Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction

Unlike some designers, there was little separation between Vivienne Westwood’s runway collections and her personal wardrobe, which were both defined by an eclectic, anarchic spirit that drew inspiration from historical silhouettes – albeit in the designer’s distinct, subversive style. There were her pull-up stockings and towering heels, the twisted tartans and corseted taffeta gowns, and an array of provocative slogans adorning colourful T-shirts and knits, which championed the slew of political causes she ardently supported during her lifetime.

Announced this morning (22 April, 2024), British auction house Christie’s has announced a landmark sale of the designer’s personal wardrobe, which will take place across a live London auction on June 25, 2024 and an online auction which will run from 14 to 28 June, 2024. Avid Westwood fans and collectors will be treated to the opportunity to purchase clothing and accessories spanning over four decades (the first piece is from the designer’s A/W 1983/84 collection), which will also go on show in a free public exhibition at Christie’s headquarters on King Street, London from 14 to 24 June, 2024.

’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’ auction at Christie’s

Proceeds will go to The Vivienne Foundation (established by Westwood’s family to continue her legacy of activism), Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières, as well as ’The Big Picture: Vivienne’s Playing Cards’, a project by The Vivienne Foundation which supports Greenpeace. The sale includes rare pieces from Westwood’s seminal ’Dressed to Scale’ (A/W 1998/99) and ’Propaganda’ (A/W 2005/06) collections, and encapsulate Westwood’s wide-ranging fascinations – from messages of anarchism and protest to the blousy portraiture of 18th-century artists Boucher, Watteau and Fragonard.

’A genius born 1941 / Vivienne was a rebel / An outsider who had a calling / To be different / To explode the system / She was an original thinker / Vivienne was our heroine,’ said Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s husband who is now creative director of Vivienne Westwood, via a poem which accompanied the news.

’Vivienne Westwood’s sense of activism, art and style is embedded in each and every piece that she created,’ added Adrian Hume Sayer, director private and iconic collections, Christie’s. ’[These looks] 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 the private world of the great Dame Vivienne Westwood and to raise funds for the causes in which she so ardently believed.’

’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’ will run as a live auction on June 25, 2024, and an online auction which will run from 14 to 28 June, 2024. For more information visit Christie’s website.

A free public exhibition at Christie’s headquarters on King Street, London will also take place from 14 to 24 June, 2024.

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