Vivienne Westwood at Christie’s: The Personal Collection

Christie’s have announced a sale of Vivienne Westwood’s wardrobe to be auctioned after an exhibition of the fashion icon’s own collection.

Over 200 lots will be sold over the course of two days to raise money for charities close to Westwood’s heart, The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières and Greenpeace.

Born in 1941, the designer shaped her career as an original thinker and was a paramount name following the popularity of her work.

Some of the select pieces in this assembly include one of Westwood’s earlier works titled “Witches” inspired by witchcraft and Keith Haring’s graphic code of magic symbols. These pieces date back to the catwalk debut of 1983/84.

WITCHES, AUTUMN/WINTER 1983/1984 A TWO PIECE ENSEMBLE OF NAVY BLUE SERGE

“Dressed to Scale” is a taffeta gown encouraged by the depictions by 18th century satirist James Gillray, works with blown up proportions of extravagant fashions from these early decades and was walked on the runway in Autumn/Winter 1998/99.

DRESSED TO SCALE, AUTUMN-WINTER 1998/1999 A CORSET IN SILVER GREY SILK TAFFETA AND A FLOOR LENGTH SKIRT IN SILVER GREY SILK TAFFETA

Westwood’s relationship with Punk put her on the fashion map as a rebel of design and there is a reference to her work in her own “Propaganda” ensemble of Autumn/Winter 2005/06. These garments were enthused by an essay by Aldous Huxley, titled Propaganda in a Democratic Society.

PROPAGANDA, AUTUMN/WINTER 2005/2006 A DRESS WIH BLUE AND WHITE STRIPED BLOUSE AND PRINTED PROPAGANDA MODESTY PANEL AND APRON

Andreas Kronthaler, Dame Vivienne Westwood’s husband and Creative Director has personally selected the pieces for this initiative which will go on sale on 25^th June and an online auction from 14^th to 28^th June.

The free exhibition will be held at Christie’s Headquarters on King Street, London from 14^th to 24^th June.

Adrian Hume Sayer, Director Private & Iconic Collections, Christie’s, Head of Sale says of these events: “Vivienne Westwood’s sense of activism, art and style is embedded in each and every piece that she created. The pre-sale exhibition and auctions at Christie’s will celebrate her extraordinary vision with a selection of looks that mark significant moments not only in her career, but also in her personal life. This will be a unique opportunity for audiences to encounter both the public and the private world of the great Dame Vivienne Westwood and to raise funds for the causes in which she so ardently believed.”