Lot Essay
Vivienne Westwood was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1992 and advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2006. In 2006, His Majesty King Charles III, then HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, bestowed the honour, creating Vivienne Westwood as Dame Commander of the British Empire in recognition of her services to fashion, she wore this dress for the occasion. She had previously received an O.B.E. from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1992, when Vivienne was famously caught unawares when photographed by the press from a low angle swirling knickerless in tailored grey wool skirt suit outside the Grand entrance in the inner courtyard of Buckingham Palace. I wished to show off my outfit by twirling the skirt. It did not occur to me that, as the photographers were practically on their knees, the result would be more glamorous than I expected… Vivienne Westwood