Pirate
Vivienne Westwood · 1981
New Romantic
London clubgoers turned dressing up into a public performance. At the Blitz and on the runway, historical references supplied material for a distinctly contemporary kind of theatre.
Billowing shirts and sleevesHistorical costume referencesTheatrical proportions
About New Romantic
New Romantic style grew from London’s music and club scene, including the Blitz and the highly theatrical dressing of Steve Strange, later widely known as Visage’s singer. Billowing shirts, historical references and conspicuous styling offered ways to invent an identity in public. Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s 1981 Pirate collection brought a related vocabulary onto the runway. It was one contribution to a scene shaped by clubgoers, stylists and musicians, rather than the movement’s single point of origin.
Explore the designers
- Vivienne WestwoodView garment · 1981
History with a rebellious edge
- Malcolm McLarenView garment · 1981–1982
Punk provocation and New Romantic theatricality