Vivienne Westwood Spring 1986 Orb & Polka Dot Denim Jeans
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood Spring 1986 Orb & Polka Dot Denim Jeans
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Hertfordshire, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2765222579552
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.
- Vivienne Westwood c.1996 MacAndreas Tartan Bondage Pants TrousersBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Vivienne Westwood c. 1996 Menswear however small size so also suitable for women MacAndreas tartan bondage pants Two sets of zips on back of legs Removable strap between t...Category
1990s Pants
- Dior Spring 2000 Purple Mesh Knit DressBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dior by John Galliano Spring 2000 Mauve purple knit mesh midi dress Purple underdress attached Size UK 10 / US 6 Can fit a variety of sizes due to stretch Measurements (laid flat) - 32-36...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Dries Van Noten Spring 1999 Runway Black Silk Bustle DressBy Dries van NotenLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dries Van Noten Spring 1999 - seen on the runway Black silk full length gown Three button pick-up bustle detail on back - can be worn up or left down to be a long train at ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia Fall 1991 Runway Orange Chenille Cutout DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Azzedine Alaïa Fall 1991 - seen on the runway Deep orange chenille knit dress Cutout stitching detail Very soft plush stretch fabric Hidden zip up back Size XS, best fits ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace Fall 1997 Runway Black Leather Mini DressBy Gianni Versace, VersaceLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Versace Fall 1997 - seen on the runway Black leather mini dress Spaghetti straps Very soft leather Zip up back Size IT 38 / UK 6 / US 2, can fit up to approx 1 size larger ...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Versace F/W 1998 Runway Black Leather Zip Detail Tank TopBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Versace Fall 1998 - seen on the runway Black leather tank top Zipper detail from front to back and along hemline Functional zip - can be worn open or closed Zip up back ...Category
1990s Shirts
- S/S 1995 Gianni Versace Butterfly JeansBy Versace, Gianni VersaceLocated in Concord, NCVersace butterfly print jeans from Spring Summer 1995. White denim jeans printed with an energetic butterfly motif throughout. Condition: Good cond...Category
1990s Italian Jeans
- Vivienne Westwood Mens blue wool riding breeches style cropped pantsBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Mens blue wool riding breeches style cropped pants ca. 1985-1989Category
1980s British Pants
- Armani Collezioni Grey Pin Striped Regular Fit Trousers XXXLBy Armani CollezioniLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2These trousers from Armani Collezioni are so well-tailored, you'll love flaunting them everywhere. It is made of a wool blend and features a well-tailored style. The trousers carry p...Category
2010s Italian Pants
- Gucci Cream High Waist Slim Fit Pants SBy GucciLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2These Italian-made pants from Gucci are chic, modern and very stylish. The pants are made of a cotton blend and feature a slim fit silhouette. Equipped with dual button fastenings at...Category
2010s Italian Pants
- Etro Monochrome Jacquard Cropped Pants MBy EtroLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Well-tailored and modern, these Etro pants will lend a playful touch to your mundane formal wears. It is cut to a structured design featuring monochrome jacquard pattern. The straigh...Category
2010s Italian Overalls
- Just Cavalli Indigo Pigment Overdyed Denim Zipper Detail Tapered Jeans SBy Just CavalliLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2The gold-tone chain detailing on the front as well as the back is the major highlight of these jeans from Just Cavalli. Crafted from stretchable cotton with tapered legs and pockets,...Category
2010s Italian Pants