By Elizabeth Ladzinski
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — An exhibition that opened Tuesday at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology chronicles Vivienne Westwood's transformation from rebellious alternative fashion designer to established high-end costumier.
The exhibit, Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89, features more than 40 objects, including numerous outfits, shoes and jackets, as well as videos, photographs and magazine tear sheets that tell the story of the British designer's rise to fame during the decade.
"We want people to see these outfits and accessories in the context that they would have been worn," said co-curator of the exhibit, Emma Kadar-Penner.
By 1980, Westwood was already well-known in Britain for her edgy, punk-rock designs. But according to Kadar-Penner, her runway show Pirate, which featured slouchy, unisex outfits, was incredibly influential, especially for the post-punk aesthetic of New Romanticism, a British fashion and music movement of the early eighties.
Westwood began her career outside of the mainstream. Pirate revealed her affinity for rebellious, street-wise fashion; but as her fame grew, she became more entrenched in the fashion industry and beloved by fashionistas worldwide, with her designs eventually landing on the cover of British Vogue in 1989.
"We've been collecting Vivenne Westwood for quite some time, and her work [during the 80's] was a story very easy to tell," Kadar-Penner said.
The second half of the decade showed Westwood's shift to more refined, feminine designs. Many consider her revitalization of the corset as a major contribution to fashion today.
"Her unique style was really honed during that decade," Kadar-Penner said, referring to the designer's use of traditional British fabrics like tweed, tartan, and of her use of the corset.
"She always has been a very rebellious figure in the fashion establishment," Kadar-Penner said. "She is, even still."
"Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89," runs from March 8 through April 2, 2011. The museum is located at 227 West 27th Street, near 7th Avenue.
