Vintage F/W 1991 Velvet Co-ord
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 6 (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3757222893062
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 PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Vintage 1990’s Skirt SuitBy Thierry MuglerLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Thierry Mugler 1990’s red skirt suit. Blazer features zip closure and peplum hem. Skirt features a zip and button at the bac...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage S/S 2001 Gargoyles Print Mesh Co-ordBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Summer 2001 gargoyles print mesh co-ord set. Features short sleeved top and low waisted trousers...Category
Early 2000s French Twin Sets
- Fendi Vintage 1990's Pattern Co-ordBy FendissimeLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Fendi Vintage 1990's Pattern Co-ord. Features yellow and green print, grey collar and buttons down front with high wa...Category
1990s Italian Twin Sets
- Vintage F/W 1992/93 Always On Camera Denim CoordinateBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBExtremely rare Vivienne Westwood Fall Winter 1992/93 co–ord from the iconic ‘Always On Camera’. Corset features denim panelling with Marlene Dietrich’s lips on the front, boning, red...Category
1990s English Twin Sets
- Vintage S/S 1991 Pinstripe grey SuitBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood Vintage S/S 1991 Pinstripe grey Suit. Features single breast, grey piping along lapel, 4 pockets on front, slim fit with zipper along the c...Category
1990s English Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage S/S 1997 ‘La Poupée’ Runway Black JumpsuitBy Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GBVintage Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 1997 black jumpsuit, look 22 from the ‘La Poupée’ collection. Features black long-sleeve silhouette with structured upper with shoulder pads, ...Category
1990s British Jumpsuits
- Giorgio di Sant Angelo Suede Vest and Skirt Ensemble, Circa 1970sBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in Brooklyn, NY1970s two piece vest and skirt set. Midnight blue suede & interior leather. Circle cut outs with electric green leather "polka dot" inlay. Sleeveless v...Category
1970s American Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Morphew Collection Indigo Blue Tiger Head Print Cold Rayon Bias PajamasBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYMorphew Collection Indigo Blue Tiger Head Print Cold Rayon Bias Pajamas MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials sourced from around t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pajamas
- Romeo Gigli for Callaghan Spring-Summer 1991 silk pant and shawl ensembleBy Romeo GigliLocated in London, GBRomeo Gigli for Callaghan Spring-Summer 1991 silk pant and shawl ensembleCategory
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Claude Montana Pant SuitBy Claude MontanaLocated in Los Angeles, CACharcoal grey pant suit. Woven leather trim. Belted. Shoulder pads. Side zipper on pants. Lined. Made in Italy. *Condition: Excellent vintage conditio...Category
1980s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1960s Chanel Haute Couture Gold and Brown Jacket and Dress EnsembleBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, OntarioFabulous 1960s Chanel Haute Couture jacket and dress ensemble crafted from a gold, sage green and light brown plaid tweed. The jacket is co...Category
1960s French Dress and Coat Ensembles
- Dolce & Gabbana leaf print silk chiffon blouse and pants set, ss 1997By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana green leaf print pant suit ▪ 100% Silk ▪ Button-up short sleeve blouse ▪ Nude flared pants ▪ IT 42 - UK 10 - US 6 ▪ Spring-Summer 1997Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles