VIVIENNE WESTWOOD 00's Iconic Bustier
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 52 in (132.08 cm)Marked Size: IT 40 (NA)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3865221515012
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: Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- AZZEDINE ALAÏA FW 91 Iconic Knitted Body with Anatomical a Jour EmbroideryBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Milano, MILANOFall Winter 1991 rare and iconic knitted body with anatomical a jour embroidery by Azzedine Alaïa. Zip at the back. Snap buttons. The composition is 90% vis...Category
1990s French Bodysuits
- DOLCE & GABBANA SS 06 Rare and Iconic Lace Long Sleeve DressBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, MILANOSpring Summer 2006 rare and iconic lace long sleeve dress by Dolce & Gabbana. Silk satin trims at sides. Cotton sangallo frills and satin ribbons. Silk lining. Zip at the back. The c...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- DOLCE & GABBANA 90's Rare Pinstripe Bustier SuitBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, MILANO90's rare pinstripe bustier suit by Dolce&Gabbana. Bustier with whalebones. Tulle shoulder straps and lining. Hooks closure at back. Five pockets short length trousers. The compositi...Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- DOLCE & GABBANA FW 98 Rare Floral Painted Shantung CoatBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, MILANOFall Winter 1998 rare floral painted shantung kimono coat by Dolce&Gabbana. Lightweight padded. Two pockets. Fully lined. The composition is 100% silk.Category
1990s Coats and Outerwear
- DOLCE & GABBANA SS 91 Iconic and Rare Embroidered CulottesBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, MILANOSpring Summer 1991 iconic and rare high waisted culottes with beads embroidery by Dolce & Gabbana. Lingerie hooks at side. The composition tag is missing, seems to be made of nylon.Category
1990s Pants
- DOLCE & GABBANA FW 92 Rare and Iconic Cotton PlastronBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Milano, MILANOFall Winter 1992 rare and iconic cotton plastron by Dolce & Gabbana. Deep opening at sides. Buttons at front. The composition is 100% cotton.Category
1990s Jackets
- Dolce & Gabbana Black Lace BustierBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Dolce & Gabbana Black Lace Bustier is a luxurious piece of lingerie piece with exquisite black lace and baby blue ribbon detailing. The adjustable s...Category
1990s Lingerie
- GIANNI VERSACE Andy Warhol Pop Art Marilyn Monroe Betty Boop SS91 Bodyuit BodyBy Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in PARIS, FRGIANNI VERSACE Andy Warhol Pop Art Marilyn Monroe Betty Boop SS91 Bodysuit Rare Gianni Versace Jeans Pop Art Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop print cotton bosysuit from Spring 1991 Col...Category
1990s Italian Bodysuits
- Black tulle see-through bodysuit with lace appliqué La Perla ( no brand tag)By La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack tulle bodysuit with lace appliqué. No brand tag. Adjustable shoulder straps. Hook& eye on the inseam. SIZE SCategory
2010s Unknown Bodysuits
- Beige lace lace bustier with boned and padded Marvel by La PerlaBy La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBeige lace lace bustier with boned and padded. Fabric composition: tulle, lace, acetate, nylon, polyamide & elasthane. Zip and hook&eye on the left side.Satin ribbon bow in the mid...Category
2010s Italian Bustles
- Black see-through tulle bustier with black rhinestone La PerlaBy La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack see-through tulle bustier with black rhinestone. Fabric composition: nylon, polyester, elastane, tulle, cotton. Underwired bra. 2 lines of hook&eye in the middle back which hel...Category
2010s Italian Bustles
- Dolce & Gabbana Lace Panelled Corset TopBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Scottsdale, AZIntroducing the Dolce & Gabbana Lace Paneled Corset Top – a modern and sleek interpretation of the classic structured corset. Crafted in timeless black, this corset features a mix of...Category
2010s Italian Corsets