The Thrifty Six: Tribute to Dame Vivienne Westwood
On December 29, 2022, English fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood passed away peacefully surrounded by her family in Clapham, South London, at the age of 81. She is largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave styles onto the runways and into mainstream fashion. The punk scene of the 1970s in the United Kingdom was shaped and dominated by Westwood and her husband Malcolm McLaren, fellow fashion designer and manager of the quintessential English punk rock band, the Sex Pistols. The husband and wife team had a unique ability to synthesize fashion and music which they brought to 430 King’s Road, London, in the 1970s in the form of a punk rock boutique called SEX.
The boutique store front displayed 4 foot tall pink foam letters that spelled SEX while graffiti and chickenwire adorned the interior walls. The punk vibe was completed with red carpeting and red rubber curtains and the store specialized in fetish and bondage apparel. Not only did this boutique provide a safe haven for the punk rock counterculture, it also confronted social and sexual taboos in both the store design as well as the clothing styles offered.
Westwood and McLaren actually opened their first store front at 430 King’s Road in 1969 under the name Paradise Garage. After a few other name changes, SEX was opened from 1974 to 1976, and then was renamed in 1976. In 1980, 430 King’s Road was reopened under the name World’s End which remains open today as part of Westwood’s global fashion empire.
Westwood’s designs were influenced by the punk rock culture of the 1970s but her designs also heavily influenced the culture in return. Punk fashion was meant to make a big bold statement against the mainstream culture of the time. It’s anti-establishment, it’s anti-consumerism, it’s anti-popular culture. It’s meant to be loud without having to say a word. And so in memory of and in tribute to the iconic Dame Vivienne Westwood, Emma has chosen this fantastically badass theme for our January thrifty styles…which is perfectly suited to the anti-consumerism punk ideal, one which Westwood herself held near and dear.
“Buy less, choose well: that’s the maxim. Quality not quantity. That’s the most environmentally friendly thing you can do.”
Dame Vivienne Westwood
So how does a person create a punk rock outfit worthy of Dame Vivienne Westwood? Well, you start with secondhand pieces because that is another environmentally friendly thing you can do. And then you think black, leather, tartans, chunky boots, and grungy hand-me downs. Rips and tears and safety pins along with band tees and spiked hair and jewelry are also staples in a punk rock wardrobe. The punk rock style aesthetic also includes putting your own unique twist on your look by customizing pieces in interesting ways. Punks are not afraid to take a pair of a scissors to a perfectly good pair of jeans and slash the hell out of them. Nor are they afraid to wear things in nontraditional ways and combine seemingly contrasting pieces into one coherent style statement.
For my tribute to the brilliant Dame Vivienne Westwood, I knew I wanted to combine various tartan patterns into my look so I started with my thrifted purple plaid mini skirt with attached garters. We are in the midst of a cold snap right now forcing me to get creative with layering so I could prominently showcase my plaids without suffering a frostbite injury. Creative layering prompted me to wear my thrifted black knit Zara dress underneath the skirt, which created a sort of peplum style over the dress. You can see how I styled this dress in a previous thrifty post about thrifted favorites. I have also worn this dress with a red cape and red boots.
For my second tartan piece, I wore a pink plaid thrifted scarf as a sash and layered a secondhand polka dot neck tie on top just because I liked it and thought it looked pretty cool. Then I just kept adding more patterns with striped tights and a preloved tartan tweed overcoat. I completed my look with white platform boots, long pink gloves, faux pearl earrings, and a high ponytail because that’s about as punk rock as I could make my hair.
To further enhance my Westwood tribute, I have found photos of Dame Vivienne wearing a scarf as a sash, combining multiple tartans, and layering almost as creatively as I do! Ha.
“I’m not terribly interested in beauty. What touches me is someone who understands herself.”
Dame Vivienne Westwood
If you want to read more about the life and career of Dame Vivienne Westwood, there is no shortage of articles currently trending online. Vogue published a detailed obituary which highlights the most interesting parts and I always find Wikipedia entries helpful for quick biographical information.
So do you think Dame Vivienne would approve of my outfit?
