VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 
'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION, 
AUTUMN-WINTER 1998⁄99
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 
'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION, 
AUTUMN-WINTER 1998⁄99
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 
'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION, 
AUTUMN-WINTER 1998⁄99
6 More
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 
'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION, 
AUTUMN-WINTER 1998⁄99
9 More
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION, AUTUMN-WINTER 1998 / 99

A CORSET GOWN OF TAUPE SILK TAFFETA

Details
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD,
'DRESSED TO SCALE' COLLECTION,
AUTUMN-WINTER 1998 / 99
A CORSET GOWN OF TAUPE SILK TAFFETA
The separate corset bound at the waist and arms with black satin sashes, the bodice worn off-the-shoulder, the lower two-tiered part with bubble skirt above full skirt
Literature
A. Fury, Vivienne Westwood Catwalk: The Complete Collections, London, 2021, p. 419, different colourway illustrated.
Further details
Illustrated: Vivienne Westwood wears this magnificent gown to attend the Vivienne Westwood Fashion Tribute at The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, November 1998.

The Estate of Vivienne Westwood will donate 100% of the total hammer proceeds received for the sale of her personal wardrobe, less auction expenses, to be split equally between The Vivienne Foundation, Médecins Sans Frontières (a charity registered in England and Wales with charity number 1026588) and Amnesty International (registered in England and Wales with charity number 1051681).

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer
Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

The silhouette of this 'Dressed to Scale' gown is unmistakably 18th-century in inspiration, with its wide, low neckline, cinched bodice waist and vast skirts. The ruched peplum recalls the robe à la polonaise, a court dress that was popular in Europe by the 1770s. Initially it was formed from an over gown whose skirts were pulled up and tucked into side pockets, which revealed the skirts of another dress beneath. The result added yet more volume to the already ample skirts and divided it into three draped sections. It was this effect that lent the gown its name – Poland had been divided into three-part rule by Austria, Prussia and Russia in 1772, just as the fashion was rising. As the fashion took off, over skirts were permanently raised, hoisted with a system of internal tapes to keep them in place.

The choice of taupe taffeta for the voluminous Dressed to Scale gown also seems rooted in history. While tailoring in the 18th century was relatively inexpensive, the fabrics themselves were costly. Flowing skirts with long trains, deep flounces and multiple layers of cloth were an effective way of displaying one's wealth and status. Laundering precious textiles was in itself a difficult task, so wearing expanses of unblemished, pale silks was something of a statement: not only could you afford the cloth in vast quantities in the first place, you had the means to replace it when it was inevitably soiled.
J.O.

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