Seditionaries boots ca. late 70s

John Lydon in 1976. Photograph: Tony McGrath/The Observer

RIP Vivienne Westwood, 1941-2022.

SEDITIONARIES BY VIVIENNE WESTWOOD & MALCOLM MCCLAREN LESBIAN TIE

Tracie was one of the earliest punks in London as she was part of the infamous Bromley Contingent, a group of fans who followed the Sex Pistols around. she was considered a close friend by the Pistols and when she tragically passed away from cancer in 1978 they attended her funeral

Born 85 years ago today: fashion visionary, doyenne of punk, iconoclast and provocateur, environmental activist, true eccentric British original and Tintwistle, Cheshire’s finest export, Dame Vivienne Westwood (Vivienne Swire, 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022). Who else would rock up to Buckingham Palace in an exquisitely tailored suit to collect her OBE medal (like she did in 1992) – and then afterward twirl for photographers to reveal she was wearing no panties beneath? (There are great photos online documenting that moment, but if I post one here, I’ll wind up in Facebook jail). What other designer would urge the public to buy LESS clothes? As a punk fanatic steeped in the lore of the Sex Pistols, making a pilgrimage to the hallowed ground of Westwood’s World’s End boutique on King’s Road (with the sloping, creaking floor) when I first moved to London in 1992 was de rigueur. I bought a white shirt which cost £75, which seemed astronomical at the time. Of course, I still wear it on special occasions to this day (even on job interviews). And of course, I hung onto the bag with the orb logo until it disintegrated. I was always envious of friends and colleagues who’d casually remark they used to regularly spot Westwood cycling around South London with her vivid dyed-orange hair flying. I only fleetingly encountered her once: at a Christeene gig downstairs at the Soho Theatre a few years ago. Excitement rippled through the crowd when Westwood and her entourage arrived. Everyone knew they were in the presence of greatness. Pictured: portrait of Westwood by Tim Walker for British Vogue, 2009.

Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren: Mohair Punk Knit Sweater from 'Seditionaries' (1977)

Model wearing dress featuring "God Save the Queen" print (originating 1977) by Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren, and Jamie Reed in the 1985 Boy London Blackmail catalog