Iconic Vivienne Westwood Navy Wool Tartan Suit
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:100% wool
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Sheung Wan, HK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU323220666352
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: Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Thierry Mugler Purple Skirt Suit EnsembleBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Thierry Mugler purple velvet crawl neckline and shoulder jacket and mini skirt ensemble. - Featuring four front snap buttons an...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Chanel Green Tweed Dress Suit EnsembleBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Chanel green/silver tweed dress suit ensemble from 1997 pre-collection. - This jacket is an open front jacket and round neck design. - Double vent on front. - 45%Wool, 3...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Chloe Orange Cropped Vest And Skirt Ensemble With Light Bulb ButtonsBy ChloéLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Chloe orange cropped vest and skirt ensemble with light bulb Buttons. - Featuring six orange light bulb buttons fastening. The skirt is A-l...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage 90s Gianni Versace Black and White Print Top and Skirt Ensemble SetBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Gianni Versace black and white print short sleeve top and skirt ensemble set. - Featuring ribbed crew neck, sleeves and hem top. Skirt is ribbed elastic waist and h...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Versus By Gianni Versace Black/Transparent Vinyl Jacket And Skirt EnsembleBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Versus by Gianni Versace bi fabric black and transparent vinyl jacket and skirt Ensemble. Madonna was in a white one on the 1995 iconic Versace campaign by Mario Testin...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Chanel Blue Denim with Raw Edge Fringe Jacket and Skirt EnsembleBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Chanel two piece blue denim with raw edge fringe jacket and skirt ensemble from 2000 cruise "Identification" collection. The jacket has a 3/4 length...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1998 FW Chloe beaded two pieceBy ChloéLocated in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZHThe Chloe beaded skirt top set is a stunning two-piece set featuring low cut outs on both the top and skirt. The intricate beadwork adds a touch of luxury t...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Dior Fall 1998 Purple Silk Brocade and Lace Skirt & Jacket SetBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dior by John Galliano Fall 1998 - pink silk brocade seen on the runway, and pink & yellow wool version seen in campaign images Deep purple silk brocade jacket & skirt set ...Category
1990s Skirt Suits
- Prada grey linen runway set, SS 1999By PradaLocated in London, GBGrey linen skirt set from the Prada SS 1999 collection as featured in the show. Leather trim Snap button closure Side zip of skirt and top Size: Top...Category
1990s European Twin Sets
- Emporio Armani Linen Two PieceBy EMPORIO ARMANI EA7Located in Glasgow, GBBeautiful linen two piece from Emporio Armani. Maxi skirt with matching blazer jacket In a dark grey/green tone linen mix. The jacket has a ribbon and mesh frill trim around the co...Category
2010s Italian Skirt Suits
- Marc Jacobs Houndstooth Skirt SuitBy Marc JacobsLocated in Glasgow, GBWool and cashmere mix Marc Jacobs skirt suit from the eponymous brand. Houndstooth upper with a chunky black lace trim around the hemline and at the cuffs. The jacket is double breas...Category
2010s Skirt Suits
- Ivory Tom Ford Skirt SuitBy Tom FordLocated in Glasgow, GBIvory Tom Ford skirt suit from the eponymous brand. Silky ivory blazer style jacket and matching below the knee pencil skirt. The pencil skirt features gunmetal zipper detail running...Category
2010s Italian Skirt Suits