Terms and conditions of use
Dress
1981 {Pirate collection, autumn-winter 1981–82}
Medium
cotton, metal
Measurements
212.0 cm (centre back) 33.5 cm (waist, flat)
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 1981 Westwood and McLaren presented their first runway collection, Pirate, in London. That same year, their King’s Road shop was renamed Worlds End, after a historic pub in Chelsea. The boutique was theatrically redesigned as a cross between an eighteenth-century galleon and an old-world curiosity shop, reflecting both the historicism and whimsy of the Pirate collection and the label’s shift away from punk. Worlds End featured tiny windows, a sloping floor, low ceilings, a chandelier and a slate gable adorned with a large clock that moved backwards through thirteen hours – a playful token of Westwood and McLaren’s subversive vision.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Accession Number
1999.361
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