Vivienne Westwood green harris-tweed 'Time Machine' skirt, fw 1988
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: UK 10 / EU 38 (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14022681553
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Vivienne Westwood denim 'Mini-Crini' skirt, ss 1985By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood denim 'Mini-Crini' skirt ▪ Made with recycled Levi's denim jeans ▪ Plastic boning ▪ Waist 28 inch ▪ Spring-Summer 1985Category
1980s British Skirts
- Comme des Garçons deconstructed cream accordion pleated skirt, ss 2002By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GB▪ Comme des Garçons deconstructed cream skirt ▪ Constructed out of three pleated skirts ▪ Irregular hemline ▪ Size Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 2002 ▪ Made in ...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Skirts
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld iridescent taffeta quilted evening maxi skirt, fw 1999By ChanelLocated in London, GBIntroducing an enchanting Chanel evening maxi skirt designed by Karl Lagerfeld. This exquisite piece is crafted from iridescent silk taffeta, exuding opulence and sophistication. The...Category
1990s French Skirts
- Gianni Versace blue Oroton chainmail draped evening mini skirt, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace metallic blue Oroton chainmail draped evening mini skirt. Fall-Winter 1994Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Vivienne Westwood blue and yellow cotton striped button up mini skirtBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood blue and yellow cotton striped button up mini skirt - Orb buttons ca. 1988 - 1994Category
1990s British Skirts
- Dolce & Gabbana mint organza bustle skirt with ruffle trim, c. 1980sBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana mint organza bustle skirt with ruffle trim c. 1980sCategory
1980s Italian Skirts
- Oscar de la Renta Brown and Multi Print Silk Skirt with Ruffle - 6By Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Oscar de la Renta silk skirt is brown with a multi-color print on it that has different tones of blue. Going down the front of the s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Skirts
- Dolce & Gabbana Red Plaid & Patchwork Skirt 1999By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Dolce & Gabbana (with original tags) mini skirt featuring a plaid front, velcro side closure, red topstitching design, and pockets ...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Dior White Eyelet Flare SkirtBy Christian DiorLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Christian Dior by John Galliano white cotton eyelet lace skirt featuring a fitted drop waist, multiple vertical flared panels, atta...Category
Early 2000s French Flare Skirts
- Versace Multicolor Skirt With Metal Mesh Waistband 1999By Gianni VersaceLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is pleased to offer a rare vintage Gianni Versace multicolor skirt featuring a metal mesh waistband with blue beads. Versace S...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- 1950's Flocked Velvet Circle SkirtLocated in New York, NYFun 1950's Flocked Velvet Circle Skirt on black/white cotton tweed ground. "Velvet" is flocked (or printed) in a circular pattern in this graduated design. Waist 26", Length 31". 195...Category
1950s American Circle Skirts
- Celine Black & White Stripe Box Pleat Skirt With HardwareBy CelineLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage black and white wool Celine box pleat skirt with leather and hardware belt detail at waist. Celine, Paris Size 42 Measurements: W...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
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.