Rare Vivienne Westwood FW1993 Archival Tartan Suit Red Label 90s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. has some small flaws like stains and some light damage on the chain cord; could need dry cleaning.
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2727222457952
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: Berlin, Germany
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- ICONIC Thierry Mugler FW 1998 Crystal Jacket Ensemble Famous Helmut NewtonBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Berlin, BEThe Iconic Thierry Mugler FW 1998 jacket famously captured by the legend Helmut Newton! Extremely rare and documented piece, Museum Worthy. Black jacket and long black skirt...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Thierry Mugler Runway Black Suit Skirtsuit Lucite Gem Buckle Blazer JacketBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Berlin, BERare Thierry Mugler Ensemble, documented featured on the Runway, Fahsionshow 2000 Black two piece skirtsuit, jacket/blazer and skirt. Gorgeous deep V-neck and fabulous sculptured ta...Category
Early 2000s French Skirt Suits
- Thierry Mugler Couture Suit Blazer Skirt Jacket Metal Lock Wool Mohair 90sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Berlin, BEExtraoridnairy rare Thierry Mugler Couture Skirtsuit, assuming FW1996 Collection. Beautiful high quality Wool and Mohhair Blazer Jacket and Skirt two-piece Ensemble. Elegant chic wi...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Iconic MOSCHINO Couture Dollar Sign Ensembe Black Dress Jacket Gold Chain SetBy Jeremy Scott, Moschino CoutureLocated in Berlin, BE$$$ MOSCHINO Couture $$$ Absolutely amazing two piece ensemble: black dress and jacket with heavy high quality gold coloured metal Dollar Signs and chain details. Super iconic and f...Category
2010s Italian Twin Sets
- Iconic Rare Thierry Mugler Pink Ensemble Metal WingsBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Berlin, BESpectacular Thierry Mugler Ensemble (Jacket and Skirt) from the 1992 Collection. This is one of Thierry Mugler's most iconic designs where he first experimented with elements inspi...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Glamorous Archival Thierry Mugler SS 1986 Gold White Iconic SkirtsuitBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Berlin, BEAn iconic piece of Fashion History. Truly divine Thierry Mugler Haute Couture Ensemble from one of his his SS 1986 Sahara Collection. Extr...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Oscar de la Renta Ivory & Navy Silk Chiffon Beaded Blouse & Tank Set - MBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOscar de la Renta Ivory & Navy Silk Chiffon Beaded Blouse & Tank Set - M. This set is in excellent vintage condition with the only issue being some discoloration by the arm pit area ...Category
1990s French Twin Sets
- Oscar de la Renta Black Velvet Skirt Suit with White Embroidery - 10 - 1990sBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLOscar de la Renta Black Velvet Skirt Suit with White Embroidery - 10 - 1990s. This skirt suit is in excellent vintage condition with light wear to the velvet and embroidery. The jack...Category
1990s American Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Emanuel Ungaro Parallele 1990’s Navy Boucle Jacket with skirt - Size 12By Emanuel UngaroLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis vintage 1990’s Navy Boucle Jacket has white stitching throughout making a large checkered pattern. The jacket also has 3 yellow grosgrain ribbon making horizontal rows along the...Category
1970s Italian Skirt Suits
- Silver Metallic & White Beaded Pencil Skirt SetLocated in Los Angeles, CAPut some sparkle in your wardrobe with this fabulous Silver and White Beaded Set! The silver metallic beaded bodice will have you shining brightly along with its silver lame sleeve...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1970s Aubrey Beardsley Inspired Monochrome Print JumpsuitLocated in London, GBThe fabulous monochrome black and white floral print on this original 1970s jumpsuit is really striking and we've no doubt that it was inspired by the ink designs of the artist, Aubr...Category
1970s American Jumpsuits
- Silk jacquard printed shirt and skirt ensemble Céline Circa 1980'sBy CelineLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRSilk jacquard printed shirt and skirt ensemble.Shoulder pad. Botton covered with fabric and buttonhole closure in the middle back of the top. Zip and hook&eye in the middle back of ...Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles