If you’ve ever fancied thumbing through the personal archive of Vivienne Westwood, then this might be the best chance you’re ever going to get. London auction house Christie’s has just announced that it’s putting over 200 items from Viv’s wardrobe up for sale this summer, and the lot will include pieces from some of the earliest and rarest Westwood collections. Garments from AW83’s Witches, AW98’s Dressed to Scale, and AW05’s Propaganda are all slated to go under the hammer, the latter of which was one of Westwood’s most political offerings.
The event is especially personal to the legendary designer as Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s husband and creative partner, has selected all of the looks for the auction. In a statement released with the announcement, Kronthaler referred to his late wife as a “genius” and added that she “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.” And as well as being organised by Westwood’s family, proceeds from the auction are going to the late designer’s climate-focused charity The Vivienne Foundation, plus Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières.
If you don’t have enough cash to splash on a rare Westwood piece, however, you’ll also be happy to know that a free public exhibition showcasing the collection is taking place at Christie’s HQ alongside the auction. Adrian Hume Sayer, head of sale at the auction house added that, “the pre-sale exhibition and auctions at Christie’s will celebrate [Westwood’s] 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.”
Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection live sale is taking place at Christie’s London, 8 King Street, London, SW1Y 6QT on 25 June, with an online auction taking place alongside from 14-28 June.