Not currently on display at the V&A

SEX

Pair of Shoes
1974 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In 1974, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's shop at 430 King's Road, London, underwent its third and most provocative incarnation, becoming SEX. The shop was a loud expression of the couple's interest in social disruption, offering a mix of modified and off-the-peg fetish wear (previously only available via mail order in the UK). To help stock the shop, they created clothing and footwear that allowed their proto-punk clientele to take militantly transgressive looks out onto the street. With their spikes, buckles and shiny red PVC, the stiletto shoes available at SEX referenced a world of 'deviant' sexual practices, an eye-catching attempt to shock.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Shoe
  • Shoe
TitleSEX (named collection)
Materials and techniques
PVC
Brief description
Shoes, f, red PVC, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Britain, 'Sex' Collection, 1974.
Physical description
Red PVC court shoes with black soles.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16cm
  • Length: 19cm
Marks and inscriptions
'Especially for SEX 430 Kings Rd CHELSEA made in england' (label; English)
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
Summary
In 1974, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's shop at 430 King's Road, London, underwent its third and most provocative incarnation, becoming SEX. The shop was a loud expression of the couple's interest in social disruption, offering a mix of modified and off-the-peg fetish wear (previously only available via mail order in the UK). To help stock the shop, they created clothing and footwear that allowed their proto-punk clientele to take militantly transgressive looks out onto the street. With their spikes, buckles and shiny red PVC, the stiletto shoes available at SEX referenced a world of 'deviant' sexual practices, an eye-catching attempt to shock.
Collection
Accession number
T.81:1, 2-2002

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Record createdOctober 16, 2002
Record URL
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