Vivienne Westwood vintage auction: Harlequin Mini-Crini and Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle T-Shirt in 300-piece private collection at Tennants

Called Vivienne Westwood: Five Decades at the Cutting Edge, the sale will be of items from the collection of a single private owner and will take place on Friday, August 15, at Tennants’ North Yorkshire Salerooms. It will be open for public view from Wednesday, August 13.

The collection of more than 300 garments is thought to be the largest private collection of Vivienne Westwood to be sold outside London.

An icon of the British fashion industry, Dame Vivienne Westwood was famous for her mini crinis, bustles, bustiers, tartan and tailoring. She broke the rules of fashion and had an extraordinary influence on British culture and design, from defining the Punk look of the 1970s to becoming a global fashion icon and activist. She died in December, 2022, in Clapham, London, aged 81.

The collection has been put together over the past two decades by Susan Baker, an admirer of Vivienne Westwood following a visit to the landmark Vivienne Westwood retrospective at the V&A in 2004.

Ms Baker, who has collected historical costume since the 1990s, says she felt an instant connection with the designer, who was born in the village of Tintwistle, Cheshire (her father was a sausage factory worker and her mother a greengrocer’s assistant).

“Unlike Vivienne, in the 1970s I wasn’t a punk rocker, but I’ve always been a rebel,” said Ms Baker. “I love how her clothes are an expression of dissatisfaction with the status quo, of political rebellion.”

Buying the V&A exhibition catalogue, Ms Baker set about collecting as many of the designs featured as possible, scouring antiques fairs, auctions and specialist dealers.

As a collector of antique costume herself, she is particularly fascinated by Vivienne Westwood’s use of traditional tailoring and styles from historic dress, from the cut and slashed draperies of the Tudor and Jacobean Court to 18th century ‘sack-back’ silk dresses and the frothy drapery depicted in works by the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau.

One of the most iconic pieces in the collection is the two-piece Harlequin Mini-Crini from the Voyage to Cythera Collection, A/W 1989, inspired by figures from the Italian Commedia Dell’Arte and the paintings of Jean-Antoine Watteau, offered with an estimate of £8,000-£12,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium).

Further stand-out lots include a Corset from the Portrait Collection, A/W 1990/1 (estimate: £1,000-£1,500); Pin Stripe Suit from the S/S 1994 Café Society Collection (estimate: £500-£800); and a Voyage to Cythera Harris Tweed Savile Jacket and Nude Leggings, the latter featuring a mirrored fig leaf (estimate: £2,500-£3,500).

Under the Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren Seditionaries label is ‘The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle’ T-Shirt from circa 1978, featuring images of Sid Vicious (estimate: £500-£800).

Vivienne Westwood: Five Decades at the Cutting Edge takes place on August 15, 2025. Preview: Tuesday, August 12. Viewing times: Wednesday, August 13, and Thursday, August 14, 10am to 3pm. Venue: Tennants Auctioneers, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5LU

Website: www.tennants.co.uk