Fashion expert: Vivienne Westwood death "a huge loss"

STORY: "I think her influence over the last 50, 60 years really cannot be overestimated. She really was a true iconoclast," said Wilkins.

Westwood, Britain's provocative dame of fashion, died on Thursday at the age of 81.

As the person who dressed the Sex Pistols, she was synonymous with 1970s punk rock, a rebelliousness that remained the hallmark of an unapologetically political designer who became one of British fashion's biggest names.

Her store in Los Angeles was closed with a sign reading, 'Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be closed until further notice." A single bouquet of white roses lay in the store's doorway.