Vivienne Westwood’s own wardrobe is going up for auction
By Amarachi Orie, CNN
(CNN) — The late Vivienne Westwood was known for her provocative clothing styles and the development of punk fashion, adorning runways with her iconic high-end designs.
Now, fans of the British fashion designer will be able to get their hands on her personal wardrobe items when they go up for auction later this month.
More than 200 items, including garments, shoes, jewelry and iconic looks from four decades of her life, will be offered at a live auction in London on June 25, and in an accompanying online sale between June 14 to 28, according to auction house Christie’s.
Westwood’s wardrobe – which includes looks selected by her husband and the creative director of her fashion brand, Andreas Kronthaler – will be exhibited at a free, public showing at the auction house in London from Friday until June 24, Christie’s said in a release.
As Westwood was an outspoken advocate for the planet and issues such as human rights and free speech, the proceeds from the sale will go to organizations supporting causes she championed during her life, including The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Greenpeace, according to Christie’s.
“Vivienne was a style icon throughout her lifetime,” The Vivienne Foundation said in the release. “Her deep interest in intellectual and political ideas informed her natural skill in fashion design, where she became one of the very few true originators. There will simply never be another Vivienne Westwood.”
One of the items on offer will be her “Propaganda” look from her 2005-2006 Autumn collection which features a printed dress and blue and white striped blouse. It references her punk days as well as Aldous Huxley’s essay on “Propaganda in a Democratic Society,” according to Christie’s.
The earliest dated item in the sale is a navy blue ensemble from Westwood’s “Witches” collection from Autumn/Winter 1983-84. The collection was inspired in part by witchcraft and artist Keith Haring’s code of magic symbols, according to Christie’s. It is predicted to sell for up to £6,000 ($7,600), Christie’s said.
“Vivienne Westwood’s sense of activism, art and style is embedded in each and every piece that she created,” said Adrian Hume Sayer, head of the sale and director of Private & Iconic Collections at Christie’s, in the release.
“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,” he added.
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