It's a rare occasion that a legendary fashion designer's oeuvre is put to auction. Think of Yves Saint Laurent or Karl Lagerfeld’s estate sales, both a few years after their passing. And so comes the time when another legendary creator, in this case Vivienne Westwood, gets the spotlight and a rare collection has come for sale.

The Mr Steven Philip Collection (part 1) & Passion for Fashion collection was compiled by Steven Philip, the co-founder of London vintage boutique Rellik, a man who slowly built a vastly impressive archive over 30 years, both of Westwood icons as well as other designers key pieces including Galliano, Issey Miyake, and McQueen.

Bermondsey’s Kerry Taylors Auctioneers has handled some of the most exceptional sales. From Givenchy haute couture ball gowns donned by Audrey Hepburn to early Alexander McQueen runway pieces, from his heyday in the 90s. Plus, Princess Diana’s iconic velvet ‘Travolta’ dress, which made £220,000 back in 2019.

Vivienne’s often controversial – but always influential – work as both a political activist and fashion designer will be brought together to form the world’s biggest Vivienne Westwood auction over the next couple of days.

The auction features museum-quality Westwood from Punk Sex-Originals, 1975, swashbuckling Pirates, 1981, and every fabulous design twist and turn of Viv’s through to romantic ball gowns and dangerously vertiginous Super Elevated Platforms of the ‘90s and 2000s. A highlight of being a unique pair of green mock croc Super Elevated Gillies personally autographed by Dame Vivienne herself; and a two-piece ‘Mini Crini’ corset and velvet skirt ensemble from her 1988 ‘Harris Tweed’ collection, when she groundbreakingly incorporated corsets into her collection for the first time. Happy bidding!


 

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