Vivienne Westwood Spring 1994 “Cafe Society” Runway Leopard Jeans & T Shirt Set
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Hertfordshire, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2765222784392
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: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Givenchy Haute Couture by Alexander McQueen Spring 2000 Grey Mesh & Lace DetailBy Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Haute CoutureLocated in Hertfordshire, GBGivenchy Haute Couture by Alexander McQueen Spring 2000 - very similar version seen on the runway. Our one is made to order for a customer, so very likely to be one of a kind. Grey...Category
Early 2000s Jumpsuits
- Dior Fall 1998 Purple Silk Brocade and Lace Skirt & Jacket SetBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for 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
- Dior Spring 2000 Purple Mesh Knit DressBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Dior by John Galliano Spring 2000 Mauve purple knit mesh midi dress Purple underdress attached Size UK 10 / US 6 Can fit a variety of sizes due to stretch Measurements (laid flat) - 32-36...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Versace Fall 1997 Runway Black Leather Mini DressBy Gianni Versace, VersaceLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Versace Fall 1997 - seen on the runway Black leather mini dress Spaghetti straps Very soft leather Zip up back Size IT 38 / UK 6 / US 2, can fit up to approx 1 size larger ...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Versace F/W 1998 Runway Black Leather Zip Detail Tank TopBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Versace Fall 1998 - seen on the runway Black leather tank top Zipper detail from front to back and along hemline Functional zip - can be worn open or closed Zip up back ...Category
1990s Shirts
- Vivienne Westwood Fall 1992 Runway Sample Black Metallic Gold DressBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Hertfordshire, GBVintage Vivienne Westwood Fall 1992 “Always on Camera” collection Runway piece - this is the exact dress that was worn by model Anna Bayle on the Fall 1992 runway Black full length dress with gold glitter pattern all over Stretch fabric Long sleeve Short zip up back Made in England Measurements (Stretch fabric) - 30-34” chest...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Navy blue linen skirt-suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Circa 1980'sBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRNavy blue linen skirt-suit . Main fabric: 100% linen. Lining: 55% acetate 45% rayon SIZE 40 (Fr) 10 (Us)Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Ocher wool chevron skirt- suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROcher wool chevron skirt suit.Horn buttons. Silk lining. Shoulder pads. Wrap-skirt SIZE 40Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Black and white mini check pattern skirt-suit Yves Saint Laurent VariationBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack and white mini check pattern skirt-suit. No fabric composition tag but main fabric is wool and lining rayon or acetate. Shoulder pad. Wrap skirt. ONE TINY STAIN IN THE FRONT O...Category
1980s Unknown Skirt Suits
- Red and grey skirt-suit officer's style Thierry Mugler Circa 1980'sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed and grey skirt-suit officer's style. Snap in the middle front + on the bust's pockets + snap on the cuffs. Main fabric composition: 78% rayon, 22% linen. No lining composition ...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Burgundy skirt-suit in wool knit and leather MUGLER Circa 1990'sBy Mugler, Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBurgundy skirt-suit in wool knit and leather. Acetate or rayon lining. ( not in the back of the jacket) 1 Snap covered with leather in the middle front. Cut-work on the hips on the...Category
1990s Unknown Skirt Suits
- Red skirt suit with gros-grain bow on the pockets Thierry Mugler Circa 1980By Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed polyester skirt suit with gros-grain bow on the pockets. No fabric tag composition for the lining but probably acetate or rayon. Shoulder pad. Cut-work. Snap closure in the midd...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits