Can you guess what Vivienne Westwood did before she became a desginer? Record store clerk? Barmaid? Berlesque dancer? Well, before she sold lavatory chains and dog collars she was an elementary school teacher. In 1971 her passion shifted to opening her punk clothing clothing store, Let It Rock, with Malcolm McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols). She outfitted the Sex Pistols for their first gig and gained a fanbase amongst punks.
The shop's name went through several transformations (Sex, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, Seditionaries) before becoming World's End. She still owns the shop and sells her Anglomania line from there.
Vivienne and Malcolm threw fashion through a loop with chains, bones (used to spell out words) and hair on t-shirts (sometimes all at once) and made the humble buttondown appealing to not so neat people like me. The paint drippings and writings like "Only Anarchists are Pretty"! make me smile. Miniskirts, shoes and dresses adorned in a similar unconventional manner.
Vivienne Westwood's designs correspond with one of my core interests in fashion. She was part of a place and a time that challenged typical standards of dress and behavior. Her clothes took part in a cultural and musical movement that can't be recreated and no one will forget it.
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8 comments:
this is so funny actually, last night i had a dream about vivienne westwood. like that she dyed her hair brown and everyone was surprised that it was her.
Me encanta Vivienne, me encantaría que volviera con McLaren después de tanto tiempo, sería priceless
Un beso!
Gotta love her.
That doesn't suprise me so much that she used to be an elementary school teacher...not after hearing that Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs was an art teacher, anyway.
I love the quasi-camoflage suit and tutu dress! thanks for the photos!
And on a more random note...you don't happen to know how tall Westwood is, do you?
refreshing! I really love that off the shoulder grey and black sweater dress! I need to bring out my combat boots again I feel...
-Giselle <3<3<3
ahh to be taught by v westwood. Actually, it makes sense a lot of sense most of my teachers at that age were um, 'eccentric'. She'd be like miss wats-her-face from the magic school bus!
I love Vivienne Westwood. She seems like one of those designers that would actually be fun to hang out with. I love that grey striped dress.
Did you see the editorial with her in Purple Fashion? Shot by Juergen Teller and it was absolutely fantastic.
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