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Ensemble

1983 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

For well over three decades Vivienne Westwood, along with her one-time partner Malcolm McLaren, has been at the centre of British fashion and one of its most inventive and influential designers. Westwood’s career in fashion was galvanised by McLaren and together they launched memorable fashion moments, including Punk in the early 1970s and later their Pirates collection. McLaren and Westwood conducted a design relationship between 1971 and 1983. In 1990 and again in 1991 Vivienne Westwood was named British Designer of the Year; she has also received an OBE.

Westwood’s unique mix of practicality and inventiveness, her preoccupation with silhouette and the manner in which she manipulates fabrics result in dynamic fashion. Westwood herself once said, 'You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes.’

This ensemble is from Westwood’s ‘Witches’ collection (Autumn/Winter 1983-1984), for which the designer collaborated with graffiti artist Keith Haring. For this they collaborated with graffiti artist Keith Haring, whose work had been discovered in New York by McLaren and was also used simultaneously in the sleeve design and promotion of McLaren's solo album Duck Rock. Haring submitted drawings to McLaren and Westwood for them to use as they wished. The jacket reflected Mclaren and Westwood’s experimentation with exaggerated lapels and square-cut sleeves that hung off the shoulders.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Coat
  • Trousers
Brief description
Ensemble, m, grey wool coat and navy blue cotton trousers, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Britain, 'Witches' collection.
Physical description
Ensemble of grey wool double-breasted coat with exaggerated lapels and large pockets and high-waisted navy blue cotton trousers.
Dimensions
  • Coat and trousers weight: 3.06kg
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support and assistance from the Friends of the V&A, the Elsbeth Evans Trust, and the Dorothy Hughes Bequest
Production
'Witches' collection
Summary
For well over three decades Vivienne Westwood, along with her one-time partner Malcolm McLaren, has been at the centre of British fashion and one of its most inventive and influential designers. Westwood’s career in fashion was galvanised by McLaren and together they launched memorable fashion moments, including Punk in the early 1970s and later their Pirates collection. McLaren and Westwood conducted a design relationship between 1971 and 1983. In 1990 and again in 1991 Vivienne Westwood was named British Designer of the Year; she has also received an OBE.

Westwood’s unique mix of practicality and inventiveness, her preoccupation with silhouette and the manner in which she manipulates fabrics result in dynamic fashion. Westwood herself once said, 'You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes.’

This ensemble is from Westwood’s ‘Witches’ collection (Autumn/Winter 1983-1984), for which the designer collaborated with graffiti artist Keith Haring. For this they collaborated with graffiti artist Keith Haring, whose work had been discovered in New York by McLaren and was also used simultaneously in the sleeve design and promotion of McLaren's solo album Duck Rock. Haring submitted drawings to McLaren and Westwood for them to use as they wished. The jacket reflected Mclaren and Westwood’s experimentation with exaggerated lapels and square-cut sleeves that hung off the shoulders.
Collection
Accession number
T.161:1 & 2-2002

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Record createdNovember 6, 2002
Record URL
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