Vivienne Westwood mauve brocade structured skirt suit, fw 1997
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small (EU)Waist: 24 in (60.96 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14025038861
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.
- 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
- Antony Price white lace bustled skirt suit, ss 1989By Antony PriceLocated in London, GBAntony Price white lace bustled skirt suit. Spring-Summer 1989Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Courreges couture brown wool mini skirt suit, c. 1969By André Courrèges, CourrègesLocated in London, GBCourreges couture brown wool mini skirt suit with wooden buttons and silk lining. c. 1969Category
1960s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Christian Dior by John Galliano gunmetal grey corseted skirt suit, ss 2004By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GBChristian Dior by John Galliano gunmetal grey skirt suit. Ruched jacket with black tulle halter neck, buckled cuffs, twisted sleeves, padded shoulders a...Category
Early 2000s French Skirt Suits
- Dolce & Gabbana white broderie anglaise and lace skirt and blouse, ss 1993By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana white cotton broderie anglaise and lace skirt and blouse set. Heavy layered skirt with accentuated waist and poet blouse with lace ruffles. Spring-Summer 1993Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace grey checked wool pleated skirt and cropped jacket, ss 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace grey checked wool mini dress with box pleated skirt and 10 fabric buttons. Matching cropped double breasted jacket with peak lapels and 4 fabric button fastenings. ...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Vivienne Westwood Red Label archival 90s ruffle corset Trousers Ensemble SetBy RED LABEL by VIVIENNE WESTWOODLocated in Berlin, DEArchival 1990s Vivienne Westwood Red Label archival 90s floral ruffle corset and Trousers set co ord Floral, button front, frill sleeve outrageous As s...Category
1990s Twin Sets
- 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Khaki Wool Skirt SuitBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche khaki wool skirt suit. Jacket features shoulder pads that create a strong, statement shape. Jacket is slightly asymmetric with two middle and low...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- 60s Emma Domb Mint Green Dress and Evening Coat SetBy Emma DombLocated in San Francisco, CA60s Emma Domb Mint Green Dress and Evening Coat Set. Snap front closures on coat. Fully lined.Category
1960s Dress and Coat Ensembles
- 1970S Floral Rayon Chiffon Blouse & Pant EnsembleLocated in New York, NY1970S Floral Rayon Chiffon Blouse & Pant EnsembleCategory
1970s Twin Sets
- Gianni Versace Versus Vintage White Jacket & Skirt Ensemble with Western DetailsBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Nice, FRGIANNI VERSACE VERSUS vintage 1990s white jacket and skirt ensemble featuring Western details. The jacket features : - White cotton with black stitchin...Category
20th Century Italian Skirt Suits
- Sophie of Saks Sophie Gimbel Grey 1960s Skirt Suit in Grey and White Fuzzy WeaveBy Sophie GimbelLocated in San Francisco, CAVintage 1960s Sophie of Saks skirt suit in a super textured grey and white weave. Textured brassy colored metal buttons. Side zip and hook and loop clos...Category
1960s Unknown Skirt Suits
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.