Vivienne Westwood Rolls Royce screen printed denim jeans and jacket, fw 1992
View Similar Items
Vivienne Westwood Rolls Royce screen printed denim jeans and jacket, fw 1992
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Medium (UK)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14029017312
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swats away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knows her way around a garment. And she knows how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.”
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 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.
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’s dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter, and a wedding dress that she created is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
Today, the fires of political and environmental activism burn brightly for Westwood: She is 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 handbags, shoes, evening dresses and other items today on 1stDibs.
- Christian Dior by John Galliano floral cotton and leather pant suit, fw 2002By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior floral cotton and leather pant suit ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ 98% Cotton 2% Elastane / 100% Leather ▪ Round neck zip-up jacket ▪ Attached leather belt with metal buckle...Category
Early 2000s French Trouser Pant Suits
- Alexander McQueen grey denim shirt and flared pants, fw 2000By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GB▪ Alexander McQueen grey denim suit ▪ Fitted shirt with multiple bias-cut panels ▪ High-rise flared jeans ▪ Metal donut buttons ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- BodyMap 1980s crinkled track pantsLocated in London, GBBodyMap 1980s crinkled track pantsCategory
1980s British Pants
- Dolce & Gabbana black and gold chiffon wide leg pleated evening pants, A/W 2000By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB- Black and gold squiggle print - Wide pleated legs Autumn-Winter 2000Category
1990s Italian Pants
- Issey Miyake green lycra high-waist stirrup leggings, ss 1994By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GBIssey Miyake green lycra high-waist stirrup leggings with open back. Spring-Summer 1994Category
1990s Japanese Pants
- Gucci by Tom Ford black leather and mink fur flared pants, fw 1999By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci black leather flared pants ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Dark brown mink fur tails at the hem ▪ Leather ribbon bow detail at both knees ▪ IT 38 ...Category
1990s Italian Pants
- Amazing Vintage 80s Houndstooth and Star Print Navy White Jumpsuit w/ Pink BeltLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing vintage 80s jumpsuit! Wonderful houndstooth print, mixed with stars, in navy blue and white. Detachable pink sash belt. Buttons up the bodice. Slim cropped legs. Pockets on b...Category
1980s American Jumpsuits
- 1980s Diane Freis Silk Jewel Floral Print Bright Color Vintage 80s JumpsuitBy Diane FreisLocated in San Diego, CAChic 80S DIANE FREIS jewel and flower print silk jumpsuit ! Features bright colors of blue, green, pink, yellow, black and white throughout. Hidden buttons ...Category
1980s Hong Kong Jumpsuits
- Avant Garde Vintage Shelli Segal 1990s Black + Brown + White Polka Dot JumpsuitLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing vintage 90s SHELLI SEGAL black, brown and white mini polka dot rayon jumpsuit! Features a brown button at each side of the waist. Sleeveless style...Category
1990s American Jumpsuits
- Vintage Emanuel Ungaro Silk Jersey Taupe Two Piece Harem Pants Ensemble Pant SetBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in San Diego, CAUtterly chic early 1990s / 90s EMANUEL UNGARO taupe silk jersey two piece harem pant set! Features a wonderful slinky draped short sleeve blouse, with a hidden zipper up the side. Hi...Category
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- 1970s Chocolate Brown Velvet Sleeveless Bell Bottom Wide Leg Vintage JumpsuitLocated in San Diego, CAAwesome vintage 70s chocolate brown velvet bell bottom one piece jumpsuit! Features a fitted tailored collared bodice and trousers that leads to wide flared legs. Pocket at left brea...Category
1970s American Jumpsuits
- 1970s Fully Sequined Black Long Sleeve Flared Leg Vintage 70s JumpsuitLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing 1970s black fully sequined long sleeve silk / rayon jumpsuit! Features a flattering tailored bodice with a high neck. Full metal zipper up the back. Flared legs add a modern ...Category
1970s Jumpsuits
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.