Vivienne Westwood 1980-1989

Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89 focused exclusively on Westwood's fashions of the 1980s and highlighted the significant shift in Westwood's design style during this decade. Her work of the early 1980s was prominently featured in edgy magazines such as i-D, and her following was comprised mainly of street-style insiders. By 1985, her more structured, feminine, and historically-inspired styles began to attract the attention of the mainstream press and widened Westwood's audience. The exhibition included a unisex ensemble from the Pirate collection (1981), a woman's ensemble from the influential Buffalo collection (1982) and a pair of Westwood's iconic Rocking Horse boots from the Harris Tweed collection (1987). Editorial photographs from magazines such as The Face and British Vogue further illuminated Westwood's impact on 1980s fashion, as did the runway footage and video interviews with the designer.

Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89 was organized and curated by FIT graduate students of the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program.