Gianni Versace
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 38 (UK)Bust: 38 in (96.52 cm)Waist: 26 in (66.04 cm)Hip: 36 in (91.44 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU130805451728
Gianni Versace
The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos.
“I don’t believe in good taste,” Versace once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life. Today, vintage Gianni Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression. In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.
Vintage Versace has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.
Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.” Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”
Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- Vintage Moschino Black Leather Skirt Suit with Gold Chain Tassels 1989By MoschinoLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage Moschino by Franco Moschino black leather motorcycle jacket and skirt. Both pieces feature gold thimbles with gold chains. Like new...Category
1980s Italian Skirt Suits
- Maison Martin Margiela Nude Burnt Edged Top and Skirt Ensemble 2003By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Martin Margiela nude color spaghetti strap camisole and matching knee-length skirt both featuring singed edges along the hems. Circa th...Category
Early 2000s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Autumn Tone Paisley Ruffle & Taffeta Trim EnsembleBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage autumn paisley wool skirt and blouse ensemble featuring a blouse with taffeta trim at the collar, cuf...Category
20th Century French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent YSL Chartreuse Stripe Wrap Ensemble, 1970sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage 1970s Yves Saint Laurent chartreuse wrap top & skirt ensemble with multi-color stripes. The top features a wrap-around front tie cl...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Bronze Metallic Jumpsuit & Cropped Jacket EnsembleBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Jean Paul Gaultier bronze metallic & black knit sleeveless jumpsuit with matching crop top / jacket featuring three-quarter length sleeves. The jumpsuit has a invisible zippe...Category
20th Century French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Ann Demeulemeester Black Wool RomperBy Ann DemeulemeesterLocated in Los Angeles, CAVintage Ann Demeulemeester black sleeveless v-neck romper with buttons down center front, two front pockets and one back pocket, and adjustable straps at waist and at back. Excellen...Category
20th Century Jumpsuits
- Vivienne Westwood red checked tweed and black velvet skirt suit, fw 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood red checked tweed skirt suit ▪ 100% Wool ▪ Large orb etched buttons ▪ Large turn-over cuffs ▪ Black cotton velvet 'kick-out' skirt with tulle petticoat ▪ FR 38...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1990S Black Polyester Spandex Jumpsuit With Embossed Crocodile Skin & Gold LeatLocated in New York, NY1990S Black Polyester Spandex Jumpsuit With Embossed Crocodile Skin & Gold Leather PipingCategory
1990s Jumpsuits
- Mod 60's Gold Jackie O Gucci Style Dress & Matching CoatLocated in Los Angeles, CA1960s Mod Gold Jackie O Gucci Style Matching Coat and Dress 2 Piece Ensemble Made in USA - Union Label Size Label Reads : Coat 9 ...Category
1960s American Dress and Coat Ensembles
- Gianni Versace S/S 2000 Runway Tropical Palm Print Pants & Blouse 2 Piece SetBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace S/S 2000 Runway Tropical Palm Print Silk Pants & Sheer Blouse Top 2 Piece Set Jumpsuit IT 42Category
Early 2000s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Tom Ford for Gucci S/S 1993 Runway Vintage Zipper JumpsuitBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Naples, FLTom Ford for Gucci S/S 1993 Runway Vintage Zipper Jumpsuit IT 38 Excellent Condition! Like New!Category
1990s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Thierry Mugler Couture Ivory Skirt Suit Size 38 36By Thierry MuglerLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis skirt suit is composed of a white material. The jacket has a center front closures with silver hardware. The skirt has a classic pencil silhouette with zipper closure. In excell...Category
20th Century French Skirt Suits