Bustiers
- Jean Paul Gaultier Brown Lace Blouse W Puff Sleeves SS 1995By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier lace blouse featuring puff sleeves, a zipper down the back, and a ruffled high neck. Jean Paul Gaultier Size: 4...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Walter Van Beirendonck Brown Rubber Nipple TopBy Walter Van BeirendonckLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to present a vintage Walt top featuring rubber nipples & dots, long sleeves, and a logo tag on the back. Walt Siz...Category
1990s Belgian T-Shirts
- Dolce & Gabbana Kim White Cropped T-ShirtBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Scottsdale, AZIntroducing the Dolce & Gabbana Kim White Cropped T-Shirt, a super fun and statement-making piece that exudes style and personality. Crafted from crisp white cotton, this cropped t-s...Category
2010s Italian T-Shirts
- Black & Gold Moschino Couture Silk Button-Up Top Size IT 42By MoschinoLocated in New York, NYBlack and gold silk button-up top by Moschino Couture. Floral pattern throughout. Pointed collar. Button closures at center front. 48" bust, 18" shoulder width, 30" length.Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Blouses and Tops
- Just Cavalli Brown Animal Printed Knit Top LBy Just CavalliLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Your search for a simple and sophisticated top ends with this lovely one from Just Cavalli. This brown top is made of a viscose blend and it features long sleeves and a fabulous anim...Category
2010s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Elizabeth and James White and Blue Striped Peplum Top SBy Elizabeth & JamesLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Elizabeth and James is all set to adorn you in this cool and modish sleeveless peplum top. Crafted from cotton, acrylic, and nylon blend, it features an attractive deep V shaped neck...Category
2010s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Marni Multicolor Floral Printed Cotton Long Sleeve Blouse SBy MarniLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Marni delights us with this lovely blouse that has been tailored from cotton and styled with long sleeves, a tie at the front and floral prints all over. This creation will look grea...Category
2010s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Armani Collezioni Pink Cotton Long Sleeve Button Front Shirt SBy Armani CollezioniLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2If you're wondering what to wear to work, this Armani Collezioni cotton shirt is here to save the day. The pink shirt, styled with a classic collar neckline, long sleeves and lined w...Category
2010s Blouses and Tops