We are still only five thrifters this month, but we are happy to announce that Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style will be taking Lucy’s place as our sixth thrifter beginning next month! She would have joined us this month except I dropped the ball and didn’t let her know until it was too late for her to style something for this theme. But you still get five amazing Vivienne Westwood inspired looks from the rest of us. Check them out…
The Thrifty Six is a group of international fashion influencers who meet once a month in our little space on the internet to share our thrifty outfits. On the third Monday of every month, we will all share an outfit based on a theme that features preloved wardrobe pieces. Shopping and reselling preloved clothing is so much better for the environment and you can find some of the best fashions in thrift or charity shops. The Thrifty Six are here to inspire you to shop second hand!
The Thrifters:
- Emma of Style Splash
- Grace of Graceful Rags
- Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
- Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
- Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
Emma of Style Splash
-Emma
Grace of Graceful Rags
-Grace
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
Vivienne Westwood sadly passed away on 29th December – a massive loss to the fashion world!
Icon, legend in her own lifetime and personal hero of mine!
The Thrifty Six are proud to celebrate Vivienne in our January post.
I’m wearing three of her pieces but more than that, I’m channelling her spirit…
…rebellious, fearless and totally original – alive with anarchic attitude!
Visual architect of the punk revolution, a game-changer for me and so many others…”
-Jane
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
-Nancy
And Me!
-Shelbee
I hope you enjoyed this post and all of our fun looks. I also hope you have been inspired to get more creative with your wardrobe As Dame Westwood herself has said,
“Fashion is life-enhancing and I think it’s a lovely, generous thing to do for other people.”
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress (Zara), Skirt, Scarf, Necktie, and Coat-Thrifted / Boots-ShoeDazzle / Gloves-Anne Klein / Tights and Earrings-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
18 Comments
Jennifer
This outfit is great and does remind me so much of Vivienne Westwood.
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Want this such a fabulous theme! I loved it a lot. All the gorgeous tartan and pinstripes. What a fantastic and creative time the punk years were. Love your pink tartan!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
This was super fun! I think it is my favorite theme for this series and my favorite outfits from everyone, too! Some of the punk rock ideals have always appealed to me. Which is probably why I always adore a creatively punky outfit!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking so very nice. You nailed it. Are those tights or socks. A fashion maven you are.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahaha, thanks, Patrick! These are tights!
xoxo
Shelbee
jodie filogomo
Wow, this is amazing. I did have an outfit ready to go in my head for this challenge, but I don’t know how I could have gotten it done, haha.
OXOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jodie! I really want to see what you had in mind! Can you post it anyway? So what if it’s late! It’s not there’s a deadline on sharing awesome outfits!
xoxo
Shelbee
Your True Self
Hi, Shelbee – I do think Westwood would approve of your outfit. It definitely captures her aesthetic. I’m very sorry about her passing. She was a great artist who always made loud statements about the rights and wrongs in society. She left a strong imprint on the world with her ethics. Thanks for sharing this – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Angie! This was a super fun way to pay tribute to an amazing woman. She really did leave a lasting cultural impact.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Shelbee, Dame Westwood would totally approve of this look…she might even steal it! I immediately knew what yo were doing without even looking at the title! Plaids, here, there, and everywhere definitely made this a perfect look! Love the polka dot tie, too!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Gahhhhh, thanks so much, Marsha! Best compliment ever! This was a really fun challenge and I loved this outfit. I just wish I had places to go to wear such a look! I do need to get out of my house more. Or maybe, just maybe, I can enjoy staying home and playing dress up and no have to go anywhere. Ha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle,
I had heard of Vivienne Westwood, but really didn’t know much about her. And that’s what makes a challenge like this awesome. I did a brief read on her, but now I’d like to know more. What an interesting, fierce person. And yes, I do think she would approve of this funky, fun outfit.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! I knew who she was and that she pioneered punk style, but that’s all I knew so I really enjoyed diving in and learning more about her as well. She seems like she was an incredibly fascinating and inspiring badass lady!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
Was an amazing tribute! I can definitrly see the Vivienne Westwood inspo in your outfit – this style suits you! Love seeing everyone’s take on her iconic style!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lizzie! This was one of my favorite style challenges ever. And I have done a lot of style challenges over the years! Everyone’s outfits are so incredible! I would wear every single one in a heartbeat.
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
Such a fantastic, creative outfit! Dame Vivienne would definitely approve!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! This was such a fun theme choice. One of my favorites of all the style challenges I have done over the years!
xoxo
Shelbee