Terms and conditions of use
Shirt and petti-shorts
1981 {Pirate collection, autumn-winter 1981–82}; 1981 {Savage collection, spring-summer 1982}
Medium
cotton
Measurements
(a) 60.0 cm (centre back) 37.0 cm (sleeve length) (shirt)
(b) 60.0 cm (outer leg) 33.5 cm (waist, flat) (petti-shorts)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of Just Jeans Pty Ltd, Member, 1999
Gallery location
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Ground Level, NGV International
About this work
In 1980 Westwood began exploring images of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century menswear, delving into the historical dress of pirates, highwaymen, buccaneers and dandies. She drew on books such as Norah Waugh’s The Cut of Men’s Clothes (1964) and Douglas Bottling’s The Pirates (1979), intrigued by garments that hung suggestively, billowing out rather than clinging to the body. This research culminated in Westwood’s Pirate collection, the first of many instances in which the designer would reimagine historical menswear for contemporary fashion.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
England
Inscription
(a) label, centre back, printed in blue on white cotton: world's / end / McLAREN / WESTWWOOD/ BORN IN ENGLAND
(b) label, centre back, printed in blue on white cotton: world's / end / McLAREN / WESTWWOOD/ BORN IN ENGLAND
Accession Number
1999.360.a-b
Department
International Fashion and Textiles
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest