2011 Vivienne Westwood blue taffeta off shoulder gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 6 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16119259182
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: Austin, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white striped trainBy Roland KleinLocated in Austin, TX1980s Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white train. Acetate fabric. 34" bust, 26" waist, 40" hips, 48" front length - 54 1/2" ba...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Cut out Heart DressBy Comme des Garçons, Rei KawakuboLocated in Austin, TXLook #16 from the Fall 2008 collection. 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Dress Pleated & Mesh Accents Buckle Closure Distressed undone hems and open side Bust: 29", Waist: 27", Hip: 44",...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1990s Gianni Versace Open Back Halter Evening GownBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Austin, TX1990s purple Gianni Versace halter open back evening gown Condition: Very good 20" bust, 22" waist, 31.5" hips, 63.5" length size XS/ US2 / IT38Category
1990s Italian Evening Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Black Evening Gown with Lace InsertBy BADGLEY MISHCKA, Badgley MischkaLocated in Austin, TXBadgley Mischka black evening gown with lace insert. Condition: Excellent. Size 10Category
1990s American Evening Dresses
- 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Taffeta Evening Skirt and Sheer Bow BlouseBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Austin, TX1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Taffeta Evening skirt and sheer bow blouse. Condition: Excellent. Size Small / 36 35" bust, 25" waistCategory
1970s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Geoffrey Beene Gown with Jacket, 1980sBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Austin, TX1980s Geoffrey Beene gown with jacket. Jacket : small herringbone print wool with silver metallic trim. 38" bust, 22 1/2" sleeve, 16" shoulder, 16...Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- Vivienne Westwood Nude Satin, Black Lace and Velvet Corset and Skirt, FW 1996By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Brand: Vivienne Westwood Gold Label ▪ Creative Director: Vivienne Westwood ▪ Collection: Fall-Winter 1996 ▪ Fabric: Black Lace, Nude Satin ▪ Details: One-shoulder corset top adorn...Category
1990s English Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980s Jacqueline de Ribes Deep Purple Taffeta One-Shoulder Cocktail Dress w RoseBy Jacqueline de RibesLocated in Gresham, OR1980s Jacqueline de Ribes Deep Purple Taffeta One-Shoulder Cocktail Dress w Roses: This documented Jacqueline de Ribes heavily boned, ruched, asymmetrical, ingeniously designed mi...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Blue sequin dress with white star sequins pattern JC/DCBy JC DE CASTELBAJACLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlue sequin dress with white star sequins pattern . Fabric composition: 100% polyester. The back is plain polyester satin. Orange cotton ribbing on the neck-line,on the bottom edge a...Category
Early 2000s Indian Cocktail Dresses
- Gucci by Tom Ford Draped Brown Mini Dress S/S 2003By Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in GOUVIEUX, FRBy Tom Ford iconic draped mini dress from the runway S/S 2003. - Deep V neckline - Light and soft fabric - Velvet spaghetti straps - Mini dress - Zip on the back - Opened sleeves yo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses
- The Iconic Roberto Cavalli Ss 2001 Liz Taylor Print Runway Bias-Cut Silk GownBy Roberto CavalliLocated in São Paulo, SPFeatured on season’s ad campaign Iconic print featuring Liz Taylor’s lips and eyes, blue roses and pearls V-neckline Adjustable straps with little charms on end Plunging cowl-style f...Category
Early 2000s Italian Maxi Dress
- Worlds End orange cotton jersey toga dress with Henri Matisse print, A / W 1982By Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB- Designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren - Henri Matisse - Femmes et Singes (1954) printed in brown 'Buffalo / Nostalgia of Mud' Autumn-W...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns