Worlds End by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren 'Buffalo' coat, fw 1982
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small, fits oversized (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140218130642
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 red checked wool waistcoat with caplet, fw 1988By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red checked wool waistcoat with caplet detachable leather buckle fastenings. Fall-Winter 1988Category
1990s British Capes
- Gucci by Tom Ford brown fox fur and leather corseted coat, fw 2003By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci brown leather coat ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Fall-Winter 2003 ▪ Constructed from dark brown leather and fox fur ▪ Integrated corset with gold...Category
Early 2000s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- John Galliano black sheepskin oversized coat, fw 1996By John GallianoLocated in London, GB▪ John Galliano coat ▪ Black sheepskin ▪ Draped puff sleeves ▪ Raw edges ▪ Two front patch pockets ▪ Open front ▪ Asymmetric hemline ▪ FR 40 - UK 12 - US 8 ▪ Fall-Winter 1996 ▪ Ma...Category
1990s French Coats and Outerwear
- Vivienne Westwood brown shearling coat dress, fw 1992By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood brown shearling coat dress. High neck, signature Westwood Orb buttons, fitted waist and flared skirt. Fall-Winter 1992Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld terry cloth robe, ss 1994By Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel terry cloth robe ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ All over print features iconic Chanel designs illustrated by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Two front po...Category
1990s French Beachwear
- Christian Dior by John Galliano red croc-embossed lambskin leather coat, fw 2005By John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior red croc-embossed lambskin leather coat ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Double-breasted ▪ Large logo etched buttons ▪ Silk lining...Category
Early 2000s French Coats and Outerwear
- Chanel 10A 2010 New Mohair Blend Quilted Runway Coat FR 38 CC logoBy ChanelLocated in Merced, CAChanel most wanted coat from Chanel Fall 2010 runway collection. It is adorned with front full length Chanel interlocking CC logo buttons and Quilted sleeves and sides. This is new.Category
Mid-20th Century French Coats
- Chinese !9th Century Silk Embroidered Wedding ShawlLocated in Sharon, CTCream silk. Hand embroidered with a floral motif. Hand knotted silk fringe. Hanging braided tassels on back. Tassels add 5" to length and width.Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Shawls
- Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture Coat-Dress 1950sBy Elsa SchiaparelliLocated in New York, NYElsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture Coat-Dress Vintage silk Elsa Schiaparelli coat-dress. The coat is made from textured silk trimmed with silver mink and has two side pockets. The co...Category
1640s European Coats
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Trench Coat in Dark Chocolate and Black Size 14By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Trench Coat in Dark Chocolate, Size 14 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romantic design i...Category
2010s British Trench Coats
- Verheyen London Esmeralda Faux Fur Coat in Emerald Green Zebra Print size uk 12By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBEsmeralda Faux Fur Coat in Emerald Green Zebra Print size uk 12 A coat for dressing up and down with jeans or a dress and to keep you cosy for the cold weather. This longline desig...Category
2010s Italian Coats
- Verheyen London Esmeralda Faux Fur Coat in Emerald Green Zebra Print size uk 10By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBEsmeralda Faux Fur Coat in Emerald Green Zebra Print size uk 10 A coat for dressing up and down with jeans or a dress and to keep you cosy for the cold weather. This longline desi...Category
2010s Italian Coats
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